The increasing number of aquaculture facilities based on Recirculating
Aquaculture Systems (RAS) technology, both already operating and under
construction, is testament to the fact that this technology is proving to be
highly advantageous. Neder Snir, CTO of AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies, explores
the advanced RAS techniques and technologies that will be employed in the next
generation of land-based aquaculture installations, discussing the company's
unique, multidisciplinary approach to indoor fish production.
Much has been written about the rapid increase in the number of onshore
aquaculture facilities. This is due to several factors, among them increased
demand for seafood due to population growth and a greater understanding of the
nutritional benefits of eating fish; increased pollution of seas and oceans and
overfishing, resulting in a decline in fish populations around the globe; and a
growing awareness of the significant environmental advantages of
closed-containment, RAS-based aquaculture technology. It is this last element
that is the key to securing a sustainable future for aquaculture.
Advantages of RAS
technology
RAS technology offers several significant advantages over other existing
aquaculture methods. Growing fish in a land-based, closed and controlled
environment reduces the risk of disease contamination; no antibiotics or disease treatments are involved
in a normal production process, so the fish produced are healthier; and water
motion in the rearing tanks allows the growers to exercise the fish, which in
some fish species results in a more natural fat and tissue composition. Since
RAS technology is not entirely dependent on proximity to a specific water
source, the facility can be built close to market, resulting in a shorter time
from water to plate, and reduced transportation costs. Another advantage is
that the advanced filtering capabilities of RAS significantly reduce water
pollution from feed, faeces and chemical waste, making it a much more sustainable
alternative to other aquaculture methods. In terms of efficiency and
productivity, RAS enables continuous harvest all year round, and fish grow to
commercial size faster when compared with other methods. Faster growth usually
means better conversion of feed to fish mass, overall lower impact on the
entire production chain and lower cost of production, thanks to the complete
control of water temperature, and the ability of RAS to maintain optimum oxygen
and carbon dioxide levels. Leading the way to
advanced RAS-based installations.
Dozens of RAS-based installations are successfully operating around the world,
and as seafood industry stakeholders and financial investors increasingly
recognise the many significant advantages of RAS technology, we are seeing
greater demand for these facilities. AquaMaof is a unique coming-together of
aquaculture veterans and professionals, each competent in a broad array of
sub-disciplines of aquaculture. Gary Myers, for example, is an aquaculture
veteran with 40 years' experience, multiple patents issued and a pioneer of
new-age aquaculture. AquaMaof professionals have been developing tailored RAS-based
projects worldwide for well over a decade, using experience and knowledge
gained in ichthyology, biosecurity, physics, chemistry, biology, process
engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, health safety and
environmental engineering, civil engineering, and more. The following are some
of the advantages of our RAS-based aquaculture solution: 100 percent of the recirculated water from the fish tanks is processed
through the main filtering complex
Proprietary technology and Oxygen-Dissolving System - delivering more oxygen
for less energy, with oxygen generated on site; recovering waste heat; and
regulating the oxygen level in each tank, capable of delivering large
quantities of dissolved oxygen during peak demand
Low Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) - achieved through optimised feeding modes,
an advanced feed management system and optimal water conditions Fish channel for fish transfer through water - an economical, simple
and safe way to move large numbers of fish through the production chain, from
stocking to grading, to market.
Minimal maintenance - smart selection and allocation of system components
result in a robust facility.
Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) - achieved through the implementation of
proprietary water-reuse technologies. A technological
revolution So, what will the next generation of RAS-based aquaculture facilities
look like? As in almost any other industrial field, nextgen aquaculture will
harness existing advanced technologies operations and improve facility
performance in a variety of ways. Here are some examples of how this will be
achieved. Automation The next generation of land-based aquaculture installations will make
much more extensive use of automation, in two main areas: Computerisation systems, used for information gathering, analysis,
troubleshooting, raising alerts, and inventory management - these will
automatically provide crucial, real time data for operators and management.
In technical activities such as scheduled maintenance, harvesting, grading
and counting, dissolved-gas control, temperature control and more, which in the
nextgen facilities will not involve human handling, enhancing bio-security and
reducing human error This automation and data insight will result in key advantages: it will allow us to increase the level of quality assurance; it will enable
the successful operation of much larger installations; and it will allow for better
utilisation of environmental conditions and enhanced understanding of the
intricate dynamics between fish performance and RAS components. Tailored design By carrying out a process of site-specific optimisation, we aim to
tailor each fish-farm facility to the specific site, resulting in a reduction
in the space required and the streamlining of all stages of the work process. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) AI technologies will be used in the very near future. AquaMaof has begun
to develop AI, using data mining and analytics in three stages: Stage One - The facility's main data processor collects vast amounts of
information that will be fed into a centralised AI system for analysis, to
produce indicators on which future decision can be based; Stage Two - The system will be 'taught' to recognise and predict
patterns, using machine learning techniques to identify problematic processes.
This knowledge will allow the system to generate predictions and early warnings
of imminent malfunction; Stage Three - The system will become 'independent', with a certain
degree of control that will enable it to deal independently or request
permission to deal with any problems that are detected and prevent them before
a malfunction occurs. Advanced monitoring Advanced technologies will be employed to monitor criteria such as water
and environmental conditions, to enable more accurate control of all relevant
parameters for the system and for the fish themselves, resulting in lower
production costs and improved quality of the final product. Process improvements
and enhancements Almost every stage of the process will be updated and improved,
including feeding, lighting and colour, microbiological biome control,
tank-flow dynamics, and interaction of biological and chemical processes in the
water. This will enhance overall production efficiency and allow upscaling of
the facilities, resulting in reduced costs of production. Since 2016, AquaMaof
has owned a RAS-based facility designed and built by the company in Poland, of
which private equity fund 8F has recently become joint-owner. Located near Warsaw,
Poland, this facility serves as our R&D and training centre, giving us the unique
capability to continue to rapidly develop our landbased indoor aquaculture solutions.
We are currently conducting trials with a whole range of advanced technologies,
with the aim of creating a complete ecosystem that incorporates a variety of different
technologies into RAS technology, to further streamline the process, reduce
operating costs and reduce the carbon footprint of each future installation. We
are already growing Atlantic salmon to market size (of between five-to-six
kilogrammes) there. These are exciting times in the field of aquaculture, with
new technologies increasingly being deployed to enhance the whole process, from
A to Z. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and tailoring them to the needs
of the industry, we ensure that aquaculture installations of the future will be
more sustainable, deliver improved efficiency and productivity, and reduced
costs while enhancing fish quality. 
Article brought in International AquaFeed, March 2019. Author: Neder
Snir, CTO, AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies)
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