The Sustainability of Tilapia Aquaponics: A Case Study

Abstract

As circular economy systems gain popularity with the environmental movement, the combination of raising fish (aquaculture) and growing crops outside of soil (hydroponics) appeals to many, especially in low-resource areas. But how environmentally friendly is it really, especially when compared to other farming technologies? This study aims to measure the energy, water, and nutrient inputs of an aquaponics system over a growing season and compare those numbers to plant and fish biomass outputs. Then, the data is compared to traditional farming and hydroponics technologies to determine which has the best input to output ratios in each category.