September 10, 2007

US state of Arizona builds world's first underground fish farm

Four US schoolteachers have teamed up to open what is likely to be the world's first underground fish farm in Casa Grande, Arizona.

The team of four teachers, Larry Dawson (Math), Neal Parsons (History), Lou Raj (History), and Steve Wooten (Science) pulled together their skills to develop a unique system that utilises the tilapia s natural strengths and nocturnal nature.

The farm has a patent pending on raising tilapia underground in huge tubes. Each tube will harvest about 10 tonnes of hormone-free fish every four months.

The farm, which has already been in operation for several months, has a unique feeding system and cleaning systems.

The recirculating system of the farm insulates the tilapia from outside weather conditions and minimizes the amount of water necessary for the grow-out process.