Professor Anne Kapuscinski (center) with (from left to right) Student Research Assistants Madison Medina and Macy Van Vlielt, Project Manager Stavros Boutris, and Pie Ranch Agriculture and Conservation Specialist Anika Tonnesen. Student Research Assistant Sterling Jackson not pictured.
Photo: Carolyn Lagattuta
Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are conducting a project in collaboration with the educational farm Pie Ranch to study the sustainable benefits of fertilizing plants with water sourced from aquaculture.
For nearly a year, researchers have been filtering water—or performing “backwash”—from aerated, recirculating tanks containing 200 rainbow trout, and then using that same water to irrigate native plants on the farm.
"On a farm like this, you could easily raise the fish on one side and grow crops on the other, with the two never intersecting. But I think the idea of integrating these systems makes much more sense if the goal is to build climate resilience," explained Anne Kapuscinski, professor of environmental studies and director of the Coastal Science and Policy Program at UC Santa Cruz, who is leading the project.
The plants grown through this activity will be planted in agricultural fields and in riparian habitats along a creek bed that was destroyed in the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
The project is funded by UC Santa Cruz's Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) and through Kapuscinski's role as the Robert Headley Chair for Integral Ecology and Environmental Justice.
Finally, Kapuscinski hopes this research will encourage more producers to incorporate fish farming as a way to diversify their income and become familiar with aquaculture practices.