A little background about my slow beginnings in aquaponics...Where have you been all my life??
My first exposure to aquaponics began when I began reading every book and research publication by Jack Todd and the New Alchemy folks back in the 1970's. I was already an organic gardener at that time, and it seemed like their research might be the answer to my quest for balance and harmony without wasting natural resources. Then the oil embargo came and out of necessity we pulled out the oil furnace and switched to wood heat and a wood burning cookstove; we got a milk cow, a couple of chickens, and 2 baby pigs; and I started to make bread. No time left to pursue knowledge.
I guess the Fates did not think the time was right for total independence at that time. Grants for the New Alchemy Institute started to disappear and although the seeds were planted by this organization...the "How-To Instructions" were missing for the remainder of the 20th century.
Never stopped the research though and found that Bill Mollison's Permaculture had introduced raising fish with the gardening design and this made so much sense! Why go buy fish emulsion and seaweed extract when one could raise the fish and feed them with garden leftovers!
Thank you for creating this website! My children are all grown now and I have recently retired. Now maybe it's time to put my remaining years back into making my dream a reality...with a little help from you all of course!
P.S. My goal is to build a recirculating system with minimum-to-no dependence on imported fishmeal.