Resource use efficiency of warm‐water fish culture upon different pond sizes

Abstract

AbstractImproving the energy efficiency of fish culture has always been a concern for warm‐water fish farming units. In this respect, the present study explored energy consumption flow and energy indices of warm‐water fish production in Guilan province, northern Iran. The impact of the energy equivalent of the system inputs on the energy equivalent of fish yield was modeled by the Cobb–Douglas function. The results revealed that total energy input, energy ratio, energy productivity, and energy intensity were 3710.4 MJ per 100 m2, 0.042, 0.009 kg MJ−1, and 109.77 MJ kg−1, respectively. Feed, electricity, and fossil fuel were the most energy‐intensive inputs accounting for 70.09%, 11.95%, and 11.70% of total energy use, respectively; representing the dominant role of feed in the energy input of warm‐water fish farming. Renewable and nonrenewable energy resources accounted for 6.97% and 93.03% of the total energy input of warm‐water fish culture system, respectively; requiring more care to cut the share of nonrenewable energy inputs. The Pareto chart determined that fingerling, labor, and electricity had the highest effects on the warm‐water fish yield. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the appropriate use of these inputs in warm‐water fish culture in the study region.