Open AccessIMPLICATIONS OF GROWTH AND METABOLIC RATES ON COSTS OF AQUACULTURE 1
Author(s) -
Botsford L. W.,
Gossard T. W.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
proceedings of the annual meeting ‐ world mariculture society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1749-7345
pISSN - 0164-0399
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-7345.1978.tb00262.x
Subject(s) - aquaculture , organism , metabolic rate , growth rate , fed batch culture , biology , biochemical engineering , econometrics , economics , natural resource economics , fishery , food science , mathematics , fish <actinopterygii> , paleontology , geometry , fermentation , engineering , endocrinology
In aquaculture research, proposals to improve performance of the cultured organism usually involve increasing growth rate, decreasing food conversion ratio, or changing some other measure through research. Common to most proposals is an attempt to manipulate the organism's growth and metabolic rates. We develop a general approach to aquaculture research that leads to the greatest reduction in culture costs for the least expenditure in research costs. Using an existing mathematical model of lobster culture as an example, the effect on culture and research costs of changes in growth and metabolic rates are evaluated. The optimal relative changes in growth and metabolic rates depend on the current values of these rates as well as relative costs of culture system components. The optimal change in both growth and metabolic rates is better than maximizing or minimizing any single performance criterion (e.g., food conversion ratio). The optimal path differs between extensive and intensive culture systems and has implications for species selection.