FINDING THE PROPER PLACE FOR RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE

The skewed misperception that recirculating aquaculture plays an outsized role in contributing to global seafood production is rather pervasive among the general public and the environmental NGO community. Many are enamored of the technology and equipment and the idea of a "fish factory" with a high degree of control over production. The environmental NGO community considers the RAS approach to be "eco-friendly" aquaculture. This myopic view is based on the capacity of RAS to address certain environmental impacts associated with shrimp or salmon farming. However, RAS is very energy intensive, resulting in increased carbon footprint per unit production relative to most other production systems.

What are the appropriate roles for recirculating aquaculture? Arguably the best applications of RAS are in hatchery and nursery settings, where control over water quality and the ability to hold fish at high densities are advantageous. Perhaps the best example of this is the now widespread production of salmonid smolts in recirculating systems. Major salmon producing companies are currently making large new investments in recirculating hatchery and smolt operations to support net-pen grow-out operations.

The business success of companies using RAS for grow-out is rather dismal, although investments in RAS technology for grow-out continue. Business success and economic performance of commercial facilities using RAS depends on much more than mastery of the technology. It also depends on a location-specific set of conditions, often linked to being able to obtain a price premium for a high-quality or high-demand product. In many cases, RAS-based operations target specialty or local niche markets because they cannot compete with low-cost commodity producers. Furthermore, isolated and dispersed RAS facilities make it difficult to achieve economies-of-scale with respect to other parts of the value chain, such as feed supply and processing. Regional production from multiple RAS facilities is needed for successful sector development. Initiatives are underway for land-based grow-out of Atlantic salmon in RAS. Analysis of economic performance and environmental footprint suggest that RAS technology is at least competitive and comparable with the net-pen approach.

Another appropriate place for recirculating systems is in so-called "backyard" or hobby aquaculture, including aquaponics. Recirculating aquaculture also has a place in primary and secondary education, where it represents an excellent tool to teach ecology, nutrient cycling, and using waste as a resource.

The community of aquaculture professionals needs to be responsible to investors, environmentalists and the general public in describing the advantages and disadvantages of RAS technology. A balanced and comprehensive perspective about what RAS can and cannot do can foster a realistic outlook and thereby serve to promote further commercial applications of this promising production technology.