The world we know right now according to fishing has a long history of evolving over the last 40,000 years approximately. Fishing is an ancient practice for bringing food to the table and supplying a source for protein that enriches and supports the body. Hunter-gatherer formations of civilization have taken a different shape as far as fishing is concerned, people have started farming in the pond. With this, they have the liberty to produce and catch fresh fish from their own facilities they had created. More or less started around 1000 BCE as far as we know. Fish farming has taken a long journey and formed into various ways to express the term we know today. In this context came Biofloc technology on the course of the development of intensive aquaculture.
What is Biofloc?
Biofloc is a technique of enriching water by controlling carbon and nitrogen in the system. It is a method of profitable fish farming and already it has become very popular around the world. Since toxic materials for the fish such as nitrates can be converted into feed; it gained the potential of being a very low-cost system of fish farming. Hence biofloc fish farming arises.
In Biofloc, by limiting the water exchange, organic residues accumulate in this system. Then it mixes and aerates which is an ideal condition for bacteria, and bacteria controls the water quality in such a manner that the fish eats bacteria and the feed is also recycled. Moreover, being a sustainable and eco-friendly system, biofloc helps in cleaning the culture of water after having provided the feed.
Is it profitable?
As a profitable method of fish farming, biofloc cuts all the major costs that can save a lot of money. There are no high operational costs and no cost for the land. Additionally, the humongous costs of feeding and costs for disposal and discharge of waste sludge will not become a problem in this method. Normally, in aquaculture, the major parts of the cost occur due to feeding ingredients. When fish are fed with a high protein diet, almost 70% of the food is discharged into the water as waste in the form of nitrogen. This does not happen in Biofloc. It can recycle waste into feed. It also reduces the spread of pathogens, eventually, this will help to improve the health of fish.
Basically, this technique will help to increase or double one’s income by cutting most of the costs, increasing the quantity of the fish as well as not compromising the quality.
Lastly, we humans are growing in this world more rapidly than any other species we can connect with and we have put immense pressure on the planet in terms of leaving space, food, and clothing. So many things that we do not need to do like destroying the ecosystem by living a toxic life. At this moment we need to be smart to nourish ourselves. We need to be caring for the planet we live on. Biofloc is a smart way of fishing without creating too much problem with space or money to feed our families, to provide a protein-enriched diet to our families.
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