Recirculating Aquaculture Systems popularity is on the rise in the aquaculture fish industry.
 

Many Experienced companies as well as new projects from the past 5 years and projects that are developed today base their production technology on recirculating aquaculture systems, from hatchery stage to grow-out and harvest stages.

This increasing popularity is the direct result of the progress made in RAS technology and to the advantages the recirculation aquaculture system provides in its basic nature as a completely isolated biosphere.
 

RAS technology has made a huge leap in many basis aspects of the system:

• Reduced size of the biological reactor.
• Water oxygenation efficiency.
• System automation and integration of Artificial technology.
• Denitrification systems efficiency
• water quality maintenance and monitoring

To these significant upgrades we can add progress from the supporting industries:

• Solar power and batteries.
• B2B Marketing.
• Feed fish designated to recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).

These new technologies secured the safety of the stock in addition to reducing the operation costs and turned the production in land based recirculating aquaculture system to be economically and biologically feasible for the cultivation of various of fish species, shrimp and algae in locations that up until now were unsuitable for aquaculture.

Advantages of Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS):

Bio security:

• Reduced risk of bacterial infection and loss of stock.
• System modulation also divide the risk in a way that the stock will be significantly safer than in offshore or large pond cultivation.
• No use of antibiotics.

Close to market.

• The farm can be established in a location close to the designated market.
• Reduced transportation costs
• Enable Farm to costumer marketing to optimize profit.
• Ecological lower environmental footprint.

Improved FCR - (food conversion ratio)

• The nature of the cultivation technic – smaller pools create a much more controlled environment that according to studies can reduce the FCR by 30% This Reduces cost of production.
• Reduce wasted feed and environmental footprint.
• Reduces fish in fish out ration.

Year-round production – control of all environment parameters.

• Round-year production and supply of fresh product tot the markets
• The water parameters are all controlled and monitored to provide optimal growing environment for the fish and maximize profitability.

Year-round production of fingerlings.

• Controlling water parameters also allow the production of fingerling year -round. This translates to fresh product 12 months a year in the size the market demand.

Improved growth rate:

• Optimization of the cultivation environment in the recirculation aquaculture systems; water temperature, oxygen, Carbon dioxide, Ammonia Etc. provide the fish the perfect conditions to grow and to the operation to optimize profits.

Non endemic species – high valued

• Growing the fish in a closed circulation system enable the cultivation of species in high demand and high value that can not be cultivated or caught offshore at the location in proximity to the market.
• High value species such as Yellowtail Kingfish, Salmon, Sea Bream, Sea bass, Trout, Sturgeon, and shrimps can be cultivated in short distance to the market and be delivered fresh daily.

Low usage of water/kg of production

• Advances Recirculation aquaculture systems use 2% of the water needed in traditional land base aquaculture systems in the production process.
• Lower environmental footprint.

Production in high density

• Density of cultivation varies from 50kg/m^3-100kg/m^3.
• The final density depends by species cultivated in the system 

No weather risks

• Since the system is built completely indoor there are absolutely zero risk involves with the weather. 

Low environmental footprint

• Lower use of fuels – proximity to the markets – no need for transportation.
• Now use of boats
• Lower use of water per kg of production.
• Reduced need for land – high production density.
• No contaminates leaves the system (as in offshore cage systems)
• Mostly use of renewable energy
• No need for use of antibiotics.
• Advanced filtration, water quality monitoring and control can ensure the water leaving the production units in the same quality it entered or better.

Automation systems and Artificial Intelligence:

• Reduce labor requirement
• Reduce labor costs
• Improves stock safety
• Improves management control and economic information collecting.
• Active monitoring water quality systems reduce the chance for expensive human errors

Dagan’s Recirculation aquaculture systems:

Dagan Agriculture Automation Has experience of over 10 years in development and establishment of turn-key project for aquaculture, recirculating aquaculture systems, offshore cage systems, hatcheries and more.

Each project is designed to perfectly match the special requirements of our client in consideration to the location and the conditions in the location.

Each project is designed by Dagan using the most advanced technologies of monitoring, filtration and cultivation in cooperation with dagan’s various affiliates – leading suppliers of aquaculture and software equipment that will ensure the success of the operation.

For more information regarding Dagan Agriculture Automation aquaculture projects.