salmon farming in land-based closed- …...– solar/algae powered treatment within ponds – point...

St Andrews Science Seminar October 12, 2012

Salmon Farming in Land-Based Closed-

Containment Systems

Steven Summerfelt


Land and Water

Conservation

Community and

Economic Development

Training and Education


Global Fish Harvest & Farmed Production

•  Fish provide between 40-60% of the world's protein

•  Harvest of fish species that provide fish meal & oil has remained static, i.e., 20-25 million mton/yr – Many capture fisheries are over-exploited

•  Human population and income growth has created a shortage of food fish

•  Aquaculture must grow to meet this demand


Most Seafood Comes From Aquaculture

Salmon Shrimp Trout Catfish Tilapia

85% of U.S. Seafood is Imported


United States Farm Production

•  Fish production (approximate) –  CATFISH 210 million kg/yr –  TROUT 16 million kg/yr –  SALMON 18 million kg/yr –  TILAPIA 9 million kg/yr

•  Terrestrial Animals –  POULTRY 17 billion kg/yr (#1 in World) –  CATTLE 10.6 billion kg/yr (#1 in World) –  HOGS 10.0 billion kg/yr (#2 in World) –  TOTAL 37.6 billion kg/yr

0.5% of terrestrial animal production


United States Farm Production

•  Terrestrial animal production is highly regulated & controlled –  No point source discharge allowed –  Physical barriers help prevent pathogen spread –  Control of what the animal eats


United States Catfish Production

•  Pond systems are relatively environmentally friendly – Solar/algae powered treatment within ponds – Point source discharge is heavily regulated


Salmon Net Pen Production

•  Like a CAFO, but – no discharge limits – no capacity to capture wastes –  Inadequate physical barriers to prevent

pathogens from spreading into or out of farm


Fish Farming: Major Environmental Challenges

•  Resource constraints: –  Limited water supplies –  Limited marine fish meal/oil supplies –  Water pollution & impacts on watersheds

•  Separation of farmed fish from wild fish: –  Transmission of pathogens into & out of the farm –  Domesticated stocks escaping & interacting with wild

populations


• How do we achieve new efficiencies in feeding a growing global population with increasing environmental impact conflicts and looming resource constraints?

Fish Farming: Major Environmental Challenges


Production Technologies must protect the environment and the wholesomeness of the fish, while providing for economic opportunity

Containment is Necessary for Sustainable Aquaculture


Water Consumption

•  Globally, agriculture consumes around 70% of available water – more than 80% of available water in the

developing world.

•  Land-based closed-containment systems for fish farming do not consume water, but return it to the environment after its use – Small water requirements are less impacted by

climate change



•  Insufficient water resources for flow-through fish culture systems.

•  Closed-containment system can increase production on a limited water supply by 5 to 100+ fold


Value of Water Rights in Western United States

•  Blue Lakes Trout Farms sold their water rights for $30 million – About 2 million lb/yr trout production in Snake

River Canyon, Idaho

•  Clear Springs Trout Farm might ask $300 million to sell water rights – About 20 million lb/yr trout production in Snake

River Canyon, Idaho



•  Land-based closed-containment systems are essentially giant water treatment facilities

•  Recirculating water is the engine powering the system

•  Water use is typically < 1% of flow-through culture practices



•  Land-based, closed-containment systems: – Enhance separation of farmed and wild

• Prevent escapees, disease, & interaction between wild & farmed fish

– Optimize site selection • Move farms away from sensitive environments and closer

to markets •  Locate farm where electric & land are cheap

–  US$ 0.02-0.06 / KWH



•  Land-based, closed-containment systems – Exclude pathogens – Minimize use of pesticides, antibiotics, &

chemo-therapeutics •  For 10 years & 200 ton production, we have not used

– vaccines – pesticide – antibiotic – chemotherapeutic (other than salt)

St Andrews Science Seminar October 12, 2012 18


•  RAS have a relatively small point source discharge –  Must meet discharge permit limits

•  Place wastes into relatively small & concentrated effluent flows. –  Increase waste treatment efficiency,

> 90-99% waste capture is possible; –  Improved waste capture will reduce TMDL

discharged, • Total Maximum Daily Load;

– Reduce the size and cost of effluent treatment,



•  Reclaim nutrients – Agronomic application of biosolids to crops – Aquaponics (ultimate in local production)

Recent article: “Fertilizer is a better buy than gold”!


Fish Production in a Controlled Environment

•  Control water quality, photoperiod, fish feed, density, & swimming speed


Commercial-Scale Closed-Containment Systems

•  Adopt new innovative technologies – Commercial-scale is an agri-business – Most competitive economics of production

Bell Aquaculture’s New 1000 ton/yr

Addition


Taking Advantage of Large & Deep Circular Culture Tanks

•  Large and deep tanks are much more efficient in fixed & variable costs!

(Courtesy of Josh Goldman)


Culture Tank Hydraulics

Optimize water rotation & mixing

Dual-drains improve management of rotation and provide for solids separation at tank and

optimized swimming speed for fish.


Fish Harvest Technologies

•  Sidewall harvest box – Clam-shell grader used to

crowd fish so they slide into dewatering area


Solids Removal •  Integrate dual-drain culture tanks, settlers, and drum filters


Large-Scale Biofilters

•  Fluidized-Sand Biofilters achieve high TAN removal efficiency and maintain low NO2-N


CO2 & O2 Control

•  Forced-ventilated cascade column –  Strip 50-60% of CO2 each pass

•  Low head oxygenation –  Create O2 ≥ 200% sat.

•  Return flow to culture tank –  Control CO2 ≤ 20 mg/L –  Maintain O2 of 100% sat.

LHO

Cascade Aeration Column


Examples of Existing Closed-Containment Fish Farms

•  Atlantic salmon smolt (MANY worldwide) – Marine Harvest’s Sayward South Hatchery (BC)

(designed by PRAqua Techn.)


Farms Now Producing Salmon in Land-Based Systems

•  Aquaseed – Sweetspring Salmon, Rochester, Washington (Coho salmon)

•  Teton Fisheries LLC – Miller Hutterite Colony, Choteau, Montana (Coho salmon)

•  Hill Fisheries LLC – East End Hutterite Colony, Havre, Montana (Coho salmon)

•  Yantai Salmon Farm – Shandong Oriental Ocean Sci-Tech Co., Yantai, Shandong Province, China (Atlantic salmon)

•  BDV SAS, Normandie, France (Atlantic salmon)



Courtesy of Per Heggelund



•  Teton Fisheries LLC and Hill Fisheries LLC


Shandong Oriental Ocean Sci-Tech Co. (slide courtesy of Idar Schei, AquaOptima)

Yantai Salmon Farm (Yantai, Shandong Province, China)


BDV SAS (Normandie, France)

(Photo courtesy of Jonas Langeteig)


Potential Projects

•  North America potential projects for salmon growout in land-based closed containment systems: – British Columbia 6 projects (2 in const; 5 planned)

– U.S. 6 projects (3 built; 3 planned) •  Europe

– Denmark 2 project (1 in const; 1 planned) – Scotland 1 project (planned)

•  China (2 built, several planned) •  Chile (2 planned)


Farms Preparing To Producing Salmon in Land-Based Systems

•  Langsand Laks, Hvide Sande, Denmark (Atlantic salmon); construction ending this fall –  Deborah Haust, Atlantic Sapphire

•  Namgis First Nation – K’udas, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada (Atlantic salmon); construction ending this fall –  Eric Hobson, The SOS Marine Conservation Foundation

•  Sustainable Blue, Centre Burlington, Nova Scotia, Canada (Atlantic salmon); converting to salmon with a 375-500 tonne farm planned –  Dr. Jeremy Lee, Sustainable Blue


Langsand Laks, Hvide Sande, Denmark

•  1000 tonne/yr Atlantic salmon (16 m x 6 m deep culture tanks) – Atlantic Sapphire

Photos courtesy Thue Holm


Namgis First Nation’s Land-Based Salmon Farm, Port McNeill, BC

•  300-500 tonne/yr initial module to expand to 2000-3000 tonne/yr

•  Construction to finish this fall


Sustainable Blue’s Land-Based Atlantic Salmon Facility

Project Location: Centre Burlington, NS


Farms Preparing To Producing Salmon in Land-Based Systems

•  There are more than a half dozen farms in the design, permitting or financing stage (as reported by the press) –  Atlantic Sapphire, mid-Atlantic USA (Atlantic salmon) –  Palom Aquaculture, Gouldsboro, ME, USA (Atlantic

salmon) –  NeoSalmon, Los Lagos Region, Chile (Atlantic salmon) –  Danish Salmon AS, Hirtshals, Denmark (Atlantic

salmon)


Yellow Perch Bell Aquaculture, Albany, IN



Bell Aquaculture, Albany, IN Vertically integrated




•  Barramundi – Australis Aquaculture, Turners Falls, MA

Courtesy Josh Goldman



•  Tilapia – Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Martinsville, VA

(photos courtesy of http://www.blueridgeaquaculture.com/tilapia.cfm)



•  Sturgeon – Northern Divine (Target Marine, BC) – Other farms in NC, FL, CA


Virginia Cobia Farms



Atlantic Salmon Growout Trials in Freshwater Closed-Containment Systems at the

Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute

Steven Summerfelt, Thomas Waldrop, John Davidson Christopher Good, P. Brett Kenney, Bendik Fyhn Terjesen,

William Wolters


Acknowledgments

•  Support for The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute: –  U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Agricultural Research Service •  1st salmon studies finished in 2011 •  Gaspe and St John River strain

–  Atlantic Salmon Federation •  2rd Growout Trial finished in 2012 •  St John River strain salmon were harvested

at 24-26 months post-hatch –  Moore Foundation

•  3th Growout Trial •  Cascade strain salmon now 20 months post-

hatch


Atlantic Salmon Federation Funded Growout Trial

•  Atlantic Salmon, Saint John River strain (Cooke)

•  Jan 2010 - Eyed eggs arrive •  March 2010 - First Feeding •  May 1, 2011 Stocked into growout at 340 g •  Feb 27, 2012 – First harvest at 4 kg/fish


Process Flow Drawing of Closed-Containment System

fluidized-sand

biofilter

10 HP reuse

pumps

pump sump

radial flow

settler

150 m3 dual-drain culture

tank drum filter

make-up water

frequent discharge of backwash

flow

supernatant

intermittent (24 times/day) discharge of solids from base

of cone

backwash water

CO2 stripping unit stacked over a LHO & sump tank

60% flow 40% flow

system overflow

15% bottom drain flow

4700 L/min strip

LHO


Closed-Containment System

•  150 m3 Culture Tank Volume –  4900 L/min recirc flow –  30 min HRT

•  260 m3 System Volume –  12 to 140 L/min make up

water flowrate –  15 to 1.3 day HRT –  99.8 to 97.2% flow reuse

High flushing rate to keep water ≤ 16.5˚C in summer


Water Temperature Control

•  Makeup water flow adjusted to maintain water temperature at 14.5-16.5˚C


Grow-Out Trial Results: Water Quality

•  Mean Water Quality in Culture Tank – Temperature 15.5˚C – Dissolved Oxygen 10.8 mg/L – Dissolved Carbon Dioxide 9.2 mg/L – Total Ammonia Nitrogen 0.11 mg/L – Nitrite Nitrogen 0.01 mg/L – Nitrate Nitrogen 20 mg/L – Total Suspended Solids 1.3 mg/L – Total Phosphorus 0.87 mg/L


Atlantic Salmon Growth

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Net Pen

ASF Trial Salmon

Net pens growth data in Maine (Wolters, 2010)


Late September 2011-Remove Males Harvested Males

•  2 kg, Sept 30, 2011 •  3.5 kg, Jan 20, 2012


Primary Harvests

•  Harvested Premium Salmon from Feb 20 to May 2, 2012 –  4 kg mean size –  ~7 tonne produced =

15,000 pound


Mortality, Jumpers, and Culls

•  Mortality 3.9% •  Culls 5.6% •  Jumpers 1.9% •  Total 11.4%


Salmon Biomass Density

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vertical arrows indicate harvest events


•  Feed Conversion of 1.09 feed : 1.0 gain •  Commercial diet with 40:30 protein: fat •  1.7 condition factor (net pen industry is ~1.3) @ final harvest

ASF Grow-Out Trial Results St John River Strain


Escapees

•  No fish observed in the effluent fish exclusion area.


Grow-Out Trial Results St John River Strain

•  No kudoa (parasite that liquefies the fillet) •  No sea lice •  No obligate pathogens detected in screening

–  No ISA virus –  No Pancreatic Disease

•  No losses to seals/sharks •  No escapes to wild salmon rivers


Chemotherapeutics Used in Salmon Growout Trial

•  No vaccination (saves $$ & stress) •  No antibiotics or pesticides used at any time •  No formalin used at any time •  Small amount of hydrogen peroxide used in

the sac fry and early parr stage for fungus. •  Total salt used to treat fungus: 14,400 lbs.


Product Quality Results

•  MUST DEPURATE salmon for 10 days after removing harvested fish from recycle system – Depurate in partial reuse system with little biofilm – Purges off-flavors, i.e., geosmin and MIB, produced by

bacteria (actinomycetes)


Post-Harvest Slaughter

Rapid & Humane •  Percussive Stunning

–  MODEL SI-7 (Seafood Innovations)


Growout Trial Results: Product Quality

•  High condition factor (1.7) •  Good fillet yield (58% skin-off & trimmed)


Growout Trial Results: Product Quality

•  Good fillet color (28-30) & lipid content (16%)


Fillet Color Scores based on Salmo fan


Flavor

 Two blind taste test panels of seafood professionals in Seattle indicated preference for Freshwater Institute salmon cultured in RAS and depurated 10 days vs. commercially available ocean-raised A. salmon •  Cooked flavor •  Cooked smell •  Cooked texture


•  80% of male salmon matured early •  40% of all fish removed as early maturing

males – approximately half at 2 kg and half at 3.5 kg

•  Few sexually mature females

Growout Trial Results: Early Maturing Male

Suggests use of an all female salmon or late

maturing strain for freshwater growout


Moore Foundation Funded Growout Trial

•  Atlantic salmon - Cascade Strain –  eggs purchased from American Gold Seafood

•  Jan 2011 – Eyed eggs received •  March 2011 - First feeding •  Aug-Sept 2011 – Photoperiod manipulated to S0 smolt •  September 2011 - Moved into advanced nursery system •  March 2012 – Moved into growout system


Moore Foundation Trial Results to Date - Cascade Strain



•  Feed conversion –  1.01 feed : 1.0 gain

•  Good fin condition •  No sea lice •  Obligate pathogens

screening will be conducted before harvest



•  No vaccination •  No antibiotics or pesticides used at any time •  No formalin used at any time •  Small amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)

used in the sac fry and early parr stage to treat fungus.

•  Total salt used to treat fungus: 8070 lbs.



•  Mortality 0.8% •  Culls 1.1% •  Jumpers 0.2% •  Total 2.1%



•  37% of the population harvested Sept, 2012 – biomass at 100 kg/m3 – mean fish size at 2.64 kg. – 5.4 metric tonne (12,000 lb) – sold to a local processor for hot smoking.



•  Upcoming harvests of premium salmon: – mean size of 4 kg in early December 2012

• 22 months post-hatch

– biomass density will be 100 kg/m3 – harvests begin in December, run through

February, – produce another 15-18 metric tonne

•  selling to Albion Fisheries

•  Total Production Expected: 21-23 tonne


CONCLUSIONS: Atlantic Salmon Growout Trial

•  Good growth in freshwater –  Harvest 8-9 months

sooner than net pens

•  Good survival (90+%) & feed conv. (1.01:1 to 1.09:1)

•  Density can reach 100 kg/m3

•  Should use all female eggs to avoid precocious males

We don’t need seawater to farm Atlantic salmon


Additional Research Needs

MINIMIZE EARLY MATURING FISH •  Identify the optimum photoperiod

– 18 hr light vs. 24 hr light during 1st year (+ S0 winter)

• ASF & Moore Foundation funded study • Cascade salmon are now 60 g in S0 winter

•  Identify the best seedstock for land-based closed-containment systems – Late maturing & rapid growing Norwegian strains – All female eggs & triploids – Need funding (eggs to arrive this winter)


Concept Design and Cost for a 3,300 MT/yr Closed-Containment System

Brian Vinci

Growout Building 21,320 m2 (5.3 acre) Building

34,180 m3 Culture Volume 40 Tanks: 16 m dia. x 4.25 m deep 94.6 m3/min recycle flow per RAS

90 weeks production cycle to 5.0kg

Total RAS Systems $21,126,000 Processing

$1,878,000 Total Buildings $8,379,000 TOTAL ± 30%

$31,383,000


Production-3,300 MT HOG

Overall density averages 48 kg/m3 Production:Biomass is 1.8 : 1

Brian Vinci


Cost of Production

$3.46 per kg HOG ($3.90/kg HOG)

82% HOG ($0.11/kg eggs)

Competitive with costs in Norway


Resource Metrics

Buildings – 7 acres (28,191 m2)

Land – 8 to 20 acres

Water Supply – 2,015 gpm (7.6 m3/min)

Max Weekly Oxygen (LOX) – 54,000 kg

Max Weekly Feed – 90,000 kg

Max Weekly Biosolids Captured – 28,000 kg (includes more than ~90% of TP & ~67% of TN)

Electricity – 2,250 Max kW (primary pumps + ozone generators)


Assumptions

•  Model assumes an all-female eggs source, w/ eggs available every three months – Could be met by Norwegian egg supplier – Not currently available in the U.S.

•  Growth similar to Cascade strain at TCFFI •  Costs can change with site selection due to

differences in power and oxygen costs or other factors


Conclusions: Atlantic Salmon Production

•  Research suggests that land-based closed-containment systems for Atlantic salmon are: – technically viable – biologically feasible, and – economically sustainable at 3000 ton/yr scale

• pilot and commercial-scale projects must demonstrate economic viability


Conclusions

•  Closed-containment systems have improved food security & reduced environmental impact: – Small water footprint

• Water supply is less impacted by climate change

– Efficient, with feed conversion near 1:1 – Near zero waste discharge – Reduced antibiotic & chemotherapeutic use – Zero escapees - prevent genetic impacts on natural

populations – Locate near the major markets, local production


Conclusions

•  Land-Based Closed-Containment Systems – Confidence in technology is increasing – Scale of investment has increased to $5-25 million/

project – Current N. American projects being built or planned

with projected capital investment of ~$50-100 million

• Atlantic salmon, Coho salmon •  sea bream, yellow perch, cobia, sturgeon • Arctic char, walleye, sablefish, rainbow trout


Conclusions

•  North America’s annual production of food-fish within closed-containment systems could increase by 10,000 to 50,000 ton in next 5 yrs

•  Global annual production increases could total 100,000’s tons within closed-containment systems in next 5 yrs – Much growth in Atlantic salmon production in

North America and China


Conclusions

•  Advantages of fish farming in North America – Availability of enormous soy, grain, and protein

byproducts for use as fish feed ingredients –  Inexpensive electricity in some areas: $0.02-0.06/

kwh • Much cheaper than China at $0.13/kwh

– Close to major markets •  Low CO2 footprint for shipping fresh product

– Skilled work force – Reliable 3-phase power

salmon farming in land-based closed- …...– solar/algae powered treatment within ponds – point...

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