Fish Farming

Question 1

why is fish farming now meeting a shortfall in fish?

Answer 1

stocks in the wild have been depleted

Question 2

what are the most commonly farmed fish?

Answer 2

salmon and trout

Question 3

what do farmers feed fish to promote rapid growth?

Answer 3

high lipid and protein food - regular feeding with small amounts to ensure it gets eaten

Question 4

what happens if you put several species in one pond?

Answer 4

interspecific competition - different species will compete for food and some species may be wiped out

predation - carnivorous species will prey on other fish

Question 5

what is the solution to interspecific competition and predation?

Answer 5

place different species in different ponds, tanks etc - use nets to seperate species and wild/farmed populations

Question 6

how can farmers prevent predation from birds?

Answer 6

by placing a cover/net over the ponds

Question 7

what happens if you put too many individuals in one pond?

Answer 7

intraspecific competition - larger individuals will out compete smaller individuals for food or larger individuals may prey on smaller individuals

infectious diseases - parasites and pathogens spread quickly if the fish are too close together

Question 8

what is the solution to intraspecific competition and infectious diseases?

Answer 8

seperate fish by age and size - remove dead or infected fish quickly and add antibiotics to the water to kill bacteria and antifungals or chemicals to kill parasites

Question 9

how do fish farms affect the environment?

Answer 9

• fish may escape and out compete or interbreed with local species reducing biodiversity and upsetting the local ecosystem
• parasites or pathogens can be introduced into ecosystems by farmed fish
• excess feed and waste from fish can cause eutrophication and a reduction in oxygen concentrations in the water (reduced by limiting feed, clearing waste and bubbling oxygen through water)