<
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/05/31/the-future-of-fish-farming-is-on-land>
"THE RUGGED, chilly coast of northern Norway, beyond the Arctic Circle, is not
usually thought of as prime agricultural land. But far down a dead-end road on
the shores of Skjerstad Fjord sits Salten Smolt, one of the most advanced farms
in the world. Rather than crops or cows, though, the firm produces fish. Inside
its 7,000 square metre main building are tanks capable of producing 8m
smolt—juvenile Atlantic salmon—every year.
Fish farming is the fastest-growing form of food production in the world.
Seafood accounts for around 17% of the world’s protein intake (in some parts of
Asia and Africa, the number is nearer 50%). The OECD, a rich-country club,
reckons that, thanks to population growth and rising incomes, global
consumption of fish will reach 180m tonnes by the end of the decade, up from
158m tonnes in 2020.
But the ocean has only so much to give. The World Bank reckons that 90% of the
world’s fisheries are being fished either at or over their capacity.
Aquaculture has therefore accounted for nearly all the growth in fish
consumption since 1990 (see chart). It will have to account for almost all the
growth to come, too.
As with farming on land though, aquaculture can cause environmental damage.
Many farmed fish are grown in net pens, either in rivers or the open ocean.
Uneaten food and fish waste can pollute the surrounding waters. When net pens
break, escaped farmed fish can damage the local ecosystem. Inland
“flow-through” farms require continuous streams of freshwater from rivers or
wells, competing with those who might wish to drink it instead. Rearing lots of
fish in close proximity risks outbreaks of diseases and parasites, which sweep
in from the open water. That requires antibiotics and other drugs to keep the
fish healthy.
It is these sorts of problems that newer fish farms, like Salten Smolt, hope to
solve. It makes use of a technology called “recirculating aquaculture systems”,
or RAS for short (pronounced “Rass”). Rather than relying on a constant flow of
natural water to keep fish healthy, a RAS system grows fish on land in tanks
whose water is continuously cleaned and recycled. That offers three big
advantages. Compared with standard aquaculture systems, RAS farms use far less
water, can take better care of their fish, and can allow picky species to be
raised anywhere in the world."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/goodnews-stunting-ocean-australia-wind-solar-europe/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
