The Potential for the Culture of Fresh Water Fish in the United Kingdom Based on Principles of Organic Recycling and Integration with other Agricultural Systems.

Fish culture in ponds has been practised in many countries for hundreds of years. It can be a means of producing a high quality protein food from organic wastes and from land that is unsuitable for other agricultural uses. Fish production systems are comparable to other systems of animal production for food and are subject to similar variations in intensity. In this thesis a general description of systems of fish culture is given and the relevant criteria for comparison with other animal production systems are discussed. The biological efficiencies of various systems of fish culture are investigated and compared with those of alternative agricultural systems. Increases in the efficiencies of protein production from integrating fish with livestock production are calculated. The current status of fish farming in standing water ponds in the UK is described and the potential productivity of manure fed ponds is calculated. An experiment to investigate the possibility of recycling canteen food wastes through carp is described in Chapter 5. Resource requirements, economics and marketing for fish culture in standing water ponds are also discussed