Company Mixes Fish, flora in Aquaponics
The Country Today
February, Feb 24, 2010
By Sara Bredesen
An excerpt from the article
MONTELLO – Tomatoes and tilapia, peppers and perch, cukes and cod. Diners might think they are catchy combos on a dinner menu, but forward-thinking vegetable growers are starting to look twice at pairing fish and flora in a watery ecosystem called aquaponics.
“My whole life I raised fish. When we realized we could combine fish and hydroponics, the first thing I did was start putting little hydroponic grow beds on top of my fish tanks,” said Rebecca Nelson, a partner in Nelson and Pade Aquaponic Technology based in Marquette County.
Nelson and her husband, John Pade, are Wisconsin natives but are known internationally as experts on floating raft aquaponics systems. They have consulted on technology in more than 20 countries and have designed systems that are operating across the United States.