I recently had the opportunity to attend a very inspirational conference at UBC hosted by NOA Fisheries. The topics addressed ranged from production methods for various plants and fish to the regulatory requirements of fish production to new and innovative techniques. It was an invaluable opportunity to learn from experienced, trained professionals get an idea of what is involved in owning and operating various scales of systems. There was also quite a large turnout of students, hobbyists, and industrial producers from BC and across Canada – living proof of the continued expansion of the aquaponics industry. I will have much more to say in future posts about this conference, but I would like to provide a short overview and analysis in this posting.
The conference consisted of two days of lectures and demonstrations by Argus (a supplier of parts of system automation). The third day provided an opportunity to see large-scale aquaculture and small-scale aquaponics in action. The lectures provided various levels of technical and introductory information. Personally, some of the most valuable information came from the lecture around agro-ecology and the lecture regarding the systems at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). The agro-ecology lecture went into great detail about the complex chemical reactions taking place in the tank – especially in the biofilter where the nitrifying bacteria live. While this was expanded in the lecture around plant physiology, the agro-ecology lecture more clearly outlined the interplay of the smaller systems at work within the larger aquaponics system and the importance of each of these in maintaining a healthy system. The UVI aquaponics research and the resulting UVI system has long served as part of the foundation for modern aquaponics due to its efficiency and clear understanding of the many attributes of a healthy system.
The tours one the third day were perhaps the most inspiring part of the whole trip as they provided an opportunity to not only see real systems in action, but also to listen to commentary from other members of the conference. While the extensive aquaculture facilities at the UBC aquaculture center was a bit intimidating, the smaller aquaponics systems built for backyard use were far more approachable. Our trip to the Nitobe Garden provided a beautiful view of how fish and plants can be grown together in a more natural yet structured environment.
Overall, the conference helped me greatly to organize my thoughts around aquaponics by seeing which issues were still unknown and which issues were well addressed within the aquaponics community. It also provided me with an advanced understanding of the terminology used to discuss aquatic systems – especially in regards to fish. Seeing such active professionals and hobbyists also helped to make the whole notion of aquaponics more approachable and grounded. I look forward to exploring the many components outlined in the lectures in the oncoming weeks.
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