PLANKTON ABUNDANCE AND PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY IN AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE IN POND RACEWAY SYSTEM

Abstract

An in-pond raceway system (IPRS) is an efficacious aquaculture approach confining a limited land resources with flowing water system. Several studies have been conducted on IPRS culture systems in various parts of the world. This study was executed to evaluate the plankton abundance and primary productivity in an industrial scale in pond raceway system. The quantitative enumeration of plankton was carried out with the use of a Sedgwick-Rafter (S-R) counting cell, and the identification of distinct kinds of plankton were done using a range of bibliographic references, with the help of books and journals. 90% acetone method with spectrophotometric analysis was performed to determine the concentrations of chlorophyll-a in the microalgae as a means of primary productivity.  One-way analysis of variance was conducted to determine the variation of plankton abundance as well as primary productivity among the study sites. Relationship between plankton availability and primary productivity was assessed by Pearson correlation