Could Ohio Become a Fish State? Researchers Hope So

Mike McGraw’s greenhouse in southwest Ohio looks different from the farms around it. He doesn’t rely on plots of soil. But, rather, bright blue tanks, filled with energetic fish that splash and dart at the sight of McGraw approaching.

“They're hungry, they're healthy, they're active,” McGraw said pointing at the fish. “That's what we want to see, all the time.”

This small army of tilapia is in charge of feeding a whole ecosystem at RootHouse Aquaponics in Batavia. McGraw raises the fish. They poop. And that waste is filtered and used to feed rows and rows of lettuce floating in a tank of water. Then McGraw sells both the fish and the plants to local markets. It’s called “aquaponics."

McGraw admits it’s a difficult process, and an expensive one. It took around half a million dollars for him to get started. And, he said, there wasn’t a lot of research to guide him.

“There is really no prescription for this type of farming. We're still figuring out how to make it better,” McGraw said.

That could be why there aren't many farms like this one operating in the state. Purdue University researchers are hoping to turn the tide. A grant from the United States Department of Agriculture aims to make it easier for Ohio – and other Midwest states – to produce seafood, far from the ocean.

Efficient farming

Ohio State University aquaculture extension specialist Nicole Wright is on the research team. She said investing in aquaponics is important because facilities like McGraw's are a bang for your buck, environmentally speaking. They use less land and less water for more food.

“We have a growing population in this country and around the planet. And we only have so much land and water,” Wright said. “And so in order to feed a growing population, you really need to be as efficient as possible in growing the resources that you need.”

Plus, there’s a high demand for seafood that we can’t rely on large bodies of water like Lake Erie to fulfill. Wright said there are strict limits on both commercial and recreational fishing on the lake.

“It's a limited resource that we have,” she said. “And so when we look at how do we increase seafood production, anywhere, it's going to be through aquaculture, through farming.”

Source: statenews.org

Photo Credit: gettyimages-ron_thomase+