PD:L'Aqüicultura com a Sector Productiu

Teaching plan for the course unit

(Short version)

Català

Castellano

English

General information

Course unit name: Aquaculture as a Productive Sector

Course unit code: 568747

Academic year: 2021-2022

Coordinator: Maria Isabel Navarro Alvarez

Department: Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology

Credits: 10

Single program: S

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 250

Face-to-face and/or online activities

- Lecture

Face-to-face

Supervised project

Independent learning

108

Learning objectives

Referring to knowledge

The general objective at the end of the course is to have the knowledge to successfully manage an aquaculture operation, mainly with fish.

The specific objectives are:

Analyse the productive sector of aquaculture and its evolution.
Define the technical and commercial features of a new species of crop.
Understand the influence of technical decisions on the viability of the operation.
Design a bioprogramming plan and manage a fish farm in accordance with the physical, biological and economic conditions.
Describe the different technologies used in aquaculture.
Develop a basic knowledge in engineering to design and manage the different types of aquaculture facilities, considering the criteria of viability, respect for animal welfare and the environment.
Identify the criteria for the design and management of water treatment systems in recirculation systems.
Identify the basic aspects of efficient economic management in aquaculture companies.
Know the mechanisms available to determine consumer demands for aquaculture products.
Analyse the organizational structure of a company and its subsystems: physical, financial and information flows.

Teaching blocks

1. Technology for aquaculture production

1.1. Identification of the product and its market

Analysis of market demands: volume of fish consumed, trends
Analysis of the supply from aquaculture: volumes, countries, species

1.2. Product definition

Product definition concept
Identification of the main biological, physical and economic-financial criteria
Influence of technical management on the viability of the operation

1.3. Bioprogramming of an aquaculture farm

General objective of bioprogramming
General methodology
Development of an example in a computer room

1.4. Technical management of a farm

General objectives of technical management. Influence of technical management on the viability of the operation
Specific objectives of technical management
Management routines:

Stock control: size and number
Control and adjustment of culture parameters: water quality, population homogeneity, fish distribution and transport, food distribution, water speed and habitat parameters
Control of the state of health of the animals and maintenance of the hygienic-sanitary conditions of animals and facilities
Preparation for marketing: influence of the production process on product quality. Fasting-purge. Sacrifice methods

1.5. Sustainability in aquaculture

Sustainability indicators of an aquaculture operation

2. Facilities engineering

2.1. Aquaculture production systems

Classification and description of the main aquaculture production systems
Identification of its productive and environmental limitations

2.2. Water quality requirements

Effect of environmental variables on fish physiology. Temperature. pH. Salinity. Dissolved oxygen. Carbon dioxide. Gas supersaturation. Amoni. Nitrites. Nitrates. Turbidity. Aquatic toxicology

2.3. Load capacity of the facilities

Estimation of the load capacity of the systems according to the availability of oxygen and the concentrations of metabolites

2.4. Facility design

Offshore facilities: site. Anchorage. Types of cages. Facilities and equipment of the farms
Ground installations: water collection and pumping. Flow control. Types of tanks. Control of thefouling. Effluent treatment

2.5. Water treatment in recirculation systems

Principles of mechanical filtration, biological filtration and sedimentation. Biological filter design methods
Aeration and oxygenation
Disinfection
Operation and management of recirculation systems

3. Economic and financial management of the aquaculture company

3.1. The aquaculture company as a system

3.2. The management of aquaculture companies

The planning function
The organization function
The management function
The control function
Human resources management

3.3. The business decision

Decision environments
Analysis tools: regression analysis and linear programming
Decision criteria in uncertain environments
Probability and risk
Pert method and Gantt charts

3.4. Financial resources

Annual report and accounts
Sources of funding: own and others
Self-financing. Depreciation and dividend policy
Average ripening period: economic and financial
The working capital

3.5. The dynamics of financial ratios

Short-term ratios
Long-term ratios

3.6. Study of profitability and growth

Economic profitability
Financial profitability
Growth models. Self-sustaining growth capacity

3.7. Investment analysis

Investment concepts and classification
Relevant variables of an investment plan
Temporary analysis of investment projects
Static method. Recovery period or payback
Dynamic methods. NPV and IRR criteria

3.8. The company’s production system