Aquaponics' Advantages - Commercially

credit to http://centerforaquaponics.com

Aquaponic systems possess many attractive commercial applications, as well as environmental and human health benefits, making them ideal for future use in developing regions of the world. Quantifiable results include:

• Additive water conservation benefits of recirculating aquaculture and hydroponics combined into an integrated waste free system. With uncertainty regarding water supplies and the population carrying capacity of arid regions of the world, water conservation practices may result in aquaponics replacing more traditional forms of food production. Additionally, the plant and microbial remediation of the fish effluent (waste) prevents environmental contamination (eutrophication) common with many forms of aquaculture.

• A controlled-environment greenhouse operation greatly increases the reliability of production while reducing the risk of environmental degradation such as non-native species introduction which is prevalent with other forms of agriculture. Through the prevention of greenhouse pest outbreaks the need for synthetic pesticides has been eliminated.

• Combining aquaculture and hydroponics technologies has demonstrated the potential to exceed the productivity and profitability of independently operated systems for a given resource constraint (land, water, capital).

• Unlike warm blooded food stocks, cultured aquatic species are not considered high probability vectors of zoonotic diseases to humans. They require fewer inputs (feed and time) than other livestock. The feed conversion ratio and carbon footprint for farmed fish is significantly less than other sources for animal protein.

• The technologies employed to run an aquaponics operation can be primitive and produced from a large range of readily available (post-consumer) materials. This lowers the overall environmental footprint of the design and broadens the availability of the technology to poorer regions of the world.