Peter Van Wyk
Aquaculture Specialist
Expertise: Aquaculture
| Phone: 276-496-4999 | FAX: 276-486-4974 | e-mail: |
Personal Information
Mr. Van Wyk is an aquaculture professional with more 20 years of experience designing
and managing commercial hatcheries and intensive production systems for both
shrimp and finfish. Mr. Van Wyk joined Virginia Tech in June, 2005 and serves
as Aquaculture Specialist at the Southwest Virginia Aquaculture Research and
Extension Center . He comes to Virginia Tech from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institute where conducted research directed at developing cost-effective, biosecure
recirculating production and maturation systems for marine shrimp, southern flounder,
and hybrid striped bass. Throughout his career Mr. Van Wyk has played key roles
in the planning, design, construction and startup of a variety of commercial
aquaculture businesses. Mr. Van Wyk is also a well-respected aquaculture educator,
and while at Harbor Branch taught many popular courses, including courses on
intensive shrimp culture, operation of marine shrimp hatcheries, principles of
design and operation of recirculating aquaculture systems, aquaculture project
planning, and aquaculture water quality management.
Research Interests:
Recirculating aquaculture system design, development of sustainable aquaculture
production technology appropriate for Southwest Virginia , production of marine
shrimp in inland recirculating production systems, and bio-economic modeling
of commercial aquaculture production systems.
Current Projects:
Production of Yellow Perch in recirculating aquaculture systems
Mr. Van Wyk is directing studies at the Southwest Virginia Aquaculture
Research and Extension Center to determine the commercial feasibility of
producing yellow perch in recirculating aquaculture systems. Data is being
gathered on a variety on yellow perch growth rates, feed conversion, survival
and production costs using commercial scale recirculating production systems.
This information is being used to generate detailed economic models that
can be used to evaluate the financial feasibility of producing yellow perch
under a variety of scenarios. The results of these studies will help farmers
in Southwest Virginia to determine if yellow perch is a viable farm enterprise.
Marine
shrimp production utilizing effluents from a tilapia production facility
Mr.
Van Wyk is collaborating with other members of the CFAST team in an investigation
of the feasibility of utilizing the effluent from a commercial tilapia recirculating
facility as a partial feed replacement for marine shrimp that are being reared
in high density recirculating aquaculture systems. Mr. Van Wyk is designing
the shrimp recirculating aquaculture systems and contributing his expertise
on shrimp production technology. If the shrimp production is expanded to
a commercial scale, Mr. Van Wyk will design the commercial growout facilities
and a shrimp hatchery to supply postlarvae for the project.
Recent Publications
2002. Samocha, T.M., L. Hamper, C.R.Emberson, A.D. Davis, D. McIntosh, A.L. Lawrence and P.M. Van Wyk. Review of some recent developments in sustainable shrimp farming practices in Texas, Arizona and Florida. Journal of Applied Aquaculture 12(1):1-42.
2001. Samocha, T.M., A.L. Lawrence, C.R. Collins, C.R. Emberson, J.L. Harvin, and P.M. Van Wyk. (2001). Development of integrated, environmentally sound, inland shrimp production technologies. In, Browdy, Craig L. and Jory, Darryl, E., editors. The New Wave, Proceedings of the Special Session on Sustainable Shrimp Culture, Aquaculture The World Aquaculture Society, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States.
2001. Van Wyk, P.M. Designing efficient indoor shrimp production systems: a bioeconomic approach. In, Browdy, Craig L. and Jory, Darryl, E., editors. The New Wave, Proceedings of the Special Session on Sustainable Shrimp Culture, Aquaculture 2001. The World Aquaculture Society, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States .
2000. Van Wyk, P.M. Culture of Penaeus vannamei in single-phase and three-phase recirculating aquaculture systems. Global Aquaculture Advocate 3(3): 41-43.
2000.Van Wyk, P.M. Economics of shrimp culture in a freshwater recirculating aquaculture system. IN: Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture. Editors: G. Libey, et al. Roanoke, Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic University and State University, 2000. pp. 318-323.
2000. Van Wyk, P., M. Davis-Hodgkins, R. Laramore, K.L. Main, J. Mountain, and J. Scarpa Production of Marine Shrimp in Freshwater Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Bob Crawford. Tallahassee, Florida . 220 pages.
