VOA慢速英语 2008 1111a

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

A listener in Abuja, Nigeria, named Okorie wants to know more about fish pond farming.
　
Bill Martin, president of Blue Ridge¹ Aquaculture, with tanks of shrimp² in Martinsville, Virginia

Raising fish in ponds of standing³ water can work well on a traditional farm. Animal and crop waste can be used to fertilize⁴ the pond and feed the fish. And mud from the bottom of the pond can be used to fertilize the crops. Also, water for the farm can be stored in the pond with the fish.

Experts say ponds with a surface area smaller than one hundred square meters may not be profitable. But those larger than one hectare may cost too much and be difficult to manage.

Pond farming is one kind of aquaculture. Other fish farms are connected to sources of free-flowing water -- a lake, river or ocean. This way you may not have to feed the fish. They can eat weeds and small organisms, like plankton⁵ and algae⁶. Fish can also be raised in tanks, either indoors or outdoors.

Deciding which kind of fish to raise depends on the water quality, salt content and temperature. The best idea, experts say, is to raise fish that normally live in the source of water that you use. Also, you should remove wild fish, or else they could eat your fish.

Common carp are a popular choice for a fish farm. You could also raise tilapia, catfish⁷, grouper, milkfish, eel⁸ or other kinds, depending on where you live. Some fish are harvested once a year; other kinds can be harvested throughout the year.

Biologist Martin Schreibman hopes more people will raise their own fish. He started the Aquatic⁹ Research and Environmental Assessment¹⁰ Center at Brooklyn College in New York. He says setting up a fish farm is easier, less costly¹¹ and more profitable than people might think.

Intensive fishing has reduced populations of wild fish. The aquaculture industry now provides almost half the fish eaten worldwide. Fish farming is seen as an important way to help feed a growing world. But fish farms also require attention to environmental and food safety considerations.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization released a State of World Aquaculture report at a meeting in New Delhi two years ago. At that meeting, delegates agreed on the need for more support for aquaculture development in Africa. The F.A.O. said Africa was the only area of the world where in recent years people have been eating less fish instead of more.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Jim Tedder¹².

 

1 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

2 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 fertilize   

v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃

参考例句：

• Fertilizer is a substance put on land to fertilize it.肥料是施在地里使之肥沃的物质。
• Reading will fertilize his vocabulary.阅读会丰富他的词汇。

5 plankton   

n.浮游生物

参考例句：

• Plankton is at the bottom of the marine food chain.浮游生物处于海洋食物链的最底层。
• The plankton in the sea feeds many kinds of animals. 海的浮游生物成为很多种动物的食物。

6 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

7 catfish   

n.鲶鱼

参考例句：

• Huge catfish are skinned and dressed by hand.用手剥去巨鲇的皮并剖洗干净。
• We gigged for catfish off the pier.我们在码头以鱼叉叉鲶鱼。

8 eel   

n.鳗鲡

参考例句：

• He used an eel spear to catch an eel.他用一只捕鳗叉捕鳗鱼。
• In Suzhou,there was a restaurant that specialized in eel noodles.苏州有一家饭馆，他们那里的招牌菜是鳗鱼面。

9 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

10 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

11 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

12 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网