May 4, 2004

Purdue aquaculture event tells farmers how to 'go fish'

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Indiana-raised fish could be coming to a restaurant near you.

In recent years, the state has seen an increase in interest in aquaculture, or fish farming. Billie Jo Brown, assistant manager of the Purdue University Aquaculture Research Center, said that raising fish is similar to any other livestock operation.

"You have to feed pigs and cows every day," she said. "Fish require the same thing, except they're in water."

And, just like other livestock, production depends on current markets, site location and, for fish, water availability.

The ins and outs of fish production are the focus of a daylong event on May 14 at the Purdue Aquaculture Research Center near Montmorenci, Ind. The producers' workshop begins at 8 a.m. and includes a live rainbow trout harvest and public fish sales, as well as presentations about aquaculture.

"This event is good for anyone that's interested in aquaculture," Brown said. "A lot of people are afraid to start in aquaculture because they haven't seen it, and it's not common in Indiana. This gives them a chance to see firsthand exactly what's involved."

Brown and others have successfully raised yellow perch, hybrid striped bass, rainbow trout and bluegill in ponds and indoor recirculation tanks at Purdue. Presentations about how they raised those fish are on the workshop's agenda.

"At this particular event, we're focused on the rainbow trout that we've grown in the ponds this past winter," Brown said. "There's also a hybrid striped bass study and a yellow perch pond production study that we just completed last fall."

The workshop is free. Boxed lunches from the Indiana Aquaculture Association will be available on site for $10. Individuals interested in purchasing fish should bring a cooler and ice.

Brown said even people without a pond can get in on the action.

"You can raise fish anywhere - from a simple farm pond to something as high tech as inside recirculating systems," she said. "It's up to your imagination what you're going to raise them in."

Writer: Kay Hagen, (765) 494-6682, kjh@purdue.edu

Source: Billie Jo Brown, (765) 583-0351, goetzb@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Related Web site:
Aquaculture Network Information Center

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