Marine Aquaculture Online Course
Learn how to set up and run a marine aquaculture venture. Marine aquaculture (mariculture) is saltwater fish farming.
- Learn the culture of salt water species of fish, shellfish, seaweed and other marine products.
- Learn to plan and manage the farming of a wide variety of marine life.
- 100 hours self paced study.
Course Aims
- Explain general mariculture production systems
- Discuss the factors involved in setting up a business
- Evaluate factors that need to be considered when choosing marine species for aquaculture in your region.
- Explain the commercial production of finfish
- Explain the commercial production of crustaceans
- Explain the commercial production of molluscs
- Explain the use and production of Seaweeds and Aquatic Algae
- Discuss the role of echinoderms in mariculture. Explore the pharmaceutical uses of marine organisms
- Explain general diet formulation and feeding
- Describe issues related to the health management of marine animals used in aquaculture.
Course Outline
There are 11 lessons in this course:
- Aquaculture Production Systems
- What is Mariculture
- Purposes of mariculture
- Classification of culture systems
- Extensive production (Ep)
- Intensive production (Ip)
- Classifications based on system input
- Open systems (off-shore and near-shore)
- Semi-closed systems
- Closed systems (on shore)
- Common culture method for each marine category
- Cage culture
- Cage design: Floating flexible, floating rigid, semi-submersible and submersible
- Hanging Culture: Raft and suspended trays
- Long-line culture
- Vertical or rack culture
- Bottom culture: Bottom sowing and cultch lines
- Stone, stake culture, net and umbrella culture
- Semi-enclosed: flow through tanks
- Closed Systems (CAS): Recirculating, raceways, and inland ponds
- Starting a Marine Aquaculture (Mariculture) Business
- Economics of establishing and running a farm
- The need for a feasibility study
- Economic analysis
- Requisites for establishing a business
- Factors to consider
- Industry competition
- Availability of leased and quotas
- Economy of scale
- Site selection and water quality
- Properties of salt water
- Water quality management
- Environmental impacts.
- Food chain problems
- Using wild broodstock
- Nutrient pollution
- Chemical pollution
- Spreading pathogens
- Escapes
- Habitat effects
- Managing environmental impacts
- Improving the genetic quality of fish
- Biotechnology
- Choosing a Species
- Choosing a marketable species
- What information is available?
- Understand your competition before selecting a species
- Common mariculture species
- Selection criteria
- Climate
- Water resource
- Finance
- Scale of operation
- Market demand and access
- Availability of animals
- Risk considerations
- Product markets
- Product, price and promotion
- Finfish
- Industry overview
- Types of mariculture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Commonly cultured species
- Tuna
- Atlantic salmon
- Steelhead Salmon (Saltwater rainbow trout)
- Yellowtail (Japanese Amberjack)
- Sea Bass
- Gilt-head sea bream
- Water quality management
- Crustaceans
- Industry overview
- Types of mariculture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Commonly cultivated species
- Penaeid shrimp (prawn)
- Graspid Crabs
- Lobster
- Molluscs and Echinoderms
- Industry overview – molluscs
- Types of bivalve culture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Abalone
- Oysters
- Cultured mussels
- Scallops
- Giant clams
- Industry overview – echinoderms
- Types of mariculture
- Breedstock/seed supply
- Growout
- Commonly cultivated species
- Sea Urchins
- Sea cucumbers
- Seaweeds and Aquatic Algae
- Industry overview
- Types of mariculture
- Broodstock/seed supply
- Land-based cultivation systems
- Tanks
- Ponds
- Sea cultivation
- Farming methods
- Vegetative cultivation
- Cultivation involving a reproductive cycle
- Commonly cultivated species
- Laminaria japonica
- Porphyra sp.
- Undaria sp.
- Eucheuma seaweed
- Pharmaceuticals
- Pharmaceutical value of marine organisms
- Examples of species used in marine biotechnology
- Sea urchin
- Sea cucumber
- Marine sponges
- Seaweeds (algae)
- Diet Formulation and feeding
- Feeding strategies
- Nil input
- Water fertilisation
- Supplementary feeding
- Complete diet feeding
- Fish feed
- Feeding and feed components
- Environmental problems associated with fish feeding
- Mycotoxins in feeds
- Aflatoxins
- Ochratoxins
- Fumonisins
- Trichothecenes
- Managing mycotoxins in prepared feeds
- Health Management – Diseases and Parasites
- Causes of disease
- Health management and mitigation strategies
- Treatment of diseases and parasites
- General principles
- Common signs that fish are unhealthy
- Common diseases of finfish
- Emerging pathogens
- Common diseases of crustaceans
- Common diseases of bivalves (molluscs)
- Harvest and Post Harvest Handling
- Examples of product forms
- Harvest/post harvest handling of selected species

