English for aquaculture 1

Vocabulary: Basic fish species; physical characteristics; aquatic and aquaculture environment; types of aquaculture; verbs relating to aquaculture farming 3.. VOCABULARY OF FISH SPECIES

FISHERIES UNIVERISTY NHA TRANG, VIETNAM

ENGLISH FOR AQUACULTURE

BY

MANON FRENETTE

WUSC (World University Service of Canada)

IN COLLABORATION

WITH

DR DUNG AQUACULTURE AND ESP TEACHER FACULTY OF AQUACULTURE

2005

CONTENT UNIT ONE: WHAT IS AQUACULTURE?

1 Strategy:

a SQ3R reading technique

b Memory techniques for learning vocabulary

c Strategy to understand difficult passages

2 Vocabulary: Basic fish species; physical characteristics; aquatic and aquaculture environment; types of aquaculture; verbs relating to aquaculture farming

3 Reading:

a. Scanning: Matching headlines with paragraphs: What is aquaculture?

b. Defining technical terms: Types of aquaculture

4 Listening:

a Description of a species and its physical environment

5 Speaking:

a Reading aloud: practicing pronunciation and reading in groups of words

b Discussing the past, present and current situation of aquaculture in a region of Vietnam

6 Grammar:

a Identifying parts of speech and changing word forms with suffixes

b Active and passive voice: simple present tense

c Reference structure of definition and description

UNIT TWO: HOW TO SELECT A SPECIES?

1 Strategy: Study schedule to remember information; understanding complex sentences; locating main and supporting ideas

2. Listening: European Business Profile: Stofnfiskur

3 Vocabulary: Academic Word List and aquaculture word related to the growth cycle

a Define academic words

b Common antonyms in academic and aquaculture texts

4 Reading:

a. Reformulation of main ideas: Selection of Species

5 Grammar:

a Review of parts of speech based on suffixes

b Sentence structure: sentences, clauses and reduced clauses

UNIT THREE: IMPORTANT NUMBERS IN AQUACULTURE

1 Speaking: Information gap: Verbalizing numbers about the aquaculture industry

2 Listening:: News report about the export of shrimps: Fill in the blanks

3 Grammar and vocabulary: The language of graphics and trends in academic texts

4 Reading tables and figures about the export of shrimps

UNIT FOUR: FISH DISEASES –CHARACTERISTICS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

1 Strategy: How to outline and summarize

2 Vocabulary:

a Parts of fish and crustaceans

b Symptoms, treatments, tools and diseases

3 Speaking:

a Recognize symptoms

4 Grammar: Reference structure

a Common prefixes and suffixes

b Using reference structure of cause and effect and expressions of quantity

5 Reading:

a. Comprehension questions and review of grammar: Fish Vaccinations

b. Outline and summary: Diseases problems in the Shrimp Farming Industry

6 MIDTERM

UNIT FOUR: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

1 Vocabulary:

a Hatchery, environmental issues, water quality parameters

2 Listening: Description of new aquaculture site and its effects on the local environment

3 Reading: 5 flaws of sea-cage farming

4 Speaking:

a Using expressions to clarify understanding

b Simulation of a meeting for the building of a new hatchery and sea cage fish farm

5 Writing:

a Brainstorming

b Writing a team report

UNIT SIX: FUTURE EMPLOYMENT (TO COME)

1 Vocabulary: Common careers in aquaculture

2 Grammar: Reference structure:

a The language of process –Actions in sequence

b The language of process –Method

3 Reading: Subject areas

4 Speaking: Reviewing content and practicing for interviews

Dear Dr Dung,

I wish to express my gratitude to you Sir

opportunity to have you at my side during this project Both your qualities as a man and as a Professor have left a lasting

availability, patience, open-mindedness, generosity, intelligence and optimism are rare and few I wish you, your family and your students, a long happy and prosperous life

Sincerely, Manon

To the students,

Always remember that learning is a lifelong

process Cultivate your mind but do not

neglect the qualities of the heart Pursue

the good, the pure, the true you

Manon Frenette

UNIT ONE: SPECIES AND TYPES OF AQUACULTURE

Teamwork is very important in language learning If you learn to trust, help, encourage, monitor each other, you will make a lot of progress What is important is NOT your level of English but rather your willingness, your desire, motivation to learn something new each class In teams, you will not only practice English, but you will also learn to be a leader, a note-taker, a reporter, an editor, a helper, etc Your teacher will help you to develop these skills But first, you need to form teams of four students of mixed language ability Then, try to think of a name for your team, for example: The Smiling Goldfish… The Electric Eels… The colorful Seahorses ☺ Next class, your teacher will ask you for your team’s name

VOCABULARY OF FISH SPECIES

The academic and aquaculture glossary (see V&G, appendix one) you find in aquaculture documents are very

important if you are planning on using English in your future job Therefore, one objective will be to learn

the more important academic and aquaculture words According to research, there are 570 academic words and many many more aquaculture words But, a 60 period course can aim to teach, at best a maximum of

400 new words As you may know, vocabulary is best developed by both extensive reading (reading a lot) and also by explicit vocabulary teaching and practice (learn, study, play, practice, test)) To learn these, you need strategies: Good strategies to remember words are to make associations between a word (English or Vietnamese), an image, a number, a smell, etc you already know You can also make a story, a summary when the context is appropriate Visualizing words in your head or on pieces of paper (flashcards, notes in places you often go to) provides the necessary repetition When you are confident about the words but want to recall long lists of words, use the first letter of each word and try to form other words (with as much emotional punch to the word) If you want more explanations, examples, and strategies, go to the following Internet site: www.mindtools.com For a vocabulary study schedule, see page16

VOCABULARY: Look at the boxes below and check many words you already know? How can you

learn them fast? Play the Flashcard Game, for explanation and activity sheet see you Vocabulary and Grammar Book ( V&G, appendix 3).

The teacher will introduce the vocabulary and grammar of definition and description below He or she will draw bodies of water and fish parts to introduce a few species (see V&B, appendix 3). Some of these descriptions were written by students from the 41 st and 42 nd class Listen carefully

GRAMMAR: REFERENCE STRUCTURE OF DEFINITION, AND DESCRIPTION:

To define a term, we often say: X is …X refers to … X means… X includes

Appositives are also used to define: Duckweed, a kind of algae, is found at the bottom of

To describe we often use verbs in both the active and passive voice (G&V, p ):

(0bj + be + pp) (Obj + be +not + pp) (s + 3ps) or (s + doesn’t + v)

VOCABULARY: GUESSING GAME -20 QUESTIONS

1 In groups of four, learner A selects (but doesn’t say) one of the species from the species box;

2 Learners, in turn, each ask questions to find which species learner A selected

3 When one is ready to guess which species the other learner has selected, ask: Is it X? When a learner has guessed correctly, he/she gets 5 points; if not he/she cannot guess again;

4. The group can ask a maximum of 20 questions (5 questions each); if no one finds it, the one interviewed gets 5 points.

Examples of questions and answers:

1 Is it a fish, a plant, a crustacean? It is a …

2 How much does it weigh? It can weight from … kg up to … kg

3 What kind of fins does it have? It has dorsal/ pectoral/ anal/ caudal/ ventral fins

4 What kind of scales does it have? Its scales are X It is scaleless

5 What does it measure? When it is mature, it can measure up to …cm/m

6 Is it a wild captured fish/cultured fish? Yes it is/No it isn’t

7 Is it cultured in ponds? In cages? It is cultured in …

8 What kind of mouth/jaw does it have? It has a round-shaped mouth / a X shaped mouth

9 What kind of tail does it have? It has a triangular-shaped tail…

10 Does it live in salt/fresh/brackish/demersal water? It lives in… water

11 Is it found in shallow/mid/deep waters? It is found in X waters

12 Is it carnivorous/ herbivorous/omnivorous? It is …

13 How is it distributed? It is distributed in rivers, estuaries, streams,

ponds, mudflats, lakes, rice fields, lagoons,

HOMEWORK: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR QUIZ

1 Study the vocabulary about species To study, use one of the strategies mentioned above or play

the Memory Game while you learn the basic name of common fish and shellfish species taken

from the first text “Introductory Aquaculture” If you like this game, remember that you can easily make and play this game for every unit in this book… See page ? for procedure and handout

2 Do the following exercise on fish external and internal body parts

3 Study the reference structure and remember how to spell and use them Review the basic verb tenses, aspect and voice

4 Next class: Quiz

Label the different body parts of a common fish, in this case, the herring:

Dorsal fins, Pectoral fins, Anal fins, Caudal fins,

Can you identify anything else? Scales, operculum

How is the herring distributed (river, lake, stream, estuary, lagoon, canal, coast, open sea, mudflat, pond, rice field)?

Is the herring caught, cultured or both?

How much can a herring weight? Measure?

How many tons of herrings are caught yearly in Vietnam?

How is the herring processed?

What products are made from herring?

TYPES OF AQUACULTURE

Excerpted and adapted from Encyclopedia Britannica

Aquaculture is divided into many types Try to see how many types you can match with their definitions Look at the verbs in italics which indicate reference structures of definition Key words are underlined You are to work in pairs Person A in the pair does two numbers, any two numbers, while person B observes Then, if B doesn’t agree, discuss the problem and correct if necessary Player B then does two other numbers while A observes Then A checks the answers When both persons agree, proceed to the next two questions To check the answers, the teacher will ask one student in the class and the other students will have to say if they agree (agree = thumbs up) or disagree (disagree=thumbs down)

Ornamental* Aquaculture, Pond Aquaculture, Crustacean Aquaculture, Polyculture,

Intensive Aquaculture, Integrated Aquaculture, Shellfish Culture, Mariculture, Extensive Aquaculture,

Recirculating System aquaculture

*Ornamental refers to ‘decoration’ , which means to make something look beautiful

1 It refers to the culture of clams, oysters, or related mollusks

2 It is used to describe the raising of any living organisms for the

aquarium trade It includes freshwater, saltwater, fish, invertebrates, plants, and even microorganisms

3 It includes lobster, crayfish, shrimp, and related animals

4 It is a specific term used to describe the aquaculture of saltwater

organisms as opposed to (contrary to) freshwater

5 It refers to the culture to any sort of aquaculture that uses as closed a

system as possible This is usually accomplished indoors with tanks and special filtration systems

6 It refers to outdoor pools, which may be natural, artificial, or

modified from the natural Fish or other crops may be raised in cages or allowed to swim freely

7 It means raising aquatic animals or plants under conditions of little

or incomplete control over such factors as water flow, number and weight of species raised, and low quality and quantity of nutrient inputs

8 _It refers to aquaculture practiced under a high degree of

environmental modification and control in which the principle nutrient source is high quality feed

9 _ It refers to aquacultural systems integrated with livestock (land

animals) and/or crop production(farming) For example, using animal manure to fertilize a pond to increase fish production and water from the pond to irrigate a garden When used in conjunction with hydroponics cultivation of plants, the integrated system may be called aquaponics

10 It refers to the culture of two or more aquatic species with different

food habits at the same time

GRAMMAR: WORD FORMATION -SUFFIXES

When reading academic texts, we come across a great many new words By looking closely at word formation, it is possible to guess the meaning or at least have some information about a word An English word can be divided in three parts: a prefix, a stem/root, and a suffix

For example, the word micro/organ/ism consists of the prefix, -micro, the stem -organ and the suffix -ism Micro means small, organ means a part of a body and –ism indicates a noun Therefore, microorganism is a noun that means a small body

For now, let us concentrate on suffixes A suffix is what is attached to the end of the stem Suffixes change the word from one part of speech to another Therefore, looking at the endings of words, often provides useful information which can help the reader recognize not only the part of speech but also help understand the sentence structure and therefore the meaning Look at VGB p and start to learn to recognize these suffixes and what parts

of speech they most often indicate

With the help of the dictionary, complete the following table with the words taken from the text

ist/ism

Nature/-To naturalize Naturalistically,

Naturally Dependence

Technological Technology -

Sufficiency To suffice Sufficiently

STUDY STRATEGY: SQ3R

Most scientific texts are very difficult, TOO difficult, to understand for low-intermediate foreign language learners But, there are ways to increase your reading abilities Effective readers, whether it is in Vietnamese or in another language, are strategic readers They DO NOT read a text from A to Z; instead, strategic readers prepare; they read, stop, go back, continue, go fast, go slow; they read a text many times, they take notes, highlight, think; and they review after reading

SQ3R is a useful technique for maximizing your reading efficiency It helps you to organize the structure

of a subject in your mind It also helps you to set study goals and to separate important information from irrelevant data If you use SQ3R, you will significantly improve the quality of your study time

SQ3R is a 5 stage active reading technique The stages are:

The acronym SQ3R stands for the five sequential techniques you should use to read an article or book:

• Survey:

Survey the document: Read the title and look at the contents/tables/pictures; scan the introduction and look for the thesis statement; read the first sentence of every paragraph as it often contains the topic sentence, the main idea of the paragraph; and read the conclusion to have a general idea of the text is trying to get at

• Question

Make a note of any questions, vocabulary on the subject that you believe will be covered or that interest you following your survey These questions can be considered almost as study goals - understanding the answers can help you structure the information in your own mind

• Read:

Now read the document Read through useful sections in detail, taking care to understand all the points that are important In the case of some texts this reading may be very slow Do not try to understand every word This will particularly be the case if there is a lot of dense and complicated information While you are reading, it can help to take notes in concept map format You should read the text more than once

• Recall:

Once you have read the document at least two or three times, run through it in your mind several times Isolate the core facts (information, vocabulary) or the essential processes (classification, definition, research –abstract, methodology, results, conclusion- etc.)behind the subject, and then see how other information fits around them

• Review:

Once you have run through the exercise of recalling the information, you can move on to the stage

of reviewing it This review can be by rereading the document one more time, by expanding your notes, or by discussing the material with colleagues A particularly effective method of reviewing information is to have to reformulate it to someone else!

LANGUAGE DETECTIVE:

What good language learners do when they don’t understand a word…a passage…

Good language learners DO NOT translate every word In fact, most language learners and a great many first language readers do not understand everything they read It is normal to understand only some key words from a text written in a foreign language Language is like Mathematics, you need to solve problems…

The following strategy may be long and difficult at the beginning But as you will become used

to it, you will learn to use it more quickly Remember that if your brain works hard to guess a word, you will remember it more easily

1 Look at the suffix and decide its part of speech Is it a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb (see V&G, unit 1)

2 Look at the clause or sentence containing the unknown word Sometimes a noun can be used

c If it is an adjective, what noun does it go with?

d If it is an adverb, what verb is it modifying?

3 Look at the relationship between the clause or sentence containing the unknown word and the other clauses, sentences or paragraphs (see page X) Sometimes this relationship will be signaled by a conjunction such as but, because, if, when, or by and adverb such as however,

as a result Often there will be no signal The possible relationships include cause and effect, contrast, inclusion, time, exemplification, and summary Punctuation may also serve as a clue Semicolons (;) often signal a list of inclusion relationships; dashes (-) may signal restatement Colons (:) often signal explanation, exemplification, or a list Reference words such as this, that, and such also give useful information

4 Use the knowledge you have gained from steps 1,2 and 3 to guess the meaning of the word

5 Check that your guess is correct

a See that the part of speech of your guess is the same as the part of speech of the unknown word If it is not the same, then something is wrong with your guess

b Replace the unknown word with your guess If the sentence makes sense, your guess

is probably correct

c Break down the word into its prefix, root, and suffix, if possible If the meanings of the prefix and root correspond to your guess, good If not, look at your guess again, but do not change anything if you feel reasonable certain about your guess using the context

SURVEY: Before you read, take 5 minutes individually to answer these questions, then share for ten minutes with the person next to you

1 What kind of text is this? Research article, book excerpt, magazine article, advertising…

2 Are there any visuals (pictures, graphics, tables…) to help you understand?

3 From the title, what do you think you will learn?

4 Based on what you learned before, define aquaculture ?

5 How long has aquaculture existed?

6 How many aquatic species can you name in English?

7 Which ones are most popular and why?

8 What is ocean ranching/farming and why does it exist? Which species are ranched?

9 Why is aquaculture slowly replacing wild stock fishing?

10 Which words do you expect to learn in this text?

READ: INTRODUCTORY AQUACULTURE Source: aquaculture.com

The objective of this exercise is to see how much information you can get out WITHOUT looking up in

the dictionary Place the following headings with the correct paragraphs The first one, 1), has been done for you…The teacher will ask you which key words helped you find the answer

1. Factors that explain why aquaculture is replacing wild capture fishing

2 Aquaculture is developing quickly

3 Definition and uses of aquaculture

4 Aquaculture is replacing wild stock fishing in order to supply the world demand

a)

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic plants and animals for commercial, recreational, and scientific purposes This includes production for supplying other aquaculture operations, for food and industrial products, for producing aquatic bait animals, for ornamental purposes, and for use by the pharmaceutical and chemical industries These activities can occur both in natural waters and in artificial aquatic ponds

c)

Aquaculture is the way to decrease our dependence on wild stocks and to take control of the production of

aquatic plants and animals that have become commercially important to human society Ocean ranching

by governments is intended to restock lakes and oceans The young fish are bred in the controlled environment and when sufficiently mature are released into the open sea Oysters as a source of both food and pearls, scallops, and mussels are raised throughout most of the world Carp, trout, catfish, and tilapia are also widely raised Experiments with ocean ranching in the late 20th century led to the economically successful aquaculture of lobsters

d) a) Factors that explain why aquaculture is replacing wild capture fishing

In the recent past, pollution, over-fishing, and the importation of exotic pests into critical habitats like the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay have shown just how dangerous the reliance on wild stocks has become The growth of world aquaculture has also been stimulated by a number of factors, including population increases, dietary shifts, and advances in aquaculture technology

READING: COMPREHENSION CHECK

Now read the text a second time and try to answer the following questions The words underlined are academic vocabulary you must become familiar with Students first work individually Then, in turn, student A answers the question If he/she gets the answer, he/she gets two points; if not he/she loses one point Student B can correct student A’s answer for one point; if student B can explain why the student A was wrong, he/she gets another point If he/she cannot answer the question, there is no penalty Student C can try to answer and/or explain and so on…Once a question has been answered and understood by everybody, the next student can answer the next question

1 Where or which industries use the products of aquaculture?

2 How long has aquaculture existed?

3 What happened to the world aquaculture production between 1970 and 1975? Give an example

4 High-priced species are usually eaten fresh? True False

5 What does quintuple mean?

6 Why does ocean ranching exist?

7 What are oysters used for?

8 Why is it dangerous to depend on wild stock fishing?

9 Which factors explain the increase in aquaculture production?

10 How many species are mentioned in the text?

SIX STEP INTERVIEW ABOUT VIETNAM’S AQUAC

SIX STEP INTERVIEW ABOUT VIETNAM’S AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY ULTURE INDUSTRY ULTURE INDUSTRY

REVIEW AND RECYCLE PROJECT: Your teacher will assign a region, city, area to your team and you will be responsible for

describing the aquaculture practice of that region

Examples of regions:

1 Mountainous region of Sapa 2 Haiphong

• Individually, answer the 7 questions below in your notebook (homework) Use one page for each question because you will complete your answers in the next class

• In class and in pairs (two students), A asks the first question to B

• B answers and A can add his own answers

• B then asks the second question and A answers

• B can also add his comments after

• Students continue like this until they are finished the 7 questions

• Then A turns to C and B turns to D

• The new pairs (AC and BD) start the same process and completes their notes

Your team must be ready to go to the blackboard to write down your best answers to each question

1 How and when did aquaculture begin and develop in Vietnam (try to answer, guess)?

2 Which species does each region culture and fish?

3 What is the geography and how are the fish distributed (rivers, lakes, rice fields, sea, lagoon, mudflats…) in that region?

4 What type(s) of aquaculture (see types of aquaculture) and fishing is practiced in that region? Why?

5 What type of aquaculture and fishing is NOT used in that region? Why?

6 What type of aquaculture or fishing could that region develop in the future? Explain

7 Does this region practice sustainable (environmentally friendly / long term) development? Explain

UNIT TWO: HOW TO SELECT SPECIES?

Cut and past cycle of a salmon

In teams of four and in turn, each person must which define a word from the box, with or without the help

of the dictionary When the vocabulary is understood by everyone, you can then categorize the vocabulary

in two steps First, decide which word belong to which category: growth stages, verbs, feed or “X” rate (i.e heart rate) Then, order them in the correct sequence or order More than one answer is possible Each member of your team must be ready to explain why your team chose that organization and

sequence/order These words are underlined in the text Selection of Species

1 _ _ _ _

2 _ _ _ _

3 _ _ _ _

4 _ _ _ _

LISTENING: “European Business Profile”

First listening:

1) What is Stofnfiskur known for?

a) It is a world leading producer of salmon eggs

b) It is a the largest fish farm in Iceland

c) It is a world leading aquaculture research center

d) It is the largest salmon processing factory

2) Why is it successful?

a) Because of its geothermal water

b) Because of its many breeding projects

c) Because it uses the latest and most sophisticated technologies

d) All are correct

Second and third listening:

3) Circle the ones you hear: What do they mean by ideal(best) rearing condition?

a) Low nitrogen level

b) Low density

c) High oxygen level

d) High-quality feed

4) How do they control the water?

a) They control the temperature

b) They control the saline(salt) content

c) They control the source of the water

d) Both a and b are correct

5) Circle the ones you hear: What are some of Stofnfiskur’s other products?

6) What will happen in the next 9 to 10 years?

a) They expect to increase production by 800 000mt

b) They expect to increase production from 800 000 to 2 000 000mt

c) They expect to increase production from 80 000 to 200 000mt

d) They expect to increase production by 2 000 000mt

7) Based on the content of this video, could Vietnam work with this company? Explain

STUDY STRATEGY: STUDY SCHEDULE

When learning new information, most forgetting occurs soon after the end of the learning session By understanding the nature of forgetting, we can better organize a studying program which will help us learn better In order to remember as much as possible, learners should:

1 Review the lesson after 5 or 10 minutes (for example study 25 words for 15 minutes after class;

2 Review 24 hours later (study the same words 10 minutes);

3 Review one week later (study the same words 10 minutes);

4 Review one month later (study the same words 10 minutes);

5 Review 6 months later

Learners should test themselves on new words or anything they have studied If they can remember the content, they should increase their interval before the next review, but if they cannot, they should shorten the interval Try this studying strategy with 100 words from the unit Try to divide the vocabulary into groups of about 25 words and study 4 days in the week You can create a story, visualize the words, associate the words with an image, etc These strategies are very effective

VOCABULARY: ACADEMIC WORDS

The following 20 words are part of the top 100 academic words (V&G, appendix 4) that are found in university texts and MUST therefore be learned as quickly as possible In teams of 4, each student will look for the definition of 5 of these terms and then relate the information to his partners (this should be done as homework before class) Remember when looking up a definition in a dictionary, there are usually many possible meanings You must therefore read through all the possible meanings and choose one or two of the most appropriate ones For example, the word ‘culture’ can mean ‘the ideas, beliefs, customs of a society’ but in aquaculture there are two possible meanings:

To culture (v.):

1) It refers to the process of growing bacteria;

2) It refers to* the practice of farming crops (rice, sugar cane, etc.) or animals like fish

Synonyms: To farm, raise, harvest Word form: cultured (adj.), cultivation (n), culture (n)

Vietnamese:

*L: It stands for the line number where you will find the underlined word in context(except the first paragraph) in the text Selection of Species for Culture

** Try to use the reference structure of definition that you learned in the first unit

Now practice the same academic vocabulary by completing the crossword puzzle:

GRAMMAR: LOOKING AT ANTONYMS AND SUFFIXES

Find the antonym –the word with the opposite meaning How? Look at the list of prefix or look and the text and guess from the context The number corresponds to the paragraph number where the antonym is located

FISH FARMING DEVELOPMENT

1 How was fish farming different before 1733 and after 1733?

2 Reformulate the three steps of fish breeding in your own words:

3. Find three synonyms of To farm:

Fish farming was first practiced by capturing immature fish and then raising them under optimal(best) conditions in which they were well fed and protected from predators and competitors for light and space

It was not until 1733, however, that a German farmer successfully raised fish from eggs that he had

artificially obtained and fertilized:

1 Male and female trout were collected when ready for spawning

2. Eggs and sperm were pressed from their bodies and mixed together under favorable conditions

3. After the eggs hatched, the fry were taken to tanks or ponds for further cultivation

Methods have since evolved and the science of aquaculture has developed methods to breed saltwater fish artificially and it now appears possible not only to rear sea animals but also to control the whole life cycle

in a hatchery

So how do aquaculturists select the right species to farm? This is what we will learn but first we need to verify what you already know as well as learn some common vocabulary, grammar and reading strategies

to help you deal with difficult texts relating to aquaculture farming

Note: Academic words in italics

Aquaculture words underlined

SURVEY: QUESTIONS

1 Look at the title, what vocabulary is associated with this topic? Discuss what you think you will read about and what you know about the subject

2 Which criteria should we consider to select a species to culture?

3 How can you enhance/improve the living conditions of captive fish so they can mature quickly?

4 Based on what you know, why does Vietnam mostly farm shrimps and not other species?

READING: MAIN IDEAS AND REFORMULATION

Almost every effective communication of ideas consists of two parts: (1) a point is made, and (2) evidence is provided to support that point Finding the main idea is key to understanding a paragraph or passage The main idea is often located in the first sentence of a paragraph and the supporting details usually follow However, the main idea or topic sentence may also be at the end, in the middle, or any other place in the paragraph

Once you identify the main idea or general point that an author is making, everything else in the paragraph should be easier to understand If the main idea is difficult and abstract, there are two things you can do You may want to read all the supporting details carefully to help increase your comprehension And, you may want

to reread the main idea a few times and analyze the sentence structure: Is it a complex sentence? What is the main clause? How do the other clauses relate to the main clause? (see G&V, unit 1) )

Note: On occasion, the main idea of a paragraph may appear in slightly different words in two or more sentences in the paragraph In other cases, the main idea in one paragraph will serve as the central thought for several paragraphs that follow or precede it Finally at times, the main idea will not be stated directly at all, and the reader will have to deduce it The best way to remember a main idea is to identify it and then reformulate it

by writing using one’s own words

Look at these sentences and identify which clauses are independent (I) and which are subordinate (S) Then, reformulate the thesis and topic sentences in your own words If this is something that is too difficult for you, translate into Vietnamese

Example:

Thesis: It would probably be possible to culture almost all aquatic organisms, but the main consideration

is whether it is worth the effort and how far they can contribute to the main objectives of aquaculture

Your words:

It is possible to farm all species but we must ask: How much effort and time is needed? Am I helping to develop the aquaculture industry?

1 Topic sentence 1: The history of agriculture indicates the time and efforts that are needed to

develop such technologies

3 Topic sentence 3: A major characteristic that determines the suitability of a species for

aquaculture is the rate of growth and production under culture conditions

Your words:

4 Topic sentence 4: It is certainly preferable to culture a species that can be bred easily under

captive conditions

Your words:

5 Topic sentence 5: In cases where controlled breeding techniques have not been perfected, the

aquaculturist, may have to depend on seed available from the wild

Your words:

6 Topic sentence 6: In modern aquaculture, feeding is one of the major elements of cost of production and may amount to 50 per cent or more

Your words:

7 Topic sentence 6: Carnivorous species generally need a high protein diet and are therefore considered to be more expensive to produce, even though the costs will depend largely on local

availability and price of the required feedstuffs

Your words:

_

8 Topic sentence 8: Species that are hardy and can tolerate unfavorable conditions will have the advantage of better survival in relatively poor environmental conditions that may occur

occasionally in culture situations

Your words:

_

9 Topic sentence 9: Besides the possible effects of poor water quality on the candidate species, it is

also necessary to consider the influence of the species on the environment

Your words:

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READING: – TRUE OR FALSE

1 _ All species can be cultured and should be cultivated

2 _ Aquaculture is developing the same way agriculture developed

3 _ It is useless to develop species based on environmental and economical factors

4 _ Fish in tropical countries have a faster growth rate

5 _ It is better to culture species in enclosed spaces

6 _ Commercial fishermen agree that wild spawn and fry should be used for hatcheries

7 _ Feeding greatly affects the cost of production

8 _ Carnivorous species cost more but are sold for a higher price

9 _ Fish can be negatively affected by their environment; they too can affect the

environment negatively

SELECTION OF SPECIES FOR CULTURE Bold characters: Thesis and topic statements

Underlined: Grammar exercise or Academic and ESP vocabulary found in the glossary *

*The words underlined were selected because they were used repeatedly in that text You can find many more words in the

Academic and Aquaculture glossary of appendix one of the V&G book

Jhingran and Gopalakrishnam (1974) included about 465 species, belonging to 28 families of plants and

107 families of animals, in a catalogue of cultivated aquatic organisms It would probably be possible to

culture almost all aquatic organisms, but the main consideration is whether it is worth the effort and how far they can contribute to the main objectives of aquaculture The availability of a large number of

aquaculture species adapted to different environmental conditions is an advantage, as it will often be possible to choose from locally occurring species and avoid the introduction of exotic ones for culture However, this also means that aquaculture misses the advantages that crop and animal production have had in agriculture: of concentrated research on a few species that has led to the development of advanced technologies of production, and of selected high-yielding strains and hybrids

The history of agriculture indicates that time and efforts are needed to develop such technologies The

science of aquaculture, which is relatively new, will probably require a longer period of time to reach that level of advancement if efforts have to be shared among so many species It has to be remembered that long traditional experience and scientific research, so far, have actually succeeded in farming only a small number of species like the trout, common carp, and salmon However, one can clearly see a tendency towards limiting the number of species in the large-scale commercial aquaculture, unlike in aquaculture research where an increasing number of species are still being investigated

Despite the value of limiting species for culture for speedy technological advancement, it has to be recognized that there is a real need to have species suited for different environmental conditions and economic circumstances Species have to be selected according to the objectives of culture, for example

increasing protein supplies to the poor, export to earn foreign exchange or waste recycling in a polyculture system

A major characteristic that determines the suitability of a species for aquaculture is the rate of growth and production under culture conditions Although certain slow-growing species may be candidates for

culture because of their market value, it is often difficult to make their culture economical Through the use of heated water, growth rates of many species can be improved, but commercial grow-out using such methods has not yet proved very successful In principle, a faster growth rate, as obtained in many tropical species, allows them to grow to marketable size in a shorter time, making it possible to have more

preferable to have them reach marketable size before they attain first maturity, so that most of the feed and energy are used for somatic growth Early maturity would ensure easier availability of breeders for hatchery operations, but early maturity before the species reaches the marketable size will also be a great handicap, as in the case of tilapia species

It is certainly preferable to culture a species that can be bred easily under captive conditions This

would permit hatchery production of seed in adequate quantities If it is a species that matures more than once a year, it should be possible to have several crops of seed and possibly adults, if other conditions are suitable High fecundity can be an advantage, as also frequency of spawning; however small-size eggs and small larvae make hatching operations more difficult A shorter incubation period and larval cycle often contribute to lower mortality of larvae and greater survival rate in hatcheries Larvae that would accept artificial feeds would be easier to rear in hatcheries The raising of live foods is comparatively more difficult and often expensive

In cases where controlled breeding techniques have not been perfected, the aquaculturist, may have to depend on seed available from the wild But as has been experienced in many situations, it proves to be

an unreliable source in large-scale farming, as their abundance in nature depends on a number of unpredictable factors Further, large scale collection of wild spawn and fry have given rise to conflicts with commercial fishermen, who believe the decline in catches of the concerned species is due to the removal of early stages, despite the lack of any scientific evidence So, even from a public relations point

of view, it is better to select species that can be grown in hatcheries and to start hatchery production as early as possible

In modern aquaculture, feeding is one of the major elements of cost of production and may amount to

50 percent or more In most traditional aquaculture facilities, herbivorous or omnivorous species have

been preferred as they feed on natural food organisms in water, the growth of which can be enhanced through fertilization and waste management In such cases, the cost of feeding will be relatively low and because of this, species low in the food chain are preferable for the production of low-priced products However, even with such species, supplementary feeding with artificial feedstuffs has to be adopted in intensive aquaculture systems The feed efficiency in relation to growth and productivity then becomes an important criterion Some of the low trophic level feeders can also be highly selective in their feeding habits, as in the case of filter-feeders that require plankton of a particular size and shape The need to grow the species to market size within a limited period often makes it necessary to resort to artificial feeding

Carnivorous species generally need a high protein diet and are therefore considered to be more expensive to produce, even though the costs will depend largely on local availability and price of the