Recirculating aquaculture Endnotes

is biosecure i FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and

RAS fish farms are often fully closed and entirely Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “The
State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2008” Rome,
controlled, making them mostly biosecure—diseases
Italy. 2009 at 16.
and parasites are very unlikely to get in. Biosecurity
means RAS can operate without chemicals, drugs ii Torsten, E.I. Wik, et al. “Integrated dynamic
or antibiotics—making a more natural product for aquaculture and wastewater treatment modeling for
recirculating aquaculture systems.” Aquaculture. 287.
consumers. Being self contained and cleaner also
2009 at 361-370.
means RAS can be located near markets or within
land-locked communities that will use the fish rather iii Rakocy, James. “The UVI Aquaponic System.” Clean,
Green, Sustainable Recirculating Aquaculture Summit.
than by natural water sources like oceans or rivers—
Washington D.C.: hosted by Food and Water Watch.
RAS does not require a constant water source for
January 2009.
supply or drainage. Locating RAS by the markets or
communities they serve means they have a smaller iv Zohar, Yonathan. “Environmentally compatible,
recirculated marine aquaculture: addressing the
carbon footprint due to reduced shipping distance and
critical issues.” Clean, Green, Sustainable Recirculating
can provide a fresher product for the consumer. Aquaculture Summit. Washington D.C.: hosted by
Food and Water Watch. January 2009.
v Moss, Shawn. “An integrated approach to sustainable
shrimp aquaculture in the U.S.” Clean, Green,
Sustainable Recirculating Aquaculture Summit.
Washington D.C.: hosted by Food and Water Watch.
January 2009.
Samocha, Tzachi. “Overview of some sustainable,

!"#
super-intensive microbial biofloc-rich shrimp Images from left to right
production systems used by Gulf Coast Research Methane flame generated from waste captured by RAS.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Yonathan Zohar at UMBI Center Of Marine Biotechnology
Lab, Waddell Mariculture Center and AgriLife Lettuce and other vegetables growing in RAS aquaponic tanks at UVI.
Research Mariculture Lab.” Clean, Green, Sustainable Photo courtesy of Dr. James Rakocy at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Croix.
Recirculating Aquaculture Summit. Washington D.C.: Shrimp produced in a RAS facility at Blue Ridge Aquaculture.
hosted by Food and Water Watch. January 2009.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Martin Gardner from Blue Ridge Aquaculture in Martinsville, VA.
a more sustainable approach to aquaculture
Nile tilapia a species often produced in RAS.
vi FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “The
RAS tanks for raising tilapia.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Martin Schreibman at Brooklyn College, CUNY, Aquatic Research Environmental
ssessment Center (AREAC) RECIRCULATING
AQUACULTURE
State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2008” Rome,
Italy. 2009 at 161.

Computer rendering of the 4,800 L/min water recirculating system at the Conser-
Algae growing in tubes in RAS at COMB facility.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Yonathan Zohar at UMBI Center Of
Marine Biotechnology
Contact: SYSTEMS
vation Fund Freshwater Institute.
Summerfelt, S.T., Sharrer, M.J., Hollis, J., Gleason, L.E., Summerfelt, $%&''()*&+((
S. R. 2004. Dissolved ozone destruction using ultraviolet irradiation in
a recirculating salmonid culture system. Aquacultural Engineering 32,
Food & Water Watch on behalf of the
209-224. Drawing courtesy of Marine Biotech Inc. (Beverly, MA). Association for Sustainable Aquaculture

Technical innovations are essential for the continued !"#$$%&''()*+,-./!

growth of the aquaculture sector, and the U.S. )!01234325678394:
government needs to play a vital role in promoting
cleaner, greener, safer, more sustainable aquaculture in
the United States, such as RASvi.
www.FoodandWaterWatch.org/asa
;5;52<2=)2>?@2=AB)!2C744@2?(D+B$/)-$@2EF234475
Aquaculture production Recirculating water
the rearing of aquatic plants and animals in captivity RAS are completely contained systems that re-use most
is increasing worldwide; between 2004 and 2006
the annual growth rate was 6.1% in volume and Open of the water from the fish holding tanks. Wastes are
removed, water is treated and then recycled back to the
11% in valuei. There are many forms of aquaculture.
Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are closed- water tanks. Ideally, RAS only replace very small percentages
of the total water volume, due to some loss during waste

aquaculture
Fish waste being distributed by a manure spreader
loop facilities that retain and treat the water within the removal and/or evaporation (<1% daily water exchange)ii. Summerfelt, S.T. and B.J. Vinci. (2008). Better management prac-
tices for recirculating systems. Pages 389-426 in C.S. Tucker and
system. RAS can reduce discharge of waste, the need J.A. Hargreaves (editors), Environmental Best Management Prac-
for antibiotics or chemicals used to combat disease
Aquaponics in RAS
tices for Aquaculture. Blackwell Publishing: Ames, Iowa

and fish and parasite escapes. RAS should be seriously

considered for expanded use in the United States to
(when in the ocean, also known as offshore aquaculture,
!"#$%& '()& *$+,-%.& $%/& !0)#+& (-,-1$+& 0#+,(23& -(& 0)#& ,$((&
Various methods can be used to clean the water from Replacing wild fish in feed
help meet rising seafood demand with cleaner, greener, the fish tanks and make it reusable. Some RAS fish farms RAS farms and researchers are working to feed their
4+!/5"0-!%& !*& '()& -%& "!$(0$1& 4!%/(3& !+& 1$+.#& 6!$0-%.& 4#%(& !+&
safer domestic fish, rather than looking to imports or incorporate aquaponics—the practice of growing herbs fish a more environmentally sustainable and still-
"$.#(&-%&!"#$%&7$0#+(8&95(0&!%#&*$+,&-(&$&1$+.#:("$1#&!4#+$0-!%8
farmed fish from open water facilities. and vegetables in water—into their system. Plants need healthy diet. One of the biggest and most crucial
;)-1#& !4#%& 7$0#+& '()& *$+,-%.& -(& $& *$-+1<& "!,,!%& 4+$"0-"#& 13 elements to grow and the waste from the fish tanks hurdles faced by aquaculture has been to decrease the
RAS a better choice than other forms of aquaculture 7!+1/7-/#&=7#&/!%>0&/!&-0&1$+.#:("$1#&-%&?8@8&!"#$%&7$0#+(&"5++#%01<2&
-0&"$%&4!(#&+#$1&0)+#$0(&0!&)5,$%&)#$10)&$%/&0)#&#%A-+!%,#%0B!
naturally provides 10 of these elementsiii. The plants thrive
in the nutrient-rich system water, and they actually help
amount of wild fish used as an ingredient in fish feed.
Traditionally, large amounts of wild fish are used to
Methods unique to RAS for growing fish provide an to purify it for reuse—the plants absorb the nutrients and produce the pellet feed for farmed fish. Taking prey
opportunity to supplement wild-caught fish with other ! C& +$.-1#& )$D-0$0& "$%& D#& 4#+,$%#%01<& /$,$.#/& *+!,& "1#$+-%.& the “cleaned” water can go back to the fish tanks! fish from the oceans to feed farmed fish can deplete
seafood produced in an ecologically and economically !50&(4$"#&0!&(-0#&0)#&*$+,&!+&*+!,&$%")!+(&0!&)!1/&/!7%&"$.#(8 ocean food chains and disrupt ecological balance.
sustainable manner. RAS are not connected to open
waters. Because it is unlikely that fish will escape the ! C& -()&-%&"$.#(&"$%&(4+#$/&/-(#$(#(&0!&7-1/&'()3&!+&&#("$4#&$%/& Other ways to remove waste in RAS Work is being done at various RAS farms to improve
feed, including reducing the amount of fish needed to
closed system, RAS can be used to grow a wide range -%0#+,-E& 7-0)& 7-1/& '()3& -%0#+*#+-%.& 7-0)& !+& & #A#%& !A#+0$F-%.& Researchers and industry be put into feed; finding alternative feed ingredients
of plants and fish without threatening the environment %$05+$1&4!451$0-!%(8 experts are developing (including worms and algae); and even using waste to
or competing with fishermen who make their living a variety of resourceful create a healthy feed source.
! G
& 4#%& 7$0#+& *-()& *$+,(& $11!7& *+##& *1!7& !*& 7$0#+& & D#07##%&
selling popular local fish. For example, tilapia is a ways to deal with the
0)#&*-()&#%"1!(5+#(&$%/&0)#&!"#$%8&H!%"#%0+$0#/&$,!5%0(&
popular fish that grows well in RAS, and there is no waste produced by fish
wild fishery for tilapia in the U.S.
!*& *-()& *!!/3& 7$(0#(3& /-(#$(#(& $%/& $%<& ")#,-"$1(& !+&
$%0-D-!0-"(&0)$0&,$<&D#&5(#/&-%&*$+,(&"$%&*1!7&(0+$-.)0&-%0!& farms, such as creating Production
!4#%&7$0#+(3&4!1150-%.&)$D-0$0&$%/&7-1/1-*#&$%/&-,4#/-%.& fertilizer for crops and RAS production levels are often higher than those in
New RAS finfish and shrimp farms are popping up plants. Some RAS farms
+#"+#$0-!%$1&7$0#+&5(#(&1-F#&(7-,,-%.&$%/&/-A-%.8 other forms of aquaculture. RAS can produce market-
throughout the United States, and many are working turn the waste into sized fish in just nine months, compared to the 15-18
to increase environmental sustainability, for example, pellets to create a feed
! H
& )#,-"$1(&5(#/&-%&4+!/5"0-!%&,$<&+#,$-%&-%&0)#&'()&$%/&D#& months it often takes for the fish raised in other systems
by reducing energy usage, and being compact enough ingredient for other fish
0+$%(*#++#/&0!&4#!41#&7)!&"!%(5,#&0)#,&1$0#+8 to grow to market sizeiv. It takes 80 hectares of open
to locate on otherwise unusable urban properties. or shrimp (that would ponds to produce the same amount of shrimp that a
naturally consume such
Because there are so many products in the wild).
RAS farm can raise on just 2.5 hectaresv. Tilapia, cobia,
black sea bass, branzini, salmon, trout and shrimp are
Still other RAS turn the
potential problems with waste into methane gas,
among the many seafood products being raised in
RAS. Aquaponic RAS produces a large array of herbs,
which can be used to
open water farms, the United help power generators.
vegetables, fruits, flowering plants and seaweeds.

States should explore other

options, like RAS. Treatment processes for recycling
water at the USDA ARS National
This is an urban aquaculture/aquaponics system (it grows both fish and plants) in a Cold Water Marine Aquaculture
small setting - in fact it is in a part of a classroom at Brooklyn College! Center, Franklin, ME.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Martin Schreibman at Brooklyn College, CUNY, Aquatic Photo courtesy of Dr. Steve Summerfelt of Tilapia fillets.
Research Environmental Assessment Center (AREAC) the Freshwater Institute, Shepherdstown, WV.