College students learn fish farming in Chicago

Aquaponics research at Chicago State University

By Hosea Sanders
ABC News
Sept 10, 2010

Excerpt:

Fish farming is making a splash with students at a South Side university. They are hoping it will inspire others in their community to eat locally grown, healthy foods.

Chicago State University is the newest home to an aquaponics facility. Administrators say it will not only provide a new teaching tool for students, but may also help ease the grip of a food desert on their South Side neighborhood.

Hundreds of tilapia are getting their daily feed at Chicago State University. The aquaponics facility features four 750-gallon tanks. There are also six hydroponic grow beds, where fruit, vegetables and herbs are planted in water instead of the ground.

“The nutrient-enriched water from the fish actually serves as the fertilizer for the plants. So it’s very, it’s organic,” said Alison Gise Johnson, PhD, director of science outreach.

WTTW Chicago Tonight. Sept. 27, 2010

All of the nutrients as well as the waste products that the fish create are absorbed by the plants. Then, the clean water is recirculated back into the fish tanks. Nothing is wasted, but so much is gained.

“The reason we think this is necessary is because we live in what we call a ‘food desert.’ … As part of our mission as a university serving the community, it’s to involve the community in developing food, producing food and consuming food that’s highly nutritious and to know what nutritious food is,” said Floyd Banks, PhD, CSU Dept. of Biological Sciences chair.

One of the people helping to spearhead this project was 6th Ward Alderman Fredrynna Lyle.

“Chicago State serves a community and the community is the South Side and the south suburbs and so young people…they’ll all be able to come over here and take the opportunities to volunteer, to help in the growing of the vegetables,” Lyle said.

Read the complete article here.

See Aquaponics Facility Debuts at Chicago State University here.