Jon Kao
Graduate Student, Ph.D.

E-mail:  jskao@ufl.edu
Telephone:  813-671-5230

Advisor:  Dr. Charles Cichra

Research:

Using Stable Isotopes to Characterize Aquaculture Pond Trophic Dynamics and Evaluate Pond Management Practices and Feed Quality for Commercial Ornamental Fish Production

The ornamental fish industry accounts for nearly half of all aquaculture revenue in Florida. Feeds and fertilizers are a major expense for fish farmers in Florida, second only to labor costs. A frequently asked question is whether fish primarily obtain their nutrition from expensive commercial feeds, from live organisms resulting from primary and secondary production (best supported by relatively cheap fertilizers), or a combination of the two. We will answer this question by using nitrogen and carbon isotope tracers to characterize the fate of nutrients from fish feeds and fertilizers in aquaculture ponds. In the laboratory, we will validate a short-term (24 hrs) ammonia/ammonium analysis method of evaluating feed quality as a low cost, more expedient alternative to the conventional differential growth method of evaluating feed quality. Success of this research has both a potentially large economic impact by increasing the profitability of fish production as well as a large scientific contribution to fish nutrition research methodology.