Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 16, 1993 TAG: 9311170256
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ Dan Swafford rushed into the room, his students following along behind him.
``Well, we've lost the mid-Atlantic states,'' he said, pointing to a bluish- green tank filled with fingerling catfish.``New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland - we lost five in one day, with the cold weather and all.''
As the little fish - each named after one of the 50 states - swam about, the students in Swafford's agriscience class went about cleaning the tank, a weekly chore done in their class these days.
Swafford was one of 15 teachers to receive up to a $1,000 grant this year - called a STAR Grant -from Montgomery County. These grants are awarded to teachers who develop school programs that stress an interdisciplinary approach to teaching as well as including cooperation among community businesses and institutions.
Swafford chose a program on aquaculture, which he coin ``Science-Agriculture - Integration Through Aquaculture,'' or SAITA.
Fish are becoming the ``food of the future'' with many people opting for a more healthy life style, free of fat-laden red meat. Swafford believes aquaculture will be a major cash-crop in years to come.
Since this project began, along with a class Swafford started teaching on small animal care, interest in agriculture-oriented classes has more than doubled at the high school. Two years ago, he had 22 students; now there are 110 students.
Project SAITA integrates many sciences - biology, chemistry, physics and agriculture - while producing an economically viable prod ct - fish. The
project also includes a partnership with the aquaculture department at Virginia Tech, which is working with Swafford on the yearlong study.
``One of our purposes [in the aquaculture center] is demonstration, research and community outreach,'' said Mark Kidd, senior lab specialist at the aquaculture center of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. ``This helps us educate people about aquaculture.''
Kidd said most of the advice he has given is related to design of the system and water chemistry parameters.
To begin the project, Swafford and physics teacher Fred Rencsok designed a 600-gallon tank to serve as a recirculating closed aquaculture system. In other words, the students recirculate the same water, cleaning it each week to keep a sustainable environment to raise the fish.
Through this program, Swafford hopes the students will learn that aquaculture is ``a viable alternative to agriculture and can be profitable as well.
``Agriculture isn't just tractor overhauling and welding,'' he said. ``With the aquaculture system, we do hands-on work and research.''
One of Swafford's objectives with Project SAITA is to ``involve other classes in agriculture so that they see what agriculture has to offer.'' Those who have visited the aquaculture lab which is situated in a far-removed wing all by itself, include the advanced placement biology classes, chemistry classes and physics classes.
``I've had people from this school that have never even been down here before,'' he said.
``I think it's a good program,'' said 17-year-old senior Matt Adkins, who studies agricultural mechanics. ``I've learned a lot about the fish and I fish a lot so it's interesting. I can see myself studying this more in college.''
Currently, students from the advanced biology classes are recording the weight and general health of the catfish. The chemistry classes are performing periodic water quality analyses, and the physics classes helped design and build the entire system.
``We've done experiments on pH, nitrate levels, temperature and dissolved oxygen,'' said Charlie Kreye, 17, who is studying the aquaculture system through his physics class. The hands-on research he said, is ``a lot more practical'' than sitting in class, studying a textbook.
``This is pretty high-tech stuff that can be important as far as an alternative food source,'' he said.
``We are doing viable research here,'' Swafford said. At the end of the year, the students will take their data to Virginia Tech's aquaculture center where it will be further evaluated.
``We can look at the results and advise [Swafford] on ways to maintain the system and keep it running,'' Kidd said.
Swafford received $999 to fund his project, which has helped tremendously. But he had to be creative when ordering materials and designing the aquaculture system.
He, Rencsok and Kidd planned the system and adapted it from existing systems they had seen at other aquaculture facilities. But instead of buying a manufactured tank and filter system, the teachers were resourceful, buying parts at local hardware and supply stores, and building an original version. Their system cost $800; a manufacturer's system runs about $3,000.
``Funding has become a major problem,'' Swafford said. ``I spend a lot of my time trying to secure funds [for the project].''
Swafford said he has less funding now with 110 students than he did when he had 22.
So far this year, the catfish experiment has been successful. Virginia Tech estimated the class would lose at least half of the 50 fingerlings, since it is a new system and the fish must adjust to life in a controlled environment.
``I think they've made good progress ... they're learning as they go along how to keep the fish healthy,'' Kidd said.
``[The fish] are doing a lot better than we thought,'' Travis Harvey, 14, said. ``Tech said they'd never last.''
Next year, if both conditions and budgetary limitations allow, Swafford hopes to put in another tank for bluegill or bass, and even try his hand at raising trout in an outside fish tank. This system, called a ``moving stream chute'' is more complex because it requires the fish-farmer to simulate an actual moving trout stream in order for the trout to survive.
``In the future, I would like to see half aquaculture and half animal science courses offered to attract those college bound students,'' Swafford said. ``I've been teaching 20 years - I would love to see [some students] go on and use what I've taught them.''
by CNB