Land based aquaculture

By Erik Hempel, The Nor-Fishing Foundation

There is a lot of talk about land-based salmon farming these days, as if land-based aquaculture is a new invention. In fact, land-based aquaculture has been practiced for over a thousand years and has been dominating aquaculture until recently.

If we take a look at production figures for 2018, as presented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a total of 48 percent of total production comes from freshwater aquaculture, which means mainly land-based culture.
 

For a very long time, there was little technological development in land-based farming. Shrimp farming brought us new knowledge about water circulation and oxygenation, as well as disease prevention. However, in the farming of finfish, most operations have been dominated by old technology.

At present, we are seeing quite a different picture, as salmon farmers are moving onto land. Salmon farming in the sea has given the industry a massive technological development, and the new trend of land-based salmon farming seems to open the field for a similar development on land. This is at least the impression we get when scanning through the aquaculture press.

The present focus on high-tech land-based fish farming is very closely linked to scientific knowledge, and to the need for research. International Aquafeed is a testament to this. Although our main focus is on feed and feeding technology, we are also increasingly writing about fish farming technology in general, with good reason.

In order to be successful in aquaculture, we must know the whole value chain intimately. We must understand the linkages between the various steps along the value chain, and we must understand how conditions in one part of the chain may influence conditions in other parts. In order to understand this, we must study it. We need the science of aquaculture in order to improve.

Although land-based salmon farming is very much in the wind at present, I believe it still has a long way to go. Recent events have shown that one has to be prepared for surprises. Atlantic Sapphire’s sudden emergency slaughtering of 200,000 salmon at its Florida plant is an example of that. Although the company is still investigating what may have caused the problems, it seems that one reason may be that progress was being pushed too hard, as construction of the plant was going on while fish were being grown, and noise and vibration may have stressed the fish.

Read more, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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