From the Ground Up: Private aquaculture keeps ponds, lakes thriving

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - The term “aquaculture” broadly refers to the cultivation of organisms in controlled aquatic environments, however these practices on a recreational scale look very different than their commercial counterparts.

“You know in a commercial setting there’s a lot going on. You’re pushing the water beyond what it naturally wants to do,” John Jones, owner and president of Lochow Ranch Pond and Lake Management, said.

Small-scale aquaculture practices like those of Lochow Ranch aim to manage private lakes and ponds that suit the landowner.

“The first step if we’re doing our job is to call the landowner and ask what their goals and timetable and budget are, so a report is going to be individualized by what your goals are,” Jones said.

Commercial aquaculture is primarily driven by profit, according to Jones, which he says creates a stark difference between what he does and the commercial ventures.

“Commercial aquaculture operations are completely different. They’re not going to use our services to help them. They have a different need,” Jones said. “In our case most of it is recreational, so it’s going to be for home consumption or friends consumption or a fish fry.”

Recreational aquatic environments need to be managed regularly, but commercial fisheries run around-the-clock maintenance in order to keep up with growing economic demand.

“You’re never going to get 25,000 pounds of fish per acre without somebody staying up all night and measuring the dissolved oxygen, but in a private lake properly managed without aeration, 500 to 1,000 pounds of production a year is very, very reasonable, as long as you stay consistent with your management practices,” Jones said.

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