Mariculture or Marine Aquaculture is the farming of salt water species of fish, shellfish, seaweed and other marine life and products. You will learn to manage and plan the farming of a wide range of marine life.
According to the FAO the term “Mariculture” (in its present usage) may be defined as:
“The culture of marine organisms, both plants and animals, in an aquatic medium or environment which may be completely marine (sea), or sea water mixed to various degrees with fresh water. This definition would include both the sea and inland brackish-water areas. These can be freshwater or salt water organisms, or have development phases in both types of waters.”
E-Learning Structure
The duration of this online course is 100 hours. This consists of 11 in-depth lessons:
1. Aquaculture Production Systems
- What is mariculture?
- Purposes of mariculture
- Classification of culture systems
- Extensive production (Ep)
- Intensive production (Ip)
- Classifications based on system input
- Open systems (off-shore and near-shore)
- Semi-closed systems
- Closed systems (on shore)
- Common culture method for each marine category
- Cage culture
- Cage design: Floating flexible, floating rigid, semi-submersible and submersible
- Hanging Culture: Raft and suspended trays
- Long-line culture
- Vertical or rack culture
- Bottom culture: Bottom sowing and cultch lines
- Stone, stake culture, net and umbrella culture
- Semi-enclosed: flow through tanks
- Closed Systems (CAS): Recirculating, raceways, and inland ponds
2. Starting a Marine Aquaculture (Mariculture) Business
- Economics of establishing and running a farm
- The need for a feasibility study
- Economic analysis
- Requisites for establishing a business
- Factors to consider
- Industry competition
- Availability of leased and quotas
- Economy of scale
- Site selection and water quality
- Properties of salt water
- Water quality management
- Environmental impacts.
- Food chain problems
- Using wild broodstock
- Nutrient pollution
- Chemical pollution
- Spreading pathogens
- Escapes
- Habitat effects
- Managing environmental impacts
- Improving the genetic quality of fish
- Biotechnology
3. Choosing a Species
- Choosing a marketable species
- What information is available?
- Understand your competition before selecting a species
- Common mariculture species
- Selection criteria
- Climate
- Water resource
- Finance
- Scale of operation
- Market demand and access
- Availability of animals
- Risk considerations
- Product markets
- Product, price and promotion
4. Finfish
- Industry overview
- Types of mariculture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Commonly cultured species
- Tuna
- Atlantic salmon
- Steelhead Salmon (Saltwater rainbow trout)
- Yellowtail (Japanese Amberjack)
- Sea Bass
- Gilt-head sea bream
- Water quality management
5. Crustaceans
- Industry overview
- Types of mariculture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Commonly cultivated species
- Penaeid shrimp (prawn)
- Graspid Crabs
- Lobster
6. Molluscs and Echinoderms
- Industry overview – molluscs
- Types of bivalve culture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Abalone
- Oysters
- Cultured mussels
- Scallops
- Giant clams
- Industry overview – echinoderms
- Types of mariculture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Commonly cultivated species
- Sea Urchins
- Sea cucumbers
7. Seaweeds and Aquatic Algae
- Industry overview
- Types of mariculture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Land-based cultivation systems
- Tanks
- Ponds
- Sea cultivation
- Farming methods
- Vegetative cultivation
- Cultivation involving a reproductive cycle
- Commonly cultivated species
- Laminaria japonica
- Porphyra sp.
- Undaria sp.
- Eucheuma seaweed
8. Pharmaceuticals
- Pharmaceatical value of marine organisms
- Examples of species used in marine biotechnology
- Sea urchin
- Sea cucumber
- Marine sponges
- Seaweeds (algae)
9. Diet Formulation and feeding
- Feeding strategies
- Nil input
- Water fertilisation
- Supplementary feeding
- Complete diet feeding
- Fish feed
- Feeding and feed components
- Environmental problems associated with fish feeding
- Mycotoxins in feeds
- Aflatoxins
- Ochratoxins
- Fumonisins
- Trichothecenes
- Managing mycotoxins in prepared feeds
10. Health Management – Diseases and Parasites
- Causes of disease
- Health management and mitigation strategies
- Treatment of diseases and parasites
- General principles
- Common signs that fish are unhealthy
- Common diseases of finfish
- Emerging pathogens
- Common diseases of crustaceans
- Common diseases of bivalves (molluscs)
11. Harvest and Post Harvest Handling
- Examples of product forms
- Harvest/post harvest handling of selected species
How Does A Warnborough Online Course Work?
You can start the course whenever it is convenient for you. You will be studying from home and have access to support from our qualified tutors. Practical exercises and research tasks will be set at the end of each lesson – including an assignment. You will submit this assignment to your course tutor, who will mark your work and give you constructive feedback and suggestions.
If you have any questions please contact us.
