Sustainable fish farming workshop offered by UOG, Guåhan Sustainable Culture

David Crisostomo, University of Guam Sea Grant aquaculture specialist, discusses the Recirculating Aquaculture System while taking questions during the UOG Sea Grant and Guåhan Sustainable Culture half-day aquaculture workshop and food demonstration at the Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tamuning, Jan. 28, 2023.

Residents interested in learning how to start a sustainable fish farm in their garden attended an aquaculture workshop and food demonstration by the University of Guam Sea Grant and Guåhan Sustainable Culture on Saturday at Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tamuning.

About 50 people on the hot, sunny morning gathered around a large plastic tub filled with water and live tilapia to learn how plastic drums, PVC pipe, solar panels and other items can be used to make a water filtration system to raise fish.

Hyatt Regency Guam Executive Chef Mirko Agostini prepares a fish taco using microgreens from Guåhan Sustainable Culture and tilapia from the University of Guam Sea Grant’s Recirculating Aquaculture System during the UOG Sea Grant and Guåhan Sustainable Culture half-day aquaculture workshop and food demonstration at the Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tamuning, Jan. 28, 2023.

UOG Sea Grant aquaculture specialist David Crisostomo answered the group's questions on how to create a settling tank to remove waste from the fish pond and an overflow system for when it rains.

To make the system environmentally friendly, gravity helps the filtration system flow and solar panels are used to power an air pump, which is more electrically efficient than a water pump.

The fish can be raised to eat at home or sell. Fish dung, uneaten food and other waste filtered out of the tank can be used to fertilize crops.

David Crisostomo, University of Guam Sea Grant aquaculture specialist, recalls an unfortunate incident while taking questions during the UOG Sea Grant and Guåhan Sustainable Culture half-day aquaculture workshop and food demonstration at the Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tamuning, Jan. 28, 2023.

“We are making a difference in the community by sharing this information and getting people excited about wanting to grow their own food, raise their own fish and not be so reliant on imported food,” said Michelle Crisostomo, president and co-founder of Guåhan Sustainable Culture.

While the parts and materials for the aquaculture system at Sagan Kotturan CHamoru cost several thousand dollars, David Crisostomo said there are cheaper ways to do it.

“A long as it’s not toxic and can hold enough water you can use any type of container you want,” he said adding that, although they can be flimsy, even an above ground pool from Kmart could work.

Austin Shelton, director for the University of Guam's Center for Island Sustainability and UOG Sea Grant, talks about the activities at an aquaculture workshop and food demonstration Jan. 28, 2023, at Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tamuning.

He said they are currently raising tilapia because they are a simple fish to work with in order to test the aquaculture project, but they hope to experiment with raising catfish in the future.

Representatives from local company Generation Renewable Inc. also attended to show what equipment they can provide to implement this system in a home.

Aspiring farmer Mk Ramon, 60, from Dededo, attended the workshop because he did not know anything about raising fish and wanted to learn if it is something he can do.

The high price of fish at supermarkets on island motivated him to look into aquaculture.

“I learned that it is better to consider an air pump. I didn’t know that because I thought a pump is a pump, but the air one uses less electricity,” said Ramon.

The workshop was followed by a cooking lesson where participants could make fish tacos using tilapia harvested from the aquaculture system.

Hyatt Regency Guam Executive Chef Mirko Agostini guided attendees on how to prepare the meal with locally grown produce like donne peppers, lemon grass, calamansi and lettuce. The only non-local items were olive oil and taco shells.

The tacos were then cooked in the traditional hotnu oven located on site.

Pacific Daily News reporter Jackson Stephens covers poverty as a Report for America corps member. You can reach him at [email protected].

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