About RAS systems
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems recycles 90 – 97 percent of the fresh water used in our land based farming operations. RAS technology not only reduces the fresh water used significantly, it also saves energy for heating water, and allows us to control water quality and temperatures. RAS gives salmon farmers a high degree of environmental control during the important first stages of the life of the salmon. It provides a basis for more controlled and predictable production both in freshwater and seawater. Our aim is to optimize conditions for good health, welfare and growth in the tanks.
The Marystown RAS facility
The Atlantic salmon will be grown in a land based recirculating hatchery to a size up to 1.5 kg. Moving this portion of the operation to land and utilizing a recirculating system allows Grieg Seafood Newfoundland to optimize efficiencies and production while eliminating the environmental impacts often associated with other culture methods of water usage and discharge. The RAS technology used is provided by Aqua Maof.Three buildings, as represented in the photo, are planned for the Marystown hatchery covering 250,000 ft2 located at the Marystown Marine Industrial Park. The technology used will employ 100% recirculation of water with no impact on the surrounding environment. AquaMaof’s patented systems not only reduces the amount of water required but its state-of-the-art biosecurity systems and protocols will eliminate the entry of pathogens. As little as 300 L/min of water is required daily. With minimal water usage, there will be minimal water discharge to the surrounding environment, making this system an environmentally friendly and sustainable option for culturing Atlantic salmon.
As of November 20th, 2020, two of our water pump houses and the buffer tank building are complete. These buildings provide suitable water to our facilities. The First Feeding/Hatchery unit is in operations with the first batch of eggs being received in July 2020; this unit is approximately 20m x 50m in size. The Smoltification unit will accept fish in January-February of 2021; the size of Smoltification is approximately 100m x 30m.
