Tawnya Sawyer
The integration of:
Aquaculture – Farming
aquatic species in a
controlled environment
Hydroponics – Growing
plants in soil-less media
Aquaponics is an integrated and balanced system
using the by-product of one species to grow another,
mimicking a natural ecosystem
1. Fish are raised in a tank
2. Water flows through
filtration to soil-less
growing area
3. Bacteria convert ammonia
and nitrite to nitrate
4. Plants absorb the nutrient
rich, oxygenated water
5. Clean water is returned
to the fish tank
Fish are Happy! Plants are Happy!
We get more to eat!
 No petro-chemical based fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides
 Uses only 10% of water used in traditional agriculture
 No soil-borne diseases, E-coli, Salmonella, no tilling, no weeds
 Reduced concerns of fish contamination or species depletion
 Grow two food products together, protein and produce
 Greater crop yields, faster production, vertical planting methods
 No waste byproducts, all waste is naturally reused
 Food security, grow your own food, indoors, year-round
 Significantly reduced food transportation with local production
 Works in draught, places with poor soil quality or challenging climates
 Enhances the local economy and provides green job opportunities
Uses 10%
of water
 Aquarium Fish
 Tilapia
 Perch
 Trout
 Catfish
 Bass
 Bluegill
 Carp
 Koi
 Goldfish
 Crayfish
 Freshwater Prawns
 Lettuces
 Peas & Beans
 Squash
 Cooking Greens
 Zucchini
 Most Herbs
 Peppers
 Tomatoes
 Cucumbers  Melons
 Strawberries  Other plants
 Also called flood and drain or ebb and flow
 Filled with gravel, hydroton, crushed shale
 Most common in home and education
Image and copy credit: Murray Hallam
Practical Aquaponics www.aquaponics.net.au
 Method researched and developed
at University of Virgin Islands
 More commonly used for commercialize
food production
 Also called deep water culture
 Greater food production in a smaller footprint using vertical space
Farmtek – Growersupply.com
www.foddersolutions.org
 Becoming VERY popular
 Grown food for thousands of years
 Building interest around the world
 Schools and social enterprises looking to install
 Hobby, farm and commercial scale being developed
 Sustainable, alternate, innovative agriculture
 Popular with farm to fork (tank to table)
 Fish are cold blooded species
 Fish don’t produce pathogenic e.Coli, Salmonella, etc.
 Many aquaponics systems are enclosed
 Fewer concerns with land use or fish contaminants
 Aquaponics systems are sensitive to common
agro-chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers
 Inputs can be closely monitored
 Workers, Water, Wildlife, Manure can be controlled
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Whole, live and uneviscerated
Sold to stock other people systems
Customers include individuals, chefs and markets
Customer takes possession of fish in bucket, cooler or bag of water
Customer is responsible for gutting, cleaning and disposal of offal
Owner has completed Seafood HACCP certification training
 Produce sold as raw agriculture product
 Product is harvested using greenhouses GAP guidelines
 Customers include CSA members, markets, chefs,
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farmer’s markets, catering companies, and individuals
Customer instructed
to wash food before
consuming
We know how it was
grown and harvested
No harmful chemicals
We feed it to our family,
friends and animals
 Pathogens can be introduced
 Leafy greens are eaten raw
 Recirculating system
 Species integration, complexities and issues
 Good environment for opportunistic bacteria
 Very different products brought to market (fish, produce)
 Produce grown close to surface, high moisture content
 Lack of aquaponics industry standards and knowledge
 Biological
 Pathogenic bacteria
 Fish parasites or diseases
 Viruses and germs
 Chemical
 Pesticides, nutrients, sanitizers,
cleaning agents, test kit reagents
 Physical
 Glass, metal, building debris
Used with permission from Dr. John Ryan, Ryan Systems Inc.
Water is filtered, but not composted, heated, or otherwise
sterilized before it flows to the root system of plants
Audit question: is raw manure adjacent to the food crop?
 This question is an AUTO FAIL if the answer is YES
 The answer is YES in regards to aquaponics
 Private industry food safety certifiers
may not certify an aquaponic farm as
food safe compliant
 We cannot currently pass an audit
 Farms are considered exempt from Preventative Controls
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for Human Foods
Farms defined as Growing, Harvesting, Packing and
Holding food for human or animal consumption
Farms do not have to register as a food facility
Updated guidelines on water quality and microbial levels
Manure strategy to be studied further (GAP, NOP)
Compliance deadlines based on farm revenue
FDA Website – 8/31/2015
 Plan, control, test and document
 Comply as close as possible to available standards
 Work to shape aquaponics specific guidelines
 Educate other aquaponic farmers about food safety
 FDA – Food safety guidelines for lettuce and leafy greens
 eCFR – Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
 FSMA – Farm Safety Modernization Act
 Cornell University – Self Assessment GAP Audit
 GFSI - Global Food Safety Initiative
 CSU Extension – GAP Webinar, Farm to Table
 CDPHE – Colorado Department of Public Health and Enviornment
 PrimusLabs Greenhouse and Harvest Audit Checklist
 Food Service Magazine , Developing Food Safety and Quality Plans An
Aquaponics Process Control Example, Sept 18, 2012, John Ryan PhD.
 University of Hawaii – On-Farm Food Safety Aquaponics, July 2009
 Aquaponics and Food Safety, Gordon Chalmers DVM, April 2004
 Biosecurity and Food Safety, Green Acres Aquaponics, March 2013
 Food Safety: Catch 22 in Aquaponics, NCSI America, Matt Regusci, Sept 2012
 Seafood HACCP training and certification materials
Create, Innovate, Educate,
Integrate, Connect, Evolve
www.coloradoaquaponics.com
[email protected]