October 4, 2022

Natural Resources Institute of Finland shifts aquaculture method to fully fledged concept

The Natural Resources Institute of Finland (LUKE) has moved its partial air-driven recirculation aquaculture system (PaRAS) aquaculture method from simple containers into a fully fledged concept, and promises to bring better production parameters and cost savings to recirculating fish farming.

The container-based fish farming concept is a cost-efficient option for environmentally friendly fish farming. The modular and versatile PaRAS method offers solutions for various challenges in recirculating fish farming.

Luke’s container-based fish farming concept has undergone further development, and the new concept is expected to improve energy efficiency and production capacity. In the second-generation prototype, the tank size can be scaled according to the needs of fish farms of all sizes.

"The partial air-driven recirculation aquaculture system concept has been tested for two years with excellent results," said Tapio Kiuru, principal specialist at LUKE. "Compared to recirculating fish farming, the concept's advantages include improved fish growth and a more predictable product quality, as well as lower investment and operating costs,"

PaRAS tanks are ready-to-use partial recirculation aquaculture systems. The partial recirculation concept uses slightly more water than a recirculation aquaculture system (RAS). However, partial recirculation is a significantly simpler and a more affordable option for environmentally friendly fish farming than RAS.

Additionally, in recirculating systems, tanks only account for a third of the entire farm's surface area. In the PaRAS concept, tanks can cover more than 80% of the farm area, as the water treatment technology is integrated into the tanks and no separate fasting tanks are required. The tank shape also makes the use of space more effective. This means farms may double their production capacity compared to farms using full recirculation technology.

PaRAS was demonstrated to Finnish fish farmers at the summer event of the Finnish Fish Farmers' Association last August.

- The Fish Site