20 MARCH 2014 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG is investing in a floating bag technology to rear Atlantic salmon smolt from 100 g to 1 kg. This technology aims to draw water to pass through the bag from far below the water surface to minimize sea lice infestations and provide a healthy and large post-smolt to be stocked into net pens. Updates on Land-Based Closed-Containment Projects There were six presentations about existing land-based closedcontainment salmon and steelhead production facilities and one presentation detailing a yellowtail kingfish facility (the latter by Andries Kamstra, Imares Institute, Holland). Steven Summerfelt opened with an update to briefly summarize the status of over a dozen land-based closed-containment salmon grow-out farms around the world. Jim Terry (SweetSpring Salmon, USA) described the production of Coho salmon at Aquaseed’s SweetSpring Salmon in Rochester, Washington (production capacity >100 mt/y), and Steve Atkinson (Taste of BC, Canada) presented on his Land Based Steelhead Model Aquafarm (Fig. 1) in Nanaimo, British Columbia (production capacity >100 mt/y). Both freshwater facilities were designed and supplied by PRAqua/In-Situ (Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada) and are similar (except at a smaller scale) to the system operated by the ‘Namgis First Nation, described below. SweetSpring Coho salmon are already being marketed, and Taste of BC steelhead will begin to reach the market in spring 2014. Chief Bill Cranmer of the ‘Namgis First Nation, Eric Hobson, and Jackie Hildering (all part of K’udas Limited Partnership, Canada) teamed to share with the Summit about the ‘Namgis First Nation’s “Kuterra” Land-Based Salmon Farm (Fig. 2), which is fully owned by the ‘Namgis First Nation (Vancouver Island, near Port McNeil, BC). The first phase of this farm is now operational and is expected to produce over 450 mt/y of Atlantic salmon with initial sales expected in spring 2014. Project support from two charitable foundations has helped advance the notion that “landbased, closed-containment” is an economically profitable method of raising Atlantic salmon in a way that does not negatively impact the environment. “Save Our Salmon” is the initiator of the Project, and Tides Canada is the lead funder and a Project advisor. The project was designed by PRAqua/In-Situ and uses five 500-m3 dual-drain culture tanks tied into a single grow-out module water treatment system. The facility also contains a separate depuration system (operated as a partial water reuse system) and an isolated quarantine system used to culture new batches of smolt for approximately four months. The water recirculating systems use low-head oxygenation units at each culture tank and a centralized water treatment area that incorporates microscreen drum filters, a forced-ventilated cascade aeration column, and fluidized-sand biofilters. The centralized water treatment area is able to effectively reduce the elevation of the equipment while pumping the recirculating water in two directions (i.e., to the LHO/culture tanks and the biofilter/aeration column).The facility also uses a central feeding system and a central fish pump, grading, and counting station to simplify fish handling. Site infrastructure has been installed to allow for expansion to 2,500 mt/y, once the economics of the first phase have been demonstrated. Fixed capital for this facility was $8.5 million. Production costs have been estimated at $4.77/kg of gutted fish. All salmon will be marketed in partnership with Albion Fisheries Ltd (Vancouver, Canada) under the brand name “Kuterra.” Bjarne Hald Olsen (Billund Aquaculture Service AP, Denmark) presented an update on Atlantic Sapphire – Langsand Laks (Fig. 3) and also discussed RAS design innovations and opportunities for new technologies. Langsand Laks, built at a former fish farm in Hvid Sand, Denmark, was one of over 114 RAS worldwide installed by Billund. Depending on site conditions, Mr. Olsen reported a 1000 mt/y salmon grow-out module could be installed for less than approximately $10 million in fixed capital investment. The Langsand Laks growout building is 3300 m2 (120 m × 275 m; not including hatchery and smolt production), and eyed eggs are purchased from Iceland approximately four times per year. These fish are raised to post-smolt (>200 g) to stock into the grow-out system that contains 6100 m3 of tank volume at 7-15 ppt salinity. All culture tanks have been installed in one large system. The central water treatment area uses microscreen drum LEFT, FIGURE 1. Hoop building installation in April 2013 at the 100 mt land-based steelhead model aquafarm at Taste of BC in Nanaimo, British Columbia (Photo: Steven Summerfelt/The Conservation Fund). RIGHT, FIGURE 2. The ‘Namgis First Nation’s “Kuterra” land-based salmon farm uses five 500-m3 dual-drain culture grow-out tanks connecting to a central water treatment system (Photo: J.R. Rardon).
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