A Smallholders' Mariculture Device for Rearing Seafood: Environmentally Friendly and Providing Improved Quality

The aquaculture industry in Taiwan grosses more than USD 1.1 billion annually; however, it also generates considerable waste discharge (causing eutrophication in estuarine and coastal waters) and heavy groundwater withdrawals (causing land subsidence in coastal areas). Many aquaculture facilities using earth ponds are affected by benthic algae, resulting in an earthy odor, and fixed-cage farms are difficult to relocate during cold weather events. In this study, we tested small-scale (similar to 15 ton) mobile cage tanks for the nearshore rearing of white shrimp and grouper in the Yung-An district of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. At the conclusion of the mariculture experiment, the content of free amino acids in shrimp and groupers reared in our mobile tanks surpassed that in animals reared locally in traditional earthy ponds. In a blind taste test involving 42 volunteers, groupers reared in mobile cage tanks were deemed more palatable than those raised in ponds. Our results demonstrate that small-scale mobile cage tanks are a feasible approach to the sustainable rearing of high-quality shrimp or fish. Note that wastewater from the mobile tanks is easily diluted by seawater, thereby reducing the likelihood of eutrophication in coastal regions. The proposed system could also be used for recreational fishing activities to increase income for smallholders of fishermen and/or aquaculture farmers.

Automated summary

The aquaculture industry in Taiwan has a annual revenue of over USD 1.1 billion, but it also causes environmental issues such as waste discharge and groundwater withdrawals. A study in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, tested small-scale mobile cage tanks for shrimp and grouper rearing nearshore, and the results showed that the shrimp and groupers reared in these tanks had higher levels of free amino acids and were more palatable. The proposed system not only reduces the risk of eutrophication, but also has the potential for recreational fishing activities to increase income for smallholders.