A Joint Publication of

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service

VOL. X NO. 1 http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua May, 2001

Urban Fishing Program

Eric Swanson from the Arizona Game and Fish Department coordinates the Urban Fishing Program in conjunction with Phoenix, Tucson, and several other municipalities across the state. This unique program provides a quality fishing experience in urban areas that otherwise would be excluded from this popular sport. Trout are stocked into the lakes during the winter months and catfish are stocked during the summer.

Most importantly to aquaculture is the fact that the Urban Fishing Contracts are the biggest fish sales in the state. AZG&F has worked with the farmers in the state to maximize the number of fish that are supplied locally, within the confines of accepting competitive bids and keeping costs low. AZG&F has several reasons why they prefer local suppliers and locally grown fish. First, as a general rule, state agencies like to buy from in-state vendors. Second, imported fish increase the opportunity for introduction of unwanted diseases and exotic species that could have deleterious impacts on aquatic ecosystems in the state. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, locally reared fish usually are better adapted to environmental conditions they will encounter in the ponds, have less transfer stress and have higher survival rates after stocking.

Of course in a competitive bidding situation, some of these factors are difficult or impossible to factor into the account. Aquaculture producers in the state should know that the department has very high standards for fish to be stocked and that producers who have successfully fulfilled their contracts in the past will have an advantage over newcomers. However, all producers should be aware of this excellent program. It has been a great success with anglers in the state and several aquaculture operations have had a positive experience working with AZG&F.

Aquaculture operations in Arizona produced approximately 1,490,000 lbs of whole fish and shrimp in 2000. This was a small increase in poundage from 1999. These products had a farm gate value of $ 3,282,000. The farmgate value decreased slightly from the year before, based primarily on a decrease in shrimp sales. This decrease is mostly attributed to shrimp which had to be harvested early because of cool autumn weather and slow growth. A fourth shrimp farm has started in the Hyder Valley, while the Wood Brothers and Arizona Mariculture Associates farms continue to expand. Both operations are building additional ponds and increasing production. Shrimp production in 2000 dropped back to 168,000 lbs with a farm gate value of about $840,000. 2001 should be a banner year for the shrimp farmers. New ponds, healthy animals already stocked and growers with another year of experience should come together to increase yields significantly.

Increases in trout and tilapia production replaced the drop in poundage, but the lower price of the fish contributed to the lower farmgate sales. Demand for tilapia continues to increase in Arizona and nationally. Imports of tilapia products to the US reached 40,469 metric tons. This is equal to 160,000,000 lbs of live tilapia compared to the 20,000,000 lbs of tilapia grown in the US. Most grocery stores now carry imported, frozen tilapia fillets, while a few carry fresh locally grown fish. Remember to support your local growers by asking your seafood specialist to carry locally grown fresh fish.

By: George B. Brooks, Jr. Ph.D.

It is said, "Pimas don’t eat fish". But Ed Mendoza, the farm manager of the O’odham Oidak demonstration farm at the Gila River Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center (JDRC) suggests this was not always so. "The Pimas or Akimel O’odhams, were a great fishing people according to the renowned ethno-botanist Amadeo Rea. For nearly 2000 years, the Huhugam and later their descendents captured and consumed the pikeminnows and razorback suckers that swam through their canals. We may not see the rivers and ancient canals flow soon, but we can do our best to maximize our use of the water we have, and to make our lands more sustainable." The 20-acre O’odham Oidak demonstration land farm at JDRC has recently added an aquaculture component. Fish and shrimp are now part of an over all program where, in cooperation with GEAR-UP at the Sacaton Middle School, children within the juvenile justice system are taught new skills.

O’odham Oidak has been stocked with fish called tilapia. Native to Africa, tilapia are very tough, resistant to disease and grow fast. Baby giant fresh water prawns have been released into the pond as well. The prawns will keep the pond clean by eating the food the fish miss. Prawn can grow quite large, some capable of exceeding 2 lbs. For this demonstration however, sizes ranging from 20 to 10 per pound are expected at the end of the growing season in late September.

To keep a good environment for the fish and prawns, water is cycled through the pond and to the fields that need irrigation twice a week. "One great thing about the fish water is that it is enriched with free fertilizer from the fish waste" said Mendoza. "This will help make the fields more productive at less cost."

"The O’odham Oidak Demonstration Fish and Shrimp Farm is a work in progress. Along with the established programs teaching youth housed at the Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center new skills and working with the GEAR-UP program at Sacaton Middle School, we hope that Community members will come here and observe our progress and perhaps learn how to grow fish on their land" said Mendoza. "The farm received an Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) grant and a Gila River Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD) 25% matching grant to develop the fields and make them productive. This was our opportunity to design our fields and design our ditches to include an aquaculture system. The method we use to grow fish is comparatively inexpensive and user friendly. We believe the O’odham Oidak farm will provide a good model of how Community landowners can make their lands more productive."

Aquaculture Career Development Event -State FFA Field Day - The aquaculture competition was held in March at the Environmental Research Lab. Fourteen high schools competed and we had a great group of students who impressed all of the faculty involved with their skills and knowledge of aquaculture. The rapid growth in the Aquaculture competition has been great to see and will contribute to the organization of a national competition. Additional curriculum materials are also available for teachers who would like to incorporate aquaculture into their teaching.

Back issues - of this newsletter are available on the World Wide Web at http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/arizona.html

Exotic species continue to be an issue of concern to fish and shrimp farmers and state agencies. Dr. Ed Northam at the Arizona Department of Agriculture is the state coordinator for plant nuisance species. A "weed" expert, Ed has joined the fight to exclude and control aquatic weeds as well as terrestrial weeds of concern to farmers and ranchers. The irrigation districts are also major players in the fight. As water conveyors they are both conduits and victims of aquatic nuisance species. Salt River Project and Central Arizona Project together spent over $1,000,000 in 2000 to control algae and aquatic plants.

Some of this control was accomplished with farm raised triploid grass carp. Triploid grass carp are reared in Arkansas and California. Freshly fertilized eggs are pressure shocked which causes the embryo to maintain an extra set of chromosomes. Thus becoming a triploid compared to the normal diploid condition. Triploid fish virtually always sterile and none of the fish brought to Arizona have ever been reported to spawn. Grass carp have been very effective at controlling both native and exotic aquatic plants and algae.

Grass carp are an important biological control agent that allows canal and pond mangers to reduce or eliminate chemical usage. The CAP is proud of the fact that they have never used chemicals to control algae or weeds in their system. Grass carp and mechanical removal have been sufficient to date.

Cooperative extension and the Arizona Aquaculture Association are developing plans for an Aquaculture Field Day tentatively scheduled for early October. Please contact Kevin Fitzsimmons and/or George Brooks for items you would like to be considered on the agenda.

Grants - Arizona Game and Fish - Heritage Grants AZG&F uses money from the State Lottery to support grants that support a variety of wildlife and fisheries projects. Call 602-789-3530 for details on how to apply.

Chino Valley High School

Aug. 19-23, 2001 American Fisheries Society, 131^st National Meeting, Crown Plaza Hotel, Phoenix, AZ

October 7-9, 2001 West Coast Seafood Show

Jan. 27-31, 2002 Aquaculture of The Americas US Aquaculture Society Annual meeting, San Diego, CA. Town and Country Resort www.was.org

May 5-10, 2002, World Aquaculture Meetings, Beijing, CHINA

College of Agriculture

Dept. of Soil, Water and Environmental Science

Shantz Building 429

PO Box 210038

Tucson, AZ 85721-0038

Arid Lands Fish Production

Vol. IX No.1 MAY 2001

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