Low-head recirculating aquaculture system for juvenile red drum production

The USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Center for Aquaculture and Stock
Enhancement at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute-FAU (HBOI-FAU) are collaborating to
evaluate low-head recirculating aquaculture system designs to intensively produce red drum
juveniles as part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) saltwater
hatchery network initiative. The design and performance data collected from these systems, as
well as systems being evaluated at Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, and the FWC
Saltwater Experimental Research Facility, Port Manatee, FL will be utilized to design the
recirculating aquaculture systems that FWC plans in the new hatcheries throughout the state of
Florida. The design of the phase I (25mm to 45 mm SL juvenile) through phase II (60 mm to 100
mm SL juvenile) production recirculating aquaculture systems include a nine-tank system and a
ten-tank system. For the phase II to phase III (>130 mm SL juvenile) production cycle, the larger
red drum juveniles are cultured in replicated larger 4-tank RAS low-head systems.