WTC Goa Demonstration on Aquaculture & Aquaponics

World Trade Centre Goa under the aegis of its Centre for Excellence in Fisheries and in collaboration with the Brackish Water Fish Farmers Development Agency organized a live demonstration on Aquaculture & Aquaponics on 25th September 2018. Aquaculture helps to learn more about fish and seafood and it presents solutions to replenish some of our rapidly depleting wild fish stocks while Hydroponics is increasingly being looked at to increase supply of plant food as it propagates a method of growing plants without soil by using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics that effectively combines both the systems to bring about bountiful supply in Seafood and Plant Food. Mr Cedric Gomes, CEO of the Brackish Water Fish Farmers Development Agency, demonstrated the method of Aquaponics with the help of a fish tank and plant growing bed. In this system the fish tank is situated on a lower level and the plant growing bed is situated just above the fish tank. The plant growing bed comprises of just gravel or pebbles. The fish is fed at regular intervals and their waste in the water is used to supply nutrients to the plants. The water from the fish tank is transported to the plant growing bed with the help of a small pump. The fish waste also produces ammonia which is harmful for the plants but when the fish tank water is pumped up to the plant growing bed it comes in contact with the nitrates that make the water ammonia free which is then supplied to the plants. This pure water is then re-circulated to the fish tank helping the fish to grow in the lower tank and at the same time sustaining the growth of the plants in the upper plant bed thus wonderfully combining to increase the production of fish as well as plant food. Mr Cyril Desouza, Assistant Director, Trade Promotion when speaking to the delegates present, apprised them that Aquaponics is a beautiful method to augment the supply of fresh vegetables and fish on a very small land size. He also informed them that the Centre of Excellence in Fisheries, conceptualized by the World Trade Centre Goa, would not only assist them in making the best use of this technology but will also help them to find ready markets for their produce both in the domestic as well as the international markets.