by
Vaughn Entwistle, Managing Editor, International Aquafeed
Recycled Aquaculture Systems (RAS) have been around for more than twenty years. Mostly they are used in hatcheries, although the economics are changing and now many RAS systems are used in mainstream fish farms.
In 2018, our magazine visited Les Poissons du Soleil (fish of the sun) located at Balaruc Les Bains, France to see their state of the art RAS fish farm facility. We were given a thorough tour of the impressive facility by Mr Dolé Martin, the Production and Logistics Manager for Wellboat Expeditions.
Sur la mer
Upon arriving, one of the first things that struck us about Les Poissons du Soleil was its coastal, “sur la mer” location, as the two main RAS tank buildings are located right on the shore of the Mediterranean. Being located so close to the sea offers a fish farm facility a number of important advantages.
“We pump water directly from the Mediterranean,” Martin explained. “All the water is treated. We pump and treat approximately 100 cubic meters of water an hour. Each of our two buildings has its own filter system. The water is first run over the primary sand filters. It is also run through biofilters.
“UV filters, supplied by the Marseille company BioUV, and drum filters are supplied by Faivre. The biological filter takes the ammonia out of the water which is recycled and returned to the tanks. The big particles are taken out by the Faivre drum filters.”
The ability to have a free supply of water is invaluable, but there are complications, as Martin explained, “The water pumped from the Mediterranean varies in temperature according to the season. In the winter, the water must be heated to at least 18°C to ensure a good growth rate in the fish. We try to maintain a temperature of between 18°C and 25°C throughout the year.”
Martin explained that fish are more active in the warmer summer water, and consequently consume more fish feed. “We have to manage all these parameters in our growth predictions,” Martin added.
Read more HERE.
Recycled Aquaculture Systems (RAS) have been around for more than twenty years. Mostly they are used in hatcheries, although the economics are changing and now many RAS systems are used in mainstream fish farms.
In 2018, our magazine visited Les Poissons du Soleil (fish of the sun) located at Balaruc Les Bains, France to see their state of the art RAS fish farm facility. We were given a thorough tour of the impressive facility by Mr Dolé Martin, the Production and Logistics Manager for Wellboat Expeditions.
Sur la mer
Upon arriving, one of the first things that struck us about Les Poissons du Soleil was its coastal, “sur la mer” location, as the two main RAS tank buildings are located right on the shore of the Mediterranean. Being located so close to the sea offers a fish farm facility a number of important advantages.
“We pump water directly from the Mediterranean,” Martin explained. “All the water is treated. We pump and treat approximately 100 cubic meters of water an hour. Each of our two buildings has its own filter system. The water is first run over the primary sand filters. It is also run through biofilters.
“UV filters, supplied by the Marseille company BioUV, and drum filters are supplied by Faivre. The biological filter takes the ammonia out of the water which is recycled and returned to the tanks. The big particles are taken out by the Faivre drum filters.”
The ability to have a free supply of water is invaluable, but there are complications, as Martin explained, “The water pumped from the Mediterranean varies in temperature according to the season. In the winter, the water must be heated to at least 18°C to ensure a good growth rate in the fish. We try to maintain a temperature of between 18°C and 25°C throughout the year.”
Martin explained that fish are more active in the warmer summer water, and consequently consume more fish feed. “We have to manage all these parameters in our growth predictions,” Martin added.
Read more HERE.
The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd
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