YoungChinook salmon will be grown in the newly installed tank once systemsto pump in fresh ocean water and oxygen and remove waste have beeninstalled and tested. (Courtesy of AgriMarine Holdings, Inc.)B.C.'sfirst closed, floating salmon-farming tank — touted as a greeneralternative to traditional open-net pens — has been installed offVancouver Island.
The first of four tanks to be used in a commercial-scalesalmon-farming operation has been placed in the water of Middle Bay inCampbell River, B.C., Vancouver-based AgriMarine Holdings Inc. and theMiddle Bay Sustainable Aquaculture Institute announced Monday.
The research institute, which develops closed-tank technologies forfish farming, is funded by a consortium the includes AgriMarine, CoastSustainability Trust, the U.S.-based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation(GBMF) and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), afederally funded agency.
Young Chinook salmon will be grown in the tanks once systems to pumpin fresh ocean water and oxygen and remove waste have been installedand tested. For the first tank, that will be complete in the next twoweeks, the company estimates.
Eachtank, like the one shown here during installation, can hold about50,000 to 75,000 fish. They start off finger-sized and reach marketsize in 12 to 14 months. (Courtesy of AgriMarine Holdings Inc.)The operation has a licence to produce 1,200 tonnes of salmon a year.
Traditional net pens used for salmon farming in B.C. are open to theocean and have been criticized for damaging the marine environment.Fisheries scientists have found evidence that salmon farms transmitparasites and pathogens such as sea lice to wild salmon, leadingresearchers and environmental groups to call for closed-pen farming.
In addition, waste from open-net pens is released directly intolocal waters and is not always carried away by tides and currents asanticipated.
The new closed tank is a "significant milestone in the transitiontoward more sustainable salmon farming practices," said a news releasefrom the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, a coalition ofenvironmental groups that include the Suzuki Environmental Foundationand the Georgia Strait Alliance.
'We feel we can be cost competitive'
AgriMarinehas previously tried growing fish in land-based tanks in B.C. —something that is done in Washington state — but found it too expensiveto pump water from the ocean onto land, said company spokesman TravisSchneider.
Fisheriesscientists have found evidence that salmon farms using open-net penstransmit parasites and pathogens such as sea lice to wild salmon. Thisimage shows a young pink salmon infected with sea lice. (Alexandra Morton/Science)Withthe new floating-tank technology, however, "we feel we can be costcompetitive" with net pens," he added. It has already been used forgrowing freshwater trout in China.
While net pens are cheaper to make, the floating tanks last longerand make feeding cheaper and more efficient, because none of the feedfalls out as it does with net pens, Schneider said. The resulting feedsavings more than offset the costs of pumping and oxygenation, headded: "You basically get the environmental benefits for free."
However, retailers may be able to charge a premium for "eco-salmon" raised in closed pens, he said.
Because the tanks are expected to have a minimal impact onsurrounding waters, Schneider anticipates the technology will make itpossible to locate fish farms closer to urban centers. The collectedfish waste may be used as fertilizer.
Ruby Berry, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Strait Alliance, said thenew technology not only has benefits for the surrounding environment,but also gives fish farmers more control over the quality of the waterthat their fish grow in.
"There's very high demand for fish grown in closed containment," she added.