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John Stevenson 's Profile
John Stevenson
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Joined:
26/05/2015
Last Updated:
09/01/2016
Location:
Phoenixville, PA, United States
Climate Zone:
Cool Temperate
Gender:
Male
Web site:
www.permscape.com/





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Pure Strain Blue Tilapia - Oreochromis Aureus and others in Aquaponics systems.

Posted by John Stevenson almost 9 years ago

Fish are a great source of healthy protein. Aquaculture and aquaponics systems can convert dirt into soil. Successful perennial food forest production is possible anywhere you incorporate fish into your system.

At permscape permaculture we continue raising Pure Strain - Oreochromis Aureus - Blue Tilapia as well as some other fish better acclimated to our local seasonal temperatures. 

Tilapia fingerlings grow very quickly during the first ninety days.  Tilapia can weight over 5 pounds in three to five years but one to 1 ½ pounds is what you should shoot for if you intend to eat them or sell them to a restaurant. 1 ½ pounds is considered to be the perfect plate size because it allows for breading.  

Tiny Tilapia we raised in a fry tank at permscape.com

Tilapia in the permscape.com system

Looking back - Why did we start raising fish in the first place?

Seafood is the number one internationally traded commodity food. Consequently nearly 80% of all seafood consumed in my neighborhood was imported from hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.

Overall, the most internationally traded commodity is oil.

Food miles = transportation = fossil fuel consumption.

Only 5000 miles from hook to table... really?

All that seafood is regulated by our F.D.A. who has publically acknowledged that approximately 99% of the seafood imported for consumption is not inspected.

Some countries use growth hormones and prophylactically administer antibiotics in fish farms to net a slightly larger crop. What does this mean to our health and food security?

permscape.com photo of fish in the market for sale

I personally do not eat any imported fish. In fact, wild caught fish like Mackerel (King), Shark, Swordfish, Halibut, and Tuna are all on warning lists and should not be consumed in any significant quantity. One great option for people that want safe fish to consume is to raise their own.

permscape.com photo of tilapia

Closed loop Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) or Aquaponic farm raised fish such as tilapia, catfish, yellow perch, crappie, walleye, crawfish, and bluegill taste great and are a much safer option than what you can find at the store.

permscape.com tilapia in our system

When you manage your own system you control all the inputs. Aquaponics Systems grow fish and plants relatively easily and are fairly simple to construct and maintain.

Small aquaponics system in garage

permscape.com Homemade Basement Aquaponics System

Aquaponic systems can be built largely with recycled materials (using IBC totes as tanks) and may last for decades.

More Tilapia in the permscape.com system

Tanks molded for culturing fish are often criticized since they are manufactured from plastic. I argue these tanks are a good choice for the environment.

Think about all the fossil fuel burned to catch, process, and transport seafood. How much plastic and styrofoam is used daily?

After the fish is caught, the real journey begins. It is placed in the fishing boat cooler. Once on land, fish are loaded into a refrigerated truck on the dock. Next the fish travels to the climate controlled warehouse/plant. The fish are then moved into a shipping container. That container is offloaded to another truck for transportation to potentially another warehouse. Eventually the “fresh” fish arrives at your market. This is where the fish is placed on a slab of single use styrofoam and wrapped in single use plastic for you to purchase.

How much fossil fuel does it take to keep it cold through that journey? What is the cumulative environmental impact of all the packing and unpacking during the journey. How much plastic was required?
The culture tanks, while made of plastic, may last for a lifetime with proper care. With each harvest the plastic per fish cost of the tank diminishes, eventually (I believe quickly) it becomes a net negative environmental impact.

Tilapia from the Permscape.com aquaponics system which is ready to harvest.

Harvesting the fish fillets for a safe, chemical free, healthy, protein is just the start. Every part of the fish is used. The offal is an excellent organic fertilizer. Native Americans often buried a fish under a corn seed which acted as steady releasing fertilizer to help establish the corn crops. Most fertilizers list fishbone meal and/or bone meal as the top ingredients in most organic fertilizers.


There are so many reasons for you to add aquaculture/aquaponics to your permaculture toolbox. I really hope you will give it a try.

Breeder tilapia01 Before 111fish1 111fish2 111fish3 111fish4 Tilapia permscape.com1 Small grow box aquaponics  permscape Greece photo by john stevenson of permscape Fishonice Permscape.com homemade aquaponics growbed Sean fish permscape 1 stuck in tubea

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Consultant Pdc teacher I'm male, single, and looking for a permaculture partner
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John Stevenson has permaculture experience in:
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Cool Temperate

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