International Aquaponics and Tilapia Aquaculture Course

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 Program - 7-day course that will provide in-depth knowledge of the principles and practical application of the aquaponic and biofloc tank culture systems that have been developed at the University of the Virgin Islands. Participants will be introduced to a variety of system designs that maintain water quality by various solids removal techniques and by hydroponic plant culture (aquaponics), a suspended growth process (biofloc tank culture) or fixed-film nitrification. Fish production instruction will be conducted using both the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and red tilapia. Hydroponic plant production will focus on vegetables, culinary herbs and ornamental flowers.

Instruction - Each day will include a half-day of classroom lecture and a half-day of hands-on field work. Participants will learn the technology through presentation of the theory and practical skill development. Each student will be given a notebook of reference materials. Water quality labs will cover the methods of analysis and the use of water quality test kits. Field work will include fish handling, vegetable production and system operation.

Facilities - UVI is located in the heart of beautiful St. Croix. The Aquaculture Program operates fifteen research-scale systems (six aquaponic and nine biofloc) as well as commercial-scale aquaponic and biofloc systems, a biofloc demonstration system with an associated vegetable garden, a fry sex-reversal system, a recirculating system for fingerling rearing and a purge system. The program annually produces about 20,000 lbs. of tilapia and a variety of vegetables.

Topics
Aquaponic system                                                           Biofloc tank system
     System design and management                                         Fish Production
        Components                                                                        Stocking and growout
        Construction techniques                                                       Water quality management
        Operation                                                                            Feed and feeding methods
     Water quality                                                                     Sludge use for field crops
     Fish production                                                            Economics
         Stocking rates                                                                Capital budgeting
         Feeding, growth and survival                                           Operations plan
         Harvesting and processing                                               Marketing
     Plant production                                                            Fingerling production
         Seedling production                                                         Brood stock management
         Disease and insect control                                                Breeding
         Harvesting and packaging                                                Fry sex reversal