According to an article written by Sudha Nambudiri for ExpressBuzz, researchers at the School of Industrial Fisheries, Cusat, led by director Madhusoodana Kurup have developed a biofloc technology (BFT) that could revolutionise the aquaculture industry. With BFT, the waste which accumulates in the pond bed is converted into biofloc as a natural food. With this the carbon-nitrogen ratio is maintained at optimal levels, and inorganic nitrogen is immobilised into bacterial cells which serve as feed for shrimp.
"We screened five types of locally available carbohydrates as carbon sources for C:N ratio maintenance and among them tapioca was found the most efficient in shrimp farms," Kurup told ExpressBuzz.
The biofloc technology developed by the team for shrimp farming is useful in reducing the protein content of conventional shrimp feed from 40 percent to 25 percent without compromising on growth and production. He said that the biggest advantage of BFT is that farmers are benefited economically since 25 percent of diet with carbohydrate addition to the water column results in a 54 percent higher revenue per hectare.
Shrimp Farms Turning Toxic Waste to Food
KOCHI, KERALA, INDIA - Fish feed waste and its impact on water-bodies are a major source of worry for the fisheries industry, but now researchers claim to have developed technology which turns this waste into shrimp feed.
