Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Project no. 016869
Project acronym: RACEWAYS
Project title: A HYPERINTENSIVE FISH FARMING CONCEPT FOR LASTING
COMPETITIVENESS AND SUPERIOR PRODUCTION
Instrument: Co-operative Research Projects
Thematic Priority: Food quality and safety
Final activity report for RACEWAYS 016869
Period covered: Whole project
Start date of project: 1st of May 2006
Date of preparation: 30 June 2008
Duration: 25 months
Project coordinator name: Albert K. Imsland
Project coordinator organisation name: Akvaplan-niva
Revision [draft]
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
1. Project execution
Project summary
Aim of the project
The project will provide a scientific rationale for the establishment of a cost-effective rearing system (the
Shallow Raceway System, SRS) and effective husbandry strategies for several highly priced cultured fish
species. As the rearing system can be combined with recirculation systems, the concept will promote
aquaculture in regions otherwise impedimented from this industry. The new farming concept will
significantly reduce the overall logistic needs with respect to buildings and water supply system and
through its compactness and extended automation, simplify the operation of the production process. The
new concept may in fundamental ways open up for a new era in fish farming in Europe by substantially
reducing start-up costs and operational costs. Due to the compactness, these farms can be building blocks in
Industry Parks for Aquaculture. It will also be able to exploit almost unused resources like effluent heated
water from a variety of industries and ground well water with a wide range of salinities. To ensure rapid
industrial benefit and exploitation of the achievements, several European industrial farmers, culturing a
wide range of species, will participate in the project. Subsequently the hyper-intensive technology may be
implemented in commercial-scale by the SMEs involved and among other enterprises throughout Europe.
The wide scope for further increase in productivity should prevent outsourcing of the aquaculture industry.
Main findings in the project
WP 1
Task 1.1 Water quality in hyper-intensive aquaculture – synthesis of critical parameters
In several short-duration experiments implications of passing threshold limits for water quality parameters
will be quantified for turbot (at AP) organized in sub-populations and being exposed to gradually increasing
use of water and thus experiencing gradually increasing levels of metabolites (i.e. ammonia and CO2).
Through these experiments it will be possible to form an image of the metabolic activity of the fish, and the
strain they put on the rearing water under natural production routines and identify the threshold values
causing reduced growth performance. Such data may provide a tool for foreseeing carrying capacity in SRS
facilities based on a species tolerance limit to critical water quality parameters. Globally, the results
obtained point in the direction of no visible effects of water reuse when turbot is cultivated in 15+15 m long
shallow raceways in series, with within-tank sedimentation in their outlet, solids settling boxes using
recycled seawater and high oxygen levels. As no apparent effect of water quality was seen in juvenile turbot
(even under the high level of CO2 registered at the outlet) this may be a result of a fish adaptation to the
typical water quality values of the system. System stability, more than system WQ per se, might be the most
important factor to consider in this context.
Task 1.2 The interaction of salinity and temperature on production performance
A growth experiment (halibut) was performed in cooperation with FISKEY, and consisted of three salinities
(full seawater, 25‰ and 15‰), two photoperiods (LDN and LD24:0) and one temperature (12ºC). Growth
was highest at 15‰ and 25‰. FCE was significantly higher compared to full salinity in these two groups.
The fish were subsequently moved (Silfurstjarnan), divided in two groups and transferred to two salinities
(15‰ and 30‰). An initial density effect was seen, i.e. higher growth at lower density, but afterwards
(similar densities) a long term growth advantage (20%) was seen from rearing at low salinity. The fish were
subsequently moved (Fiskey), divided in two groups and transferred to two salinities (15‰ and 30‰). An
initial density effect was seen, i.e. higher growth at lower density, but afterwards (similar densities) a long
term growth advantage (20%) was seen from rearing at low salinity.
- Another salinity trial with common sole was performed at LLYN indicating a limited effect of salinity on
growth in sole.
Task 1.3 Metal toxicity studies
An experiment was carried out at the experimental facilities of Norwegian Inst. of Water Research in
Norway in autumn 2006. The experiment demonstrated a generally high tolerance to iron in young turbot,
and low acute toxicity was seen. Some mortality occurred at 1000 µg/l. There were some effects from the
treatments reflected in blood gas physiology.
WP 2
Task 2.1: Extended use of water by restoring water quality en route and Task 2.2: Implement
recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) in combination with SRS.
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Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Growth and water quality studies on turbot conducted in shallow raceways coupled to the recirculation system
at Aquacria Piscicola (Portugal) have demonstrated good growth rates and almost no mortalities recorded
during the experiment. However, when combined with the fact that none of the water quality parameters
measured approached critical values, the objective of this task (identifying critical water quality parameters) is
not yet possible. The maximization of water resources when using shallow raceway systems (SRS) can be
achieved by means of culture water recirculation, through the utilization of an effluent treatment loop. In a
previous study, we have extensively characterized for a period of three months a combined shallow racewayrecirculation aquaculture system, with water reuse between raceways, used for the commercial nursery
cultivation of turbot. It was concluded that i) the composition of the recycled water was the main parameter
influencing raceways performance; ii) the treatment loop had an adequate layout for this SRS, but recycled
WQ characteristics should be rechecked for confirmation of data; iii) some inconsistency in the performance of
the biological filter was found, a fact that required deeper studies on the bacterial flora and factors affecting
their behaviour; iv) the analytical tools used were efficient, but time consuming and further research was
needed to simplify chemical procedures and enable automation. This can be done at the laboratory level,
without fish, through specific sensor and software development using programming tools like LabVIEW. In
addition, an extension of the project was achieved through the realization of three Master Thesis in the fields of
molecular and applied microbiology and analytical chemistry.
WP 3
Task 3.1: Production of bottom-dwelling fish juveniles (forced settlement)
- Results from FISKEY´s trials with forced settlement of Atlantic halibut in shallow raceways were positive
with high survival rates (up to 81%), but there are still some challenges as to the correct design of the
raceways in terms of water inlet/outlet, water velocity (due to the unevenness of the salmon egg trays used
as raceways), and the fact that the live feed (Artemia) used was transported through and out of the raceways
very quickly.
- Forced settlement with turbot was also performed with good results.
Task 3.2: Behaviour characteristics of bottom-dwelling juveniles reared in SRS vs. juveniles from
conventional tanks
- The experimental work focused on determining which hydrodynamic parameters define a shallow
raceway, determining that the various parameters commonly measured (oxygen, velocity, etc.) should
determine the depth of the raceway, not vice versa. Theoretic calculation of the laser/computer generated
images of density and placement of fish within shallow raceways was performed. A model of fish dummy
has been developed to assess the influence of flatfish distribution in the flow behavior in a shallow raceway.
Task 3.3: Scaling up of rearing systems for bottom-dwelling juveniles – testing of modules (density)
- Trial on turbot at ACC examining the effects of fish density in raceways (180, 180 dynamic, 240, and
300% coverage) as well as a comparison of growth and feed conversions of raceways vs. round tanks were
performed. Fish reared at 300% initially exhibited poor growth rates but this was thought to be the result of
gas bubble disease as their growth rates improved as the trial continued. Both growth rates and feed
conversion rates were found to be significantly better in raceways as compared to round tanks.
- Rearing of young sea bream (41 days post hatch) in raceways was performed at TIMAR. These results of
the study, which was carried out over 82 days (the fish increased from 18 mg to 200 mg during the course
of the trial), were very promising as very high densities were attained. However, there were some
challenges that will need to be addressed, including problems with the self cleaning of the raceways and
problems due to supersaturation.
- Trial with Atlantic halibut was performed and the fish reared at high (300% bottom coverage), as
compared to low (100% coverage), densities resulted in a solid long-term gain in biomass increase, even
though the duration of the growth phase for each batch of fish increases. It is assumed that a further
production optimization, and thus a reduced production time, may be achieved by introducing new feeding
techniques specially designed for shallow raceways.
- Trial with different densities was performed at HLYRI examining the effects of density on the growth of
wolffish in raceways. The findings show that optimal density of adult spotted wolffish in SRS is equal to, or
higher than, 90 kg m-2 (corresponding to c. 310 kg m-3). Profitability of the culture will increase linearly in
the density range investigated.
Task 3.4: On-growing of bottom-dwelling fish species in SRS
- In an trial performed with spotted wolffish at HLYRI growth of wolffish reared in shallow raceways with
those reared in conventional round tanks was compared. After 100 days there was a significant advantage to
Page 3 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
the fish in raceways with regards to growth and feed conversion, in addition to an apparent reduction in the
occurrence of size hierarchies.
WP 4
Task 4.1: The economics of the hyper-intensive farming technology system vs. conventional farming
system (CFS)
The SRS is postulated to represent a resource-saving production concept and thus improve the overall
economics of farming aquatic organisms. A variety of calculations will be made based on input data from
the experiments and full-scale production to illustrate the potential of this technology. The intention is also
to identify gains from specific production modules and prescribe the potential improvements to be observed
through further innovation. Comparisons have been made with regard to economies of scale, as these are
expected to be of particular importance.
Part 1. Economic analysis of a halibut farm.
In the base case, a farm with annual production capacity of 200 tonnes is analysed. Investments in this farm
represent about € 1.9 million. To double the production capacity to 400 tonnes, which is also considered,
additional investments of about € 1.35 million are required. A doubling in output to 400 tonnes per year
will reduce the average cost per kg of halibut produced from € 6.78 to € 5.88, a reduction of 13.3 % per kg.
This indicates fairly important economies of scale. As additional investment costs are relatively lower than
the increase in output, this indicates a source of economies of scale. In addition, with larger output the
labour force and management are utilised more efficiently, which will also bring down cost of production.
Part II. Economic analysis of turbot farm
In part II, results from an economic analysis of a turbot farm are presented. The base case is a farm with
annual production capacity of 133 tonnes. Investments in a turbot farm with production capacity of about
133 tonnes per year represent about € 4.3 million. To treble the production capacity to 400 tonnes,
additional investments of about € 1.80 million are required. In the base case with an annual output of 133
tonnes, average cost per kg turbot is € 7.54. An expansion in production capacity to an annual output level
of 400 tonnes per year was also considered. This will reduce the average cost per kg of turbot produced to
€ 5.07, a reduction of about 33 % per kg compared to the smaller farm. This indicates quite substantial
economies of scale. As additional investment costs are considerably less, relatively speaking, than the
increase in output, this indicates a source of economies of scale. In addition, with larger output the labour
force and management are utilised more efficiently, which will also bring down cost of production.
Task 4.2: Designing Industrial Parks for Aquaculture or Industrial Production Centres for Seafood
(IPS) EU has as indicated a net import of seafood products of more then 10,000 million Euro when
corrected for export of seafood products – and the trend is increasing. The ambition should be to reduce
this import in parallel to an expected increase in seafood consumption among European consumers. This
can only be achieved through a staggering expansion of within EU aquaculture production. Seeds for this
expansion have been laid many places in Europe. Chile may illustrate the seed topic - as it started out
during the early 1980s with salmon farming and reached 10,000 tonnes in 1990 – followed by an
astonishing expansion in the next two decades – passing 700,000 tonnes in 2007 to a value beyond 2,000
million US$. A similar development might be achieved across Europe by drawing on strong regional and
national motivation for sustainable enterprise expansion within aquaculture – with Greece as an
encouraging European example of what can be achieved. A great part of this expansion could take place at
land-based facilities and more so since the new technology launched in this project reduces land use to 1020% of that needed with conventional technology. The rapid progress within auxiliary sectors for landbased aquaculture – such as efficient recirculation technology also for seawater, farming of marine
organisms in fresh water and adding of new attractive fish and shellfish species to the list of potential
species to be cultured – opens up for new business concepts and farming in clusters located closer to
important markets. The development of the salmon industry is an excellent case to learn from - as it started
out with a small production of a costly niche product and expanded into a commodity product accessible for
almost any European citizen – due to efficient distribution and an affordable price. A similar trend may be
expected for the next wave of seafood products from aquaculture - and more so if it is organised in a cluster
structure that has diversification, competitiveness and sustainability as main priorities.
Task 4.3: Socio-economic implications of wide-spread installation of IPS for future European seafood
industry
The topics dealt with in Tasks 4.1 and 4.2 have been analysed in a socio-economic context. The socioeconomic implications of a massive implementation of SRS in numerous IPS throughout Europe should
have a significant impact on future EU seafood markets, including imports and exports. The EU represents
Page 4 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
one of the three largest seafood markets in the world. Consumption, in particular of high valued species, is
increasing because of increasing levels of income and population size, as well as shifts in demand towards
more healthful diets. The EU is, however, dependent on a substantial level of import of seafood.
Consequently the development of this new technology, a number of species currently imported might in the
future be cultured within Europe. Thus, in the future, species in short supply in the global seafood market
might be farmed within EU, both for domestic consumption to meet expected shifts in demand and for
export to other parts of the world.
Task 4.4: Implication of IPS for European competitiveness in the global seafood market
The topics of Tasks 4.1 - 4.3 have been considered in the context of European competitiveness in the global
seafood market. As already mentioned, there is increased demand for seafood, not only in Europe, but
world wide. There is also a very considerable international trade in seafood. Catches of wild stock leveled
off at the end of the 1980s, and even with improved management of fisheries, most of the increased demand
for seafood will need to be met by expanded production from aquaculture. In this scenario, the EU may
need to increase imports of seafood substantially. However, a competitive land-based aquaculture industry
based on the SRS and IPS would contribute significantly to counteract this trend in the next decade. A
number of scenarios have been investigated, looking into different models for future trends. As part of this
the potential from installing IPS in three different levels of production, have been considered.
WP 5-6
The management structure with the RTD coordinating the work of ‘their’ (i.e. local responsibility) SME’s
proved to work well in the first reporting period. Overall, the coordination of the project has been
successful, although some modification in the DoW had to be done to meet the technical demands and
challenges at each SME site. To monitor the work three meetings (panel and technical meetings) were
held, and in conjunction to the trials at the SME sites several short field trips were performed by the RTD
to the SMEs. Dissemination and exploitation was covered as planned with direct contacts with the
aquaculture industry and by submitting manuscripts to peer review scientific journals as well as more
industry oriented magazines.
Project objectives

Objectives
1. To achieve lasting competitiveness for a European land-based aquaculture industry with emphasis
on responsible farming solutions.
2. To create a solid knowledge platform of the vital biological conditions for land-based farming in
an extremely compact rearing system: shallow raceways organised in racks combined with reuse or
recirculation of seawater and with optional rearing at low and intermediate salinities.
3. Improve animal welfare aspects through a curtailing of the new farming system.
4. Develop a new sustainable rearing concept for several highly priced fish species and thus
counteract outsourcing of the European Union aquaculture industry to low-cost countries.
5. Reduce land use to 10-20% of conventional land-based farming and due to the compactness make
possible the establishment of Industry Parks for Aquaculture in conjunction with auxiliary
industry.
6. Reduce seawater consumption to 5% of that used by a conventional flow-through farming system.
7. Launch a strategy for a significant reduction of both investments per kg production capacity and
production cost per kg market-sized fish based on a thorough comparison with conventional
farming systems.
In summary, all the original objectives, aims, and milestones have been reached within project period.
Contractors involved
Partic
.
Role*
Partic
. Type
Partic
. no.
Participant name
Participan
t
short
name
Countr
y
CO
CR
CR
CR
RTD
SME
SME
SME
1
2
3
4
AKVAPLAN-NIVA AS
A COELHO E CASTRO
FISKELDI EYJAFJARÐAR EHF
HLÝRI EHF
APN
ACC
FISKEY
HLYRI
NO
P
IC
IC
Page 5 of 35
Date
enter
project*
*
1
1
1
1
Date exit
project*
*
25
25
25
25
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
SME
SME
SME
SME
RTD
RTD
5
6
7
8
9
10
CR
RTD
11
LLYN AQUACULTURE
TIMAR
TUSTNA KVEITEFARM
AQUACRIA PISCÍCOLAS
UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO
UNIVERSITY
OF
PORTSMOUTH
UNIVERSITAT POLITÉCNÍCA
DE CATALUNYA
LLYN
TIMAR
TUS
AP
CIIMAR
CEMARE
UK
P
NO
P
P
UK
1
1
1
1
1
1
25
25
25
25
25
25
UPC
ES
1
25
Project coordinator
Name: Albert K. Imsland
Address: Akvaplan-niva, Iceland Office, Akralind 4, 201 Kópavogi, ICELAND
Tel: + 354 562 58 00
Mobile: +354 691 07 07
Fax: + 354 564 58 01
E-mail: albert.imsland@akvaplan.niva.no
Web: http://www.akvaplan.niva.no
Work performed and results achieved
The RACEWAYS work-packages followed different aspects of the production and culture technique of five
species investigated. Under the control of the Project Management Team, six work-packages have been
carried out; three of them related to biological-technical approach, in order to achieve the intended research
results, one related to the economic aspects of the hyper-intensive rearing system and another one related to
the exploitation of the results. The programme was a succession of logical steps:
 In order to introduce a new hyper-intensive rearing system, the starting point was an up-grading
of our understanding of both water quality and recirculation aspects. This effort is
concentrated in WP1 and WP2. In WP1, important water quality aspects were scrutinized. WP2
deals with several important features of reuse and recirculation of water. Together these WPs
made the core scientific and technical platform that was applied in WP 3. Knowledge that could be
exploited or disseminated were obtained from WP1 and WP2. Results were managed through
WP5.
 In WP3 the hyper-intensive rearing system was tailor-made for several important
aquaculture species. The system will be developed for bottom-dwelling fish species (turbot,
Atlantic halibut, sole, spotted wolffish, sea bream). This WP was devoted to reach adequate
production rates that make the new hyper-intensive culture system profitable for farmers. It is
obvious that through this workpackage also the interplay of components of the farming system
itself, the SRS, was improved and be more adequate to meet the special needs for different types
of fish species included in the project.
 Commercialisation is the final purpose of the project, and the issue was tackled in WP4. In order
to achieve a good response of the market, excellent quality product must be guaranteed. With this
objective in mind, a thorough comparison of the economics of the hyper-intensive farming
technology system vs. conventional land-based farming systems (CFS), was performed.
Further, the lay-out for Industrial Parks for Aquaculture [Industrial Production Centres for
Seafood (IPS)] based on the hyper-intensive farming technology concept with possible spin-off
activities (cluster structure) were designed.
 The last two work-packages (WP5 and WP6) focused on the exploitation and dissemination of
the results (WP5) and management of the project (WP6), and served as a show-case of the
research and results obtained all over the project implementation. The work on this issue covered
the full duration of the project, receiving a continuous flow of information from all work-packages
in progress at each particular moment. All the partners participated and contributed under this
topic. The advantage for SMEs in this issue were at least twofold:
- Establishing contacts with EU and Associated countries, which usefulness is beyond the scope
of this project, and
- Strengthen the community acquisition.
Impact on industry sector
Page 6 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
On a global scale, aquaculture is expected to be one of the fastest-growing industries in this decade. This
growth might take place in a number of European countries. A significant part of this expansion is expected
to take place on land. Land-based farming requires more resources for the construction as well as for the
fish production compared to production in net-pens in the open sea. For that reason it is strongly needed to
implement technology that is competitive and has the potential to be profitable also in the future. One
important element in that context is to maximise the use of resources. With the conventional land-based
technology, typical fish production per year in an industrial building is 20-30 kg/m2. As an illustration, a
land-based production of 10,000 tons will thus demand about 400,000 m2 of industrial buildings. That is a
huge challenge for this industry. With the technology launched in this project, the measure is to reduce need
of buildings to less than 20%, or to produce the same quantity, i.e. 10,000 tons of fish and shellfish, on less
than 100,000 m2. That implies an increase in production from 25 to more than 125 kg/m2 building surface,
with a value output of more than 1000 Euro/m2 building with hyper-intensive production, compared to only
200 Euro/m2 with traditional technology. The hyper-intensive concept is also expected to reduce the
consumption of other contributing elements like food, water, oxygen, energy and work-load, all considered
per kg fish produced. Another important aspect is the production volume per employee. With conventional
technology it is 20-50 tons/year per employee. With the hyper-intensive concept (i.e. the SRS technology)
the goal is to increase production to 50-200 tons/year per employee, depending on the overall size of the
farm. This higher production output is needed to maintain competitive salaries and stable high profit
margins for the investors. As the SRS is designed to facilitate automation, it is easier to achieve ambitious
goals with this technology.
It should also be considered as important that with the compactness of the farms, several of these, as
mentioned above, can be built within an industrial park and form what might be called industrial production
centres for seafood (IPS). Here the different units may enjoy common services like water intake and outlet,
co-ordinated purchases and transport of juveniles and feed, a common slaughtering facility and a common
maintenance team. Besides, some European governments have launched plans for numerous industrial
parks for aquaculture. These centres will be able to produce at least five times more fish and shellfish
biomass with the SRS technology than with conventional farming technology and thus their importance and
impact on the industry should be far greater. Furthermore, the spin-off effects from a large cluster structure
are also considered an advantage for future innovation and growth. Thus development and implementation
of this hyper-intensive technology is in co-ordinance with the goal of European administrations, and most
likely all regions along the European coast will desire to implement the same farming method as soon as
their advantages have been demonstrated.
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Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings from WP 1-4 and their impact on the SME sector
WORKPACKAGE 1
WATER QUALITY IN A HYPER-INTENSIVE
AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION SYSTEM
Important findings – water quality
Task 1.1 Water quality in hyper-intensive aquaculture – synthesis of critical
parameters
- The experiments were performed in a turbot production farm, with nursery and ongrowth facilities. The nursery uses 80-90% recycled water and reuses it in groups of two
raceways in series. A set of these raceways in series (Fig. 1) was used with within-tank
sedimentation in their outlet, solids settling boxes using recycled seawater and high
oxygen levels.
- Conclusion: Globally, the results obtained point in the direction of no visible effects of
water reuse when turbot is cultivated in 15+15 m long shallow raceways in series.
System stability, more than system WQ per se, might be the most important factor to
consider in this context.
Recycled
Water
x
x
1A
2A
(Mech. Filter)
(Biofilter)
x
x
4A
Reused
Water
3A
X – WQ sampling
(Mech. Filter)
On-line probes
Fig. 1 – Layout of extended reuse experiments, using two shallow raceways in series and four replicated chambers
(only raceway side A shown). No fresh seawater was added to the bottom raceway.
Page 8 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – water quality
Task 1.2 –The interaction of salinity and temperature on production performance
–Juvenile
Atlantic halibut were reared at different salinities for different size groups.
15-23% more weight gain at low and intermediate salinity compared to
–Conclusion:
control
160
a
a
15‰
25‰
32‰
140
A. Small halibut
a
a
Weight (g)
120
100
a
a
b
b
80
60
NS
b
NS
40
NS
20
0
0
17
42
77
108
129
Days
Fig. 2. Mean weight (g) of juvenile Atlantic halibut reared at three different salinities. Vertical whiskers
indicate standard error of mean (SEM). Different letters indicate significant differences between treatments
within each measurement date (Student-Newman-Keuls test, P < 0.05).
2000
a
1800
B. Large halibut
1600
Mean weight (g)
1400
b
1200
a
1000
800
b
a
600
ns
400
ns
b
200
0
16/6/06
1/9/06
1/11/06
22/3/07
19/9/07
Date
Fig. 3. Mean weight (g) of juvenile Atlantic halibut reared at two different salinities. Vertical whiskers indicate
standard error of mean (SEM). Different letters indicate significant differences between treatments within each
measurement date (Student-Newman-Keuls test, P < 0.05). Symbols, 15 ‰, filled triangles; 27 ‰, open squares.
Page 9 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – metal toxicity
Task 1.3 – Aquifer water quality – metal toxicity studies
– Juvenile turbot were exposed to the following treatments in addition to controls without
iron: 25 µg/L, 50 µg/L, 100 µg/L, 200 µg/L, 400 µg/L and 1000 µg/L. Environmental
conditions during the experiment was16°C, 30.2 ppm salinity and 7,6-8,2 mg/l O2.
– Mortality was only observed with the highest concentration of iron added. In total 3 fish
of the 24 fish with this treatment died during the exposure. A significant increase in gill
iron concentration was observed in the groups receiving 400 and 1000 µg/L of ferrous
iron.
–Conclusion: The acute toxicity of iron to turbot in sea-water was low compared to what
has been observed in Atlantic salmon in freshwater.
1200
a
1000
ab
Gill Fe (µg/g dw)
800
600
bc
c
400
200
c
c
c
0
Control
25 µg Fe ²+
50 µg Fe ²+
100 µg Fe ²+
200 µg Fe ²+
400 µg Fe ²+ 1000 µg Fe ²+
Fig. 4. Accumulation of gill Fe in the different treatement groups. Significant differences are indicated by
different letters (Tukey Kramer HSD test)
Page 10 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
WORKPACKAGE 2
WATER REUSE AND RECIRCULATION FARMING TECHNOLOGY
Important findings – combined use of shallow raceways and recirculation systems
Task 2.1. Extended use of water by restoring water quality en route
- Two sets of two production raceways in series in use in a Portuguese nursery turbot
facility were chosen to study the performance of two types of settlers as en route water
rehabilitation units.
- Conclusions and recommendations. It is concluded that under the conditions assayed
settlers placed at the end of the first raceway contribute to some WQ rehabilitation en
route, between levels. Solids can be concentrated and better removed and up to 20% CO2
can be stripped. Nevertheless, regarding literature values and water quality needs, there
is a good margin for improvement. On the other hand, the oxygen losses (up to 25 %)
observed when using settling devices with cascading water between levels can be avoided
if the farmer works with lower dissolved oxygen levels per raceway. Changing the actual
O2 injection points (at the top raceways inlet pumps), adopting a distributed injection
along the raceways, would help minimizing the problem.
Fig. 5. - Diagrammatic views of the two types of settlers studied: Left - Type I, two staged; Right - Type II, single
staged. Arrows point to the direction of water flow.
Page 11 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – fish wellbeing in different rearing systems
Task 2.1 Rearing system vs. blood physiology in turbot – a baseline study
- Blood was collected from turbot ranging in size from 10 g to 1600 g under several
different rearing conditions. Rearing systems investigated in the survey included 2
different farms utilizing recirculation technology, 2 farms using a strict flow-through
regime, 1 farm practicing limited re-use of water as well as data from a controlled
laboratory trial.
- Conclusion: Results from the present study demonstrate that easily analyzed blood
physiological parameters may be useful welfare indicators in turbot reared in land-based
systems.
156
4,4
(a)
154
(b)
4,2
4,0
152
K (mmol/l)
Na (mmol/l)
3,8
150
148
3,6
3,4
146
3,2
144
3,0
142
2,8
Recirculation
Flowthrough
16
12
14
(c)
10
Flowthrough
12
HCO3- (mmol/l)
11
pCO2 (mmHg)
Recirculation
13
(d)
10
9
8
8
6
4
7
Recirculation
Recirculation
Flowthrough
7,72
Flowthrough
3,4
7,70
7,68
3,2
7,66
7,64
3,0
Urea (mmol/l)
7,62
pH
7,60
7,58
7,56
(e)
7,54
7,52
2,8
2,6
(f)
2,4
7,50
7,48
2,2
7,46
7,44
2,0
Recirculation
Flowthrough
Recirculation
Flowthrough
1,98
1,96
Glu (mmol/l)
1,94
1,92
1,90
1,88
1,86
1,84
(g)
1,82
Recirculation
Flowthrough
Fig. 6. Measured and calculated blood parameters in live farmed turbot reared under either recirculation or
flow-through conditions. Values are given as mean (SE).
Page 12 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – combined use of shallow raceways and recirculation systems
Task 2.2. Implement recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) in combination with
SRS
This task was divided into several parts and main findings from three parts are
highlighted here
I - Characterization of WQ in a combined SRS+Reuse+Recycling system
- WQ characterization was performed once a month, during a production cycle (3
months).
- Main findings and Conclusion. The average efficiency of the fish farm treatment loop
during the study is shown in Fig. 7, in situations before feeding the fish (AC) and after
feeding the fish (DC). It should be noted that presented data for nitrite removal by the
biofilter represents an average of values ranging from 18 to 40% removal.
Fig. 7. Average three month values of calculated Removal Efficiencies for different parts of the SRS+Reuse+RAS
treatment loop. AC – Before Feeding; DA – After Feeding. Arrows point to the importance of ozonation for
ammonium and nitrite removal in this system.
Page 13 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
II – Studies on SRS and biofilter bacterial flora and on factors affecting their
behaviour
In this study we intended to enumerate and characterize the viable heterotrophic
planktonic and fixed bacterial populations present in the production system of a
commercial turbot farm that combines shallow raceways with water reuse and
recirculation technology. The dynamics of the attached bacterial population was studied
using PCR-DGGE (Fig. 8).
- Main findings and Conclusion. Viable heterotrophic bacteria density changes in the
first production year were followed along 221 days. Globally, planktonic heterotrophic
bacteria numbers in this SRS system were higher than values found in other studies
Cluster analysis performed to characterize the similarity between the DGGE profiles
representing the total community at each site and at each sampling date enable the
identification of four clusters, showing that a temporal/maturation factor was
responsible for grouping the bacterial community
Fig. 8. DGGE band profiles of 16S rDNA amplified fragments using the DNA extracted from the biofilm present in
biofilter carriers collected at the biofilter inlet (Site A) and outlet (Site C), during the 221 days of the first year
sampling period. Lane M: DGGE marker constructed using 16S rDNA fragments from environmental samples.
Page 14 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
III – Laboratory SRS and On-line Water Quality Monitoring Prototypes
- A SRS with three levels for extended water reuse (considered a more compact,
profitable and challenging layout), with mechanical and biological filters for water
recycling (RAS), was built and a prototype WQ monitoring system (hardware and
software, Waterscan) developed. The application Waterscan vs.1.0 can monitor, present
and record the data of the SRS sensors/detectors: water level (10) and temperature (3),
water flow (in the water delivery system), dissolved oxygen, pH, ORP and Carbon
Dioxide. The state of the water recycling pump can be turned on/off from the graphical
interface. There is the possibility of defining alarm levels for critical parameters that will
trigger an email message and limited access to configuration parameters. All the data is
recorded in a Microsoft Access database, so it can be read by other programs.
- Conclusions and Recommendations. A SRS+Reuse+RAS working with 7 cm water
depth was implemented at the lab scale and a dedicated hardware and software
monitoring system was developed for the on-line monitoring of the most important WQ
parameters. The main achievement of this prototype installation is the possibility of
getting a first insight on the challenges in design and operation of this particular
aquaculture production system to the farmers and for on-line monitoring system
development. The enlarged spectrum of the prototype on-line WQ monitoring system
developed is already an important innovation for the aquaculture industry.
Fig. 9. User interface Waterscan main screen.
Page 15 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
WORKPACKAGE 3
HYPER-INTENSIVE PRODUCTION OF
BOTTOM-DWELLING FISH SPECIES
Important findings – forced settlement in SRS
Task 3.1 Production of bottom-dwelling fish juveniles in SRS
- Halibut larvae (initial weight 0.19 g, 48 days post first feeding) put in one raceway
divided with perforated plates. Water depth varied from 6mm-20mm. Flow velocity
adjusted 1 cm/sec, but divisions increase flow velocity and various water depths disturb
flow patterns.
- Main findings and conclusions. Mean survival in the first trial was 81% which is
acceptable. Mean SGR/day was 2.2% compared to 3.5-4.0% in standard production
method. There was a difference in end size and survival between the three compartments
in the raceway where the best results were seen in compartment A which was nearest to
the feed and inlet (see Fig. 10). Later studies have indicated that further research is
needed, especially on feed and feeding techniques before forced settlement in SRS can
reach industrial scale.
Fig. 10. End size and survival in the three compartments of thr raceway. Compartment A is nearest to the inlet of feed
and water.
Page 16 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – behaviour in SRS
Task 3.2. Behaviour characteristics of bottom-dwelling juveniles reared in SRS
Three aspects were studied:
- (A) The mutual interaction between fish and flow in a Shallow Raceway was studied
and evaluated. A laser scanner device, described in Oca et al (2007), was applied to
quantify the height of the flatfish layer stocked in the tank. Parameters changed in order
to evaluate their influence were: water depth reduction, water velocity increase, presence
of baffles, oxygen gradient and feeding strategy change.
- (B) A comprehensive tool to define criteria for the design and management of shallow
raceways was developed (see P2 report).
- (C) Analysis of the influence of fish distribution in the hydrodynamics of shallow
raceways was performed (see P1 report).
- Main findings and conclusions. The concentration of fish in certain areas of the tank
dramatically modifies the geometry of the tank bottom, which directly affects tank
hydrodynamic characteristics. Changes in fish distribution also alter the ratio fish:water,
in terms of water depth, which is an essential parameter in shallow raceway
management. Water velocity has a marked effect on fish distribution, promoting a trend
to congregate fish at the end of the tank when velocity is faster than 0.5 bl s-1. The
heterogeneous distribution seen as a common tendency has been neutralized by changing
the feeding strategy.
Fig. 11: a) Map of fish distribution in centimetres of mean height for the control treatment. Values show the average of
height every 10 cm in width b) the mean height and standard deviation of fish in each section of 10 cm through the
tank. In all cases water flow went from the left to the right.
Page 17 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – density in SRS
Task 3.3 Scaling up of weaning system for bottom-dwelling juveniles – testing of
modules
A. Trial with turbot
- The effects of different fish density in raceways (180, 180 dynamic, 240, and 300%
coverage) for 500 g to 700 g was examined, as well as a comparison of growth and feed
conversions of raceways vs. round tanks were performed.
- Main findings and conclusions. The performance of turbot in the raceways was
satisfactory in the way that they had better growth and better FCR at higher fish density
per tank surface then in the conventional tanks. If the results observed could be
converted to a six-level-raceway with full-sized raceways assuming the same building
surface as is now used at the SME site the production per surface tank 1.5 times bigger.
The overall effect would be a six time high fish production with only 80% of the feed used
per kg produced and with 50% of the work/kg produced. The cost of production
calculated for variable costs per kg should thus be reduced with about 15-20% compared
to actual level.
Fig. 12. Biomass increment in turbot reared at four different densities in a shallow raceways system.
Page 18 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
B. Trial with spotted wolffish
- The following experiment was designed to investigate the effects of different rearing
densities (50, 70 and 90 kg m-2) on growth rate, feed efficiency ratio and blood
physiology in spotted wolffish at near commercial size (3.5-5.0 kg).
- Main findings and conclusion. The 90 kg m-2 density group had the highest final mean
weight (5.05 ±0.11 kg) and productivity increased almost linearly with increasing
stocking density and was calculated as 24, 42 and 66 g m-2 day-1 at 50, 70 and 90 kg m-2,
respectively. The results show that the optimum density conditions for farming large
spotted wolffish, both with respect to growth rate, feed conversion and productivity is at
densities equal to or higher than 90 kg m-2.
80
Productivity (g m -2 day -2)
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
50
60
70
80
90
-2
Density (kg m )
Fig. 13. The relation between stocking density and productivity in spotted wolffish.
Page 19 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
C. Trial with sea bream
- Main findings and conclusion. The activity at TiMar (Faro – Portugal) has been on
larvae and juveniles of sea-bream. The activity was organised as pre-studies to learn
about the fish and its performance in shallow raceways. The group studied had a size of
14 mm (20 mg) and was feed Artemia nauplii and weaned at an age of 48 days. After 82
days it had reached a size of 200 mg resulting in a SGR of 6% and with a density of 22
g/l. The survival was 96% and thus the fish performed well in all respects. Rearing sea
bream in SRS seems to be at good option at least for the initial stages.
Fig. 14. Illustration of general behaviour of sea bream juveniles in SRS
Page 20 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
D. Trial with Atlantic halibut
- This study compared growth in juvenile halibut reared at three different densities. The
control group had a density of 100% bottom coverage, which is the common practice in
the facility studied. In addition a medium (200%) and a high (300%) density group were
included.
- Main findings and conclusion. In summary, rearing Atlantic halibut at high (300%
bottom coverage), as compared to low (100% coverage), densities will result in a solid
long-term gain in biomass increase, even though the duration of the growth phase for
each batch of fish increases as individual growth is lower at the higher density, whereas
the biomass growth is much higher. It is assumed that a further production optimization,
and thus a reduced production time, may be achieved by introducing new feeding
techniques specially designed for shallow raceways.
120
Biomass (kg)
100
100% cov er
200% cov er
300% cov er
80
60
40
20
0
Day 0
Day 33
Day 67
Day 99
Time
Fig. 15. Total biomass increment at three different densities.
Page 21 of 35
-
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Task 3.4 On-growing of bottom-dwelling fish species in SRS
Important findings – comparison of rearing system (SRS vs. conventional tanks)
- We investigated the effects of different rearing units, i.e. shallow raceways (0.72 m2)
and circular tanks (bottom area, 0.78 m2), on growth rate, social interactions and feed
efficiency ratio in juvenile spotted wolffish.
- In conclusion, the present study indicates that growth and feed conversion efficiency
can be improved in spotted wolffish culture by rearing the fish in shallow raceways.
400
A.
a
ns
350
300
b
Weight (g)
a
a
250
200
b
a
b
ns
150
b
100
1
41
80
111
177
202
Day
1.0
B.
a
ns
a
0.8
Specific growth rate (% day-1)
b
b
0.6
ns
a
0.4
b
0.2
0.0
1-41
42-80
81-111
112-177
178-202
Period
Fig. 16. Mean weight (A) and specific growth rates (B) of juvenile spotted wolffish reared in shallow
raceways and circular tanks. Vertical line indicating SE may be obscured by symbol. Different letters
indicate statistical differences (two-way nested ANOVA, P < 0.05), with ‘a’ as the highest value. Symbols,
A: Shallow raceways, whole line and filled diamonds; circular tanks, dashed line and open squares; B:
Shallow raceways, black bars; circular tanks, white bars.
Page 22 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
WORKPACKAGE 4
GUIDELINES FOR THE FUTURE EXPANSION OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
Important findings – markets and productivity
Task 4.1: The economics of the hyper-intensive farming technology system vs.
conventional farming system (CFS) (see also DL 13)
Background and main findings
In part I, an economic analysis of a halibut farm was undertaken. In the base case, a
farm with annual production capacity of 200 tonnes is analysed. Investments in this farm
represent about € 1.9 million. To double the production capacity to 400 tonnes, which is
also considered, additional investments of about € 1.35 million are required. A doubling
in output to 400 tonnes per year will reduce the average cost per kg of halibut produced
from € 6.78 to € 5.88, a reduction of 13.3 % per kg. This indicates fairly important
economies of scale. As additional investment costs are relatively lower than the increase
in output, this indicates a source of economies of scale.
In part II, results from an economic analysis of a turbot farm are presented. The base
case is a farm with annual production capacity of 133 tonnes. Investments in a turbot
farm with production capacity of about 133 tonnes per year represent about € 4.3 million.
To treble the production capacity to 400 tonnes, additional investments of about € 1.80
million are required. A number of sensitivity analyses were undertaken. An increase in
the growth rate so that the average weight per fish per harvest is 1.5 kg as opposed to 1.2
kg in the baseline, leads to a reduction in production cost to € 4.32 per kg, or 15% less
than in the base case.
In part III, a market analysis for sole, turbot and halibut is presented. Dover sole is
currently farmed in very small quantities in countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece.
The production increase over the next five years is expected to be limited; total
production may possibly reach 1,000 tonnes. The average price is currently (May 2008) €
14 per kg, but fluctuates a lot. Cost of production is believed to be similar to that of
turbot, although the juvenile cost will be higher. Dover sole is a popular product and has
a very large market potential.
Galicia is the largest producing area for turbot in the world. The production is expected
to increase from 5,900 tonnes in 2007 to 7,500 tonnes in 2008. World production of
turbot was 7,800 tonnes in 2007 and is expected to reach almost 9,500 tonnes in 2008.
Cost of production for large farms is € 5.00 – 5.50 per kg in Galicia. Packaging and
transport is another € 1.00 on top of this. Smaller farms will, however, have higher costs
of production. Turbot prices have been high over the past few years. The price has,
however, shown a reduction in 2008; in July the price was recorded as € 7.00/kg.
Production increases for halibut are likely to be limited in the near future. Thus, the
impact on price should be limited.
Page 23 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – designing Industrial Production Centres for Seafood
Task 4.2: Designing Industrial Parks for Aquaculture or Industrial Production
Centres for Seafood (IPS) (see also DL 14 and 15)
THE EUROPEAN VISION FOR MARITIME AND AQUACULTURE CLUSTERS
The Aquaculture Cluster
EU has as indicated a net import of seafood products of more then 10,000 million Euro
when corrected for export of seafood products – and the trend is increasing. The ambition
should be to reduce this import in parallel to an expected increase in seafood
consumption among European consumers. This can only be achieved through a
staggering expansion of within EU aquaculture production.
Seeds for this expansion have been laid many places in Europe. Chile may
illustrate the seed topic - as it started out during the early 1980s with salmon farming and
reached 10,000 tonnes in 1990 – followed by an astonishing expansion in the next two
decades – passing 700,000 tonnes in 2007 to a value beyond 2,000 million US$. A
similar development might be achieved across Europe by drawing on strong regional and
national motivation for sustainable enterprise expansion within aquaculture – with
Greece as an encouraging European example of what can be achieved.
A great part of this expansion could take place at land-based facilities and more
so since the new technology launched in this project reduces land use to 10-20% of that
needed with conventional technology. The rapid progress within auxiliary sectors for
land-based aquaculture – such as efficient recirculation technology also for seawater,
farming of marine organisms in fresh water and adding of new attractive fish and
shellfish species to the list of potential species to be cultured – opens up for new business
concepts and farming in clusters located closer to important markets.
The development of the salmon industry is an excellent case to learn from - as it
started out with a small production of a costly niche product and expanded into a
commodity product accessible for almost any European citizen – due to efficient
distribution and an affordable price. A similar trend may be expected for the next wave of
seafood products from aquaculture - and more so if it is organised in a cluster structure
that has diversification, competitiveness and sustainability as main priorities.
A cluster structure for aquaculture might be rather similar to that of many other sectors
organised as clusters – although it is not without dangerous pitfalls. On one side the
activity is co-located to take advantage of geography and interaction across a wide range
of topics. On the other side individual clusters can be part of a web under an umbrella of
a far larger structure to further take advantage of synergy effects. Numerous “umbrella
clusters” are spread across Europe and to mention some few in the maritime sectors, you
have ship building, maritime services, shipping, off-shore and fishing. A thorough and
updated presentation of maritime clusters is given in the report “DYNAMIC
EUROPEAN MARITIME CLUSTERS” (editor Wijnolst, 2006). The strong focus on
maritime clusters has resulted in the formation of numerous EU instruments for dedicated
enhancement of the sector, such as “Cluster linked over Europe (Cloe)” and as
Waterborne In other important sectors of European economy similar structures exists
with the “Paper Province” cluster between Sweden and Finland as one example. There
even exists a cluster for better city planning in EU, as the BaltMet Inno for the Baltic
region.
Page 24 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – socio-economic implications of the new rearing system
Task 4.3: Socio-economic implications of wide-spread installation of IPS for future
European seafood industry (see also DL 14)
Better use of resources
In general seafood production with the shallow raceways technology will give 5-10 times
more biomass/m2 surface of land than conventional farming technology. The far higher
biomass production within this type of cluster might make it possible to establish a
variety of auxiliary enterprises that might as well serve smaller neighbouring clusters or
individual aquaculture companies in the same region, thus making the bigger cluster to an
important resource for the region. The topic of the general lay out and the associated
auxiliary industry are illustrated in Table 1 for an Aquaculture Cluster on 75ha of land
with either conventional farming technology (CFT) or the shallow raceways technology
(SRS).
Table 1 An Aquaculture Cluster on 75 ha of land with Conventional farming technology (CFT) and shallow
raceways technology (SRS) and their resulting production characteristics.
PRODUCTI
ON
SYSTEM
CFT
SRS
NET
TANK
SURFA
CE
M2
HAR
VES
T
KG/
M2
PRODUC
TION
PER
YEAR
TONNES
FIRST
HAND
VALUE IN
MILL
€/YEAR
(8€/KG)
72
400
TONN
ES
PER
EMPL
OYEE
INVEST.
COST (€)
/KG
PRODUCTI
ON
CAPACITY
14-20
12-15
PRODUCTI
ON
COST IN
€/KG
360.000
25
9.000
30-50
5-7
1.600.00
32
50.000
1004-6
0
200
2
Land available: 750,000 m (75 ha)
Factor for fish production (building/brut tank space): 60% - thus 40% of land available for auxiliary
activities
Factor for building use rate: Conventional 80%; Ultra-intensive: 60%
Level of tanks: Conventional: 1 level; Hyper-intensive: 6 levels
Animal welfare
The question of animal welfare at high fish density has been launched by some inside and
outside the industry - since fish density is higher in shallow raceways than in
conventional tanks. With respect to flatfish (as turbot and sole) and bottom-dwelling fish
species (as spotted wolffish) in shallow raceways they will have access to better water
exchange close to the bottom where they are respiring, due to hydraulic forces – a topic
studied profoundly in this project. The uses of floating feed makes feeding easy and
reduce negative social interaction. Besides, the system is continuously self-cleaning. With
respect to pelagic (as sea bream, salmonids) and round-fish species (as cod) they will be
schooling or shoaling – most of them against the current direction - “stemming the
current” – and be well organised with minor negative interaction and with easy access to
floating feed due to short distance to surface. Finally, the water quality is easier to
monitor correctly and adjust accordingly than with CFT-tanks. All-in-all the SRS may
offer numerous advantages while at the same time improving the welfare situation for
animals in culture.
Page 25 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Important findings – European competitiveness
Task 4.4: Implication of IPS for European competitiveness in the global seafood
market (see also DL15)
The farming technology launched in this project could contribute significantly to reduce
European seafood import (EU has as indicated a net import of seafood products of more
then 10,000 million Euro when corrected for export of seafood products – and the trend is
increasing.) by dedicating 1500 ha of coastal land for each one million tonnes of export
substitute from land-based aquaculture. A likely solution will be that most of the
production takes place in a few of the 20 coastal states and that the production is divided
among numerous clusters in each of these countries. Member states in the Atlantic Arch
(http://www.arcat.org/) – see Fig. 17 - should thus be heavily involved in the realisation
of this undertaking as they each have ongoing “seed activities”. Galicia has been
commented on – an important partner in the Atlantic Arch – as the region has launched a
very ambitious aquaculture plan for about 25 Aquaculture Clusters on a total of 320 ha of
coastal land. Implementation of the ultra-intensive farming technology on those 320 ha of
land, would make a production of 200,000 tonnes possible to achieve compared to 25,000
tonnes planned with conventional farming technology.
Fig. 17. The Atlantic Arch – a region very adequate for Aquaculture Clusters.
Conclusions and recommendations:
The findings of the RACEWAYS project should be evaluated in the context of European
competitiveness in the global seafood market. If so done, it seems to be possible to
achieve a substantial expansion in European Union production of aquatic organisms.
The expected sharp increase in demand of seafood in Europe - and beyond - will
strengthen this trend and make ambitious expansion possible. Even with improved
management of fisheries, most of the increased demand for seafood will need to be met
by expanded production from aquaculture. With the present imported volume to EU of 3
million tonnes, at least 1/3 should come from land-based aquaculture clusters with focus
on niche species. A concomitant expansion of net cage farming of commodity species
should cover 2/3 of the EU needs. Further expansion of the two branches of production
should be given high priority by the Commission.
Page 26 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
2. Dissemination and use
Relevance to SME and the SME sector needs
The European aquaculture industry has expanded extensively in the last decade, but is almost exclusively
dominated by the production of some few pelagic fish species. The aquaculture of bottom-dwelling fish
species has thus not expanded at the same rate. At present, farming of bottom-dwelling species is very
space-demanding, as a traditional turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) farm will need 25,000 m2 of land for
each 1000 tonnes of yearly production. In addition, this production is labour-intensive, and has inefficient
logistic solutions for large-scale production. These constraints have clearly slowed down the diversification
of the European aquaculture industry into land-based farming of bottom-dwelling species.
The most important application of the proposed project for a hyper-intensive farming system is to be able to
implement fish farms that work well from day one. The obvious advantage from that is that the farms can
achieve their economic goals without severe setbacks caused by bad planning, unsuited construction and
inefficient logistic. Consequently, the farms can focus on their production of fish, and continuously
optimize operation and logistic solutions. By introduction of the hyper-intensive production method the
SMEs can expand their activities further, causing a fast growth in European land-based fish production.
Thoroughly tested prototype units or modules of the SRS with a variety of fish species, will form the basis
for the subsequent construction of commercial-sized farms among the SMEs in the consortium. These first
farms may continue the innovation with focus on introduction of new fish species in European culture. All
the auxiliary logistic elements needed to operate the farm efficiently, might be implemented in full-scale
farming operation. Among these are the recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) in conjunction with the
SRS, a technology package that though will need some further elaboration when implemented in
commercial-scale farms. Finally, operational protocols will be available so that the running of any farm will
be efficient and adequate.
The new low-salinity rearing regime developed in this project, is expected to make production time
reductions feasible in farms, as probably shown by participating SMEs. Preliminary investigations (Imsland
et al. 2001, 2003) have indicated that rearing at low or intermediate salinities might yield a 10-20% higher
production per time unit. Thus the SMEs competitiveness will be clearly improved by the project if the
anticipated growth increase is achieved. Reducing the on-growing period will reduce the need for
investments for a given production target or increase the production target with a given production facility.
Further the feed conversion factor is expected to be reduced by about 15%, a very important improvement,
as feed costs constitute approximately 25% of the total production costs in aquaculture production.
Impact on European market
Diversification of the aquaculture industry into high-valued aquaculture species like those validated in the
present proposal will expand as soon as a profitable production concept is at hand. The hyper-intensive
concept might significantly accelerate an industry that has increased far more slowly than what has been
seen for Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, sea bass and sea bream farming in the 90s. Europe has good
presupposition to be almost self-sufficient of a wide range of seafood products and to be an exporter of
some of these. The land-based hyper-intensive concept will make bio-production possible in regions
otherwise excluded from it. The land-based aquaculture is at its very beginning in Europe, with a total
production of about 6,000 tonnes (mainly turbot and halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus). The hyperintensive fish-farming concept will make it far more lucrative to start new businesses, because of lower
investments per kilogram of production capacity and lower cost per kilogram produced.
Shallow raceways in racks will make it possible to farm fish species in as much as ten separate levels
almost like a bookshelf in a library. In this new concept of land-based fish farming, special emphasis is put
on rational utilisation of resources, natural resources included. The economic potential of speciesdiversification is in focus as are technical innovations that will scrutinise environmental and fish welfare
aspects. A multi-disciplinary approach is consequently applied, as environmental, social and economic
effects are considered to operate in a concerted action. The hyper-intensive concept will be an all-round
facility for all types of fish species, also pelagic. Even shellfish species like tropical shrimp might be
relevant to farm in this system based on future innovation.
Page 27 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
FINAL PLAN FOR DISSEMINATION THE KNOWLEDGE
A. Exploitable knowledge and its Use
Section 1 - Exploitable knowledge and its Use
Overview table
Exploitable
Knowledge
(description)
1. New rearing
concept, shallow
raceways in racks,
for demersal fish
species
2.
Effects
of
reduced salinities
on growth, feed
conversion
efficiency
and
blood physiology
of Atlantic halibut
3.
Significant
improvement of
growth and feed
conversion in SRS
compared
to
conventional tanks
4. Definition of
metal
toxicity
tolerance
for
turbot
5. Production of
bottom-dwelling
fish juveniles in
SRS
6.
A
comprehensive
synthesis of water
quality in SRS
7.
Blood
physiology
in
different rearing
units
8.
A
SRS+Reuse+RAS
system and restore
water quality en
route
9. Economic study
of aquaculture in
the SRS
10. Prescription of
Industrial
Parks
for Aquaculture
11.
Market
analysis for sole,
turbot and halibut
Aquaculture
Timetable for
commercial
use
2007
Biological
knowledge
Aquaculture
2007
NA
NA
Biological
knowledge
Aquaculture
2007
NA
NA
Technical
knowledge
Aquaculture
2007
NA
NA
Biological
knowledge
Aquaculture
2008
NA
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
Biological
knowledge
Aquaculture
2008
NA
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
Biological
knowledge
Aquaculture
2008
NA
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
Biological
knowledge,
technical devise
Aquaculture
2008
NA
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
Economic
technical
knowledge
Economic
technical
knowledge
Economic
technical
knowledge
and
Aquaculture,
fish economics
2008
NA
and
Aquaculture
2008
NA
and
Aquaculture,
fish economics
2008
NA
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
Exploitable
product(s) or
measure(s)
Biological
knowledge
Sector(s) of
application
Page 28 of 35
Patents or other
IPR protection
No
patents
foreseen
Owner & Other
Partner(s) involved
General knowledge
and no specific
owner
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
1. New rearing concept, shallow raceways (SRS) in racks, for demersal fish species
The consortium intends to exploit the results to improve competitiveness through introduction of the new
rearing concept for European aquaculture. It will also promote the utilisation of the findings with respect to
defined growth optima. In addition to the SME partners involved in the project, numerous private
companies will be kept updated on the progress made in both pilot and industrial scale. The advantage of
the SRS will be validated in a commercial scale trial, and made available for the aquaculture industry in
Europe through scientific publications and presentation on trade conferences.
2. Effects of reduced salinities on growth, feed conversion efficiency and blood physiology of Atlantic
halibut
It has been demonstrated that growth and feed conversion efficiency of juvenile Atlantic halibut can be
improved by rearing fish at intermediate salinities. The general trend with lower plasma: sodium, glucose,
pCo2, pH and HCO3- at 15‰ correspond to the observed higher growth and feed conversion efficiency in
Atlantic halibut at this salinity. The results clearly show that the optimum conditions for farming Atlantic
halibut, both with respect to growth rate and feed conversion, is at salinities lower than 32‰ with optima
between 15-25‰.. This is an important finding for the halibut industry. The result will be made available to
the European aquaculture industry through scientific publication.
3. Significant improvement of growth and feed conversion in SRS compared to conventional tanks
Our findings clearly show that that growth and feed conversion efficiency can be improved in turbot and
spotted wolffish culture by rearing the fish in shallow raceways. These findings may have important
consequences for optimization of commercial production of these species and could be applicable to other
bottom dwelling species. The result will be made available to the European aquaculture industry through
scientific publication and by feature article in a non-technical trade magazine.
4. Definition of metal toxicity tolerance in turbot
In Task 1.3 (metal toxicity studies) an experiment was carried out at the experimental facilities of
Norwegian Inst. of Water Research in Norway in autumn 2006. The experiment demonstrated a generally
high tolerance to iron in young turbot, and low acute toxicity was seen. Some mortality occurred at 1000
µg/l. There were some effects from the treatments reflected in blood gas physiology. Depending on the
success and quality of the results scientific publication will be considered with recommendation of iron
values to be used in land-based culture of turbot.
5. Production of bottom-dwelling fish juveniles in SRS
- Results from FISKEY´s trials with forced settlement of Atlantic halibut in shallow raceways were positive
with high survival rates (up to 81%), but there are still some challenges as to the correct design of the
raceways in terms of water inlet/outlet, water velocity (due to the unevenness of the salmon egg trays used
as raceways), and the fact that the live feed (Artemia) used was transported through and out of the raceways
very quickly.
- Rearing of young sea bream (41 days post hatch) in raceways was performed at TIMAR. These results of
the study, which was carried out over 82 days (the fish increased from 18 mg to 200 mg during the course
of the trial), were very promising as very high densities were attained. The knowledge obtained in these
studies may be utilized by fish farmers and scientist both within and outside the consortium once published.
The results are not exploitable per se, but contributes to the biological knowledge already accumulated
within the field of rearing biology, and may thus form a platform for further research and optimization of
production in land-based intensive facilities.
6. A comprehensive synthesis of water quality in SRS
In several short-duration experiments implications of passing threshold limits for water quality parameters
will be quantified for turbot (at AP) organized in sub-populations and being exposed to gradually increasing
use of water and thus experiencing gradually increasing levels of metabolites (i.e. ammonia and CO 2).
Through these experiments it will be possible to form an image of the metabolic activity of the fish, and the
strain they put on the rearing water under natural production routines and identify the threshold values
causing reduced growth performance. Such data may provide a tool for foreseeing carrying capacity in SRS
facilities based on a species tolerance limit to critical water quality parameters. Globally, the results
obtained point in the direction of no visible effects of water reuse when turbot is cultivated in 15+15 m long
shallow raceways in series, with within-tank sedimentation in their outlet, solids settling boxes using
recycled seawater and high oxygen levels. This agrees with the first year experiments using one raceway
Page 29 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
partitioned in 4 replicated chambers. As no apparent effect of water quality was seen in juvenile turbot
(even under the high level of CO2 registered at the outlet) this may be a result of a fish adaptation to the
typical water quality values of the system. System stability, more than system WQ per se, might be the most
important factor to consider in this context.
7. Blood physiology of turbot in different rearing units
It has been demonstrated that easily analyzed blood physiological parameters may be useful welfare
indicators in turbot reared in land-based systems. The following observations of physiological alterations
related to production system and water supply may be used for practical purposes in monitoring of turbot
welfare:
 Blood ions: Na+ and K+ are influenced by salinity and decreases when salinity decreases. Baseline
values of both in full salinity water are well known.
 Blood gases: Partial pressure of CO2 in blood increases when CO2 in water increases. A similar
increase may be observed under hyperoxic conditions due to a reduction in gill ventilation
frequency
 Acid-base balance: An increase in blood pH may indicate an increase in water CO2 content. The
pH increase is a compensatory effect arising ionoregulatory adjustments that lead to a rise in
plasma HCO3- concentration.
 Urea content: An increase in blood urea content may indicate an increase in water ammonia
content, and is a detoxification process where ammonia is converted to the less toxic urea
compound.
8. A SRS+Reuse+RAS system
A SRS+Reuse+RAS working with 7 cm water depth was implemented at the lab scale and a dedicated
hardware and software monitoring system was developed for the on-line monitoring of the most important
WQ parameters. The main achievement of this prototype installation is the possibility of getting a first
insight on the challenges in design and operation of this particular aquaculture production system to the
farmers and for on-line monitoring system development. Maintaining a stable SRS operation is difficult and
it requires a correct tank design and careful monitoring of various system parameters. The enlarged
spectrum of the prototype on-line WQ monitoring system developed is already an important innovation for
the aquaculture industry, but its tailoring to the specific demands of SRS is by far more significant. It was
also intended to be versatile, with the capability of integration of other parameters (e.g., aeration pressure or
ammonia, as soon a transducer adapted to aquaculture recycle systems is available). Although this system
was developed based on a real situation, it was not yet conveniently tested. Its future adaptation to a fullscale production farm should be done after a pilot-plant study.
9. Economic study of aquaculture in the SRS
The SRS is postulated to represent a resource-saving production concept and thus improve the overall
economics of farming aquatic organisms. A variety of calculations will be made based on input data from
the experiments and full-scale production to illustrate the potential of this technology. The intention is also
to identify gains from specific production modules and prescribe the potential improvements to be observed
through further innovation. Comparisons have been made with regard to economies of scale, as these are
expected to be of particular importance.
Part 1. Economic analysis of a halibut farm.
In the base case, a farm with annual production capacity of 200 tonnes is analysed. Investments in this farm
represent about € 1.9 million. To double the production capacity to 400 tonnes, which is also considered,
additional investments of about € 1.35 million are required.
A doubling in output to 400 tonnes per year will reduce the average cost per kg of halibut produced from €
6.78 to € 5.88, a reduction of 13.3 % per kg. This indicates fairly important economies of scale. As
additional investment costs are relatively lower than the increase in output, this indicates a source of
economies of scale. In addition, with larger output the labour force and management are utilised more
efficiently, which will also bring down cost of production.
Part II. Economic analysis of turbot farm
In part II, results from an economic analysis of a turbot farm are presented. The base case is a farm with
annual production capacity of 133 tonnes. Investments in a turbot farm with production capacity of about
133 tonnes per year represent about € 4.3 million. To treble the production capacity to 400 tonnes,
additional investments of about € 1.80 million are required.
In the base case with an annual output of 133 tonnes, average cost per kg turbot is € 7.54. An expansion in
production capacity to an annual output level of 400 tonnes per year was also considered. This will reduce
Page 30 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
the average cost per kg of turbot produced to € 5.07, a reduction of about 33 % per kg compared to the
smaller farm. This indicates quite substantial economies of scale. As additional investment costs are
considerably less, relatively speaking, than the increase in output, this indicates a source of economies of
scale. In addition, with larger output the labour force and management are utilised more efficiently, which
will also bring down cost of production.
10. Prescription of Industrial Parks for Aquaculture
EU has as indicated a net import of seafood products of more then 10,000 million Euro when corrected for
export of seafood products – and the trend is increasing. The ambition should be to reduce this import in
parallel to an expected increase in seafood consumption among European consumers. This can only be
achieved through a staggering expansion of within EU aquaculture production. Seeds for this expansion
have been laid many places in Europe. Chile may illustrate the seed topic - as it started out during the early
1980s with salmon farming and reached 10,000 tonnes in 1990 – followed by an astonishing expansion in
the next two decades – passing 700,000 tonnes in 2007 to a value beyond 2,000 million US$. A similar
development might be achieved across Europe by drawing on strong regional and national motivation for
sustainable enterprise expansion within aquaculture – with Greece as an encouraging European example of
what can be achieved. A great part of this expansion could take place at land-based facilities and more so
since the new technology launched in this project reduces land use to 10-20% of that needed with
conventional technology. The rapid progress within auxiliary sectors for land-based aquaculture – such as
efficient recirculation technology also for seawater, farming of marine organisms in fresh water and adding
of new attractive fish and shellfish species to the list of potential species to be cultured – opens up for new
business concepts and farming in clusters located closer to important markets. The development of the
salmon industry is an excellent case to learn from - as it started out with a small production of a costly niche
product and expanded into a commodity product accessible for almost any European citizen – due to
efficient distribution and an affordable price. A similar trend may be expected for the next wave of seafood
products from aquaculture - and more so if it is organised in a cluster structure that has diversification,
competitiveness and sustainability as main priorities.
A cluster structure for aquaculture might be rather similar to that of many other sectors organised as clusters
– although it is not without dangerous pitfalls. On one side the activity is co-located to take advantage of
geography and interaction across a wide range of topics. On the other side individual clusters can be part of
a web under an umbrella of a far larger structure to further take advantage of synergy effects. Numerous
“umbrella clusters” are spread across Europe and to mention some few in the maritime sectors, you have
ship building, maritime services, shipping, off-shore and fishing. A thorough and updated presentation of
maritime clusters is given in the report “DYNAMIC EUROPEAN MARITIME CLUSTERS” (editor
Wijnolst, 2006). The strong focus on maritime clusters has resulted in the formation of numerous EU
instruments for dedicated enhancement of the sector, such as “Cluster linked over Europe (Cloe)” (Table
1) and as Waterborne (Table 1). In other important sectors of European economy similar structures exists
with the “Paper Province cluster between Sweden and Finland as one example. There even exists a cluster
for better city planning in EU, as the BaltMet Inno for the Baltic region.
11. Market analysis for sole, turbot and halibut
Dover sole
Dover sole is currently farmed in very small quantities in countries such as Spain (Galicia and the Canary
Islands) and Greece. The production increase over the next five years is expected to be limited; total
production may possibly reach 1,000 tonnes. The average price is currently (June 2008) € 14 per kg, but
fluctuates a lot. Cost of production is believed to be similar to that of turbot, although the juvenile cost will
be higher. This is because while turbot is harvested at a size of 1.0 – 2.0 kg per fish, sole is harvested at a
weight of 350 g.
Dover sole is a popular product and has a very large market potential. As production increases in coming
years are expected to be modest, they are likely to have a very limited impact on market price.
Turbot
Galicia is the largest producing area for turbot in the world. The production is expected to increase from
5,900 tonnes in 2007 to 7,500 tonnes in 2008. World production of turbot was 7,800 tonnes in 2007 and is
expected to reach almost 9,500 tonnes in 2008. Among other things, as a consequence of Acuinova’s
establishment of a turbot with a 7,000 tonne production capacity in Portugal, world output is expected to
reach 15,000 tonnes in 2010. Cost of production for large farms is € 5.00 – 5.50 per kg in Galicia.
Packaging and transport is another € 1.00 on top of this. Smaller farms will, however, have higher costs of
production. Portugal may possibly have lower cost of production than Galicia. One reason for that are
Page 31 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
better transportation routes. Turbot prices have been high over the past few years. In Galicia, average exfarm price was € 8 per kg or more for most of the period 2003-07. The price has, however, shown a
reduction in 2008; in July the price was recorded as € 7.00/kg. One reason for this is likely to be the
current the recession which, among other things, may reduce restaurant consumption. In addition, some
companies appear to experience problems, which mean they must sell. This puts pressure on the price.
According to the forecast mentioned above, turbot production may increase by more than 50% from 2008
to 2010. Turbot is a very popular product, and many markets remain to be exploited, in Europe and
elsewhere. Nevertheless, such a large production increase in a two year period is likely to put a downward
pressure on the price. The impetus is therefore on the producers to develop new markets.
Halibut
In terms of aquaculture, three countries globally record figures for the production of Atlantic halibut, the
United Kingdom, Iceland and Norway (Fig. 3.3). Production globally has grown substantially since its takeoff, and although Icelandic production stopped in 2003-2004, it continues to grow. UK production has
increased from 1 tonne in 2000 to 272 tonnes in 2005. Similarly, Norwegian production has increased from
its uptake at 424 tonnes in 2002 to 1,185 tonnes in 2005. In 2005 EU production equated to 23% of global
production. The value of production has also increased, although not by the same extent (Fig. 3.4). Between
2002 and 2005 the value of United Kingdom output increased by only 11% and Norwegian output by
121%. The corresponding global increase was only 58%. When prices in the form of Euro per kg are
derived (Fig. 3.5), however, there is some consistency in the price obtained by the three countries, with less
than 10% divergence between them. Production increases for halibut are likely to be limited in the near
future. Thus, the impact on price should be limited.
Page 32 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
B. Dissemination of knowledge
Overview table
Planned/
actual
Type
Dates
May 06
Press
release(press/radio/TV)
May 06
Media briefing
Jan 07
Publications
(Aquaculture)
Feb. 07
Publications (peer review
journal, PRJ)
Mar. 07
Posters
(World
Aquaculture Society)
Jun 07
Publications (PRJ)
Sept 07
Publications (PRJ)
Nov 07
Publications (PRJ)
Dec 07
Presentation in national
meeting
Feb 08
Presentation in national
meeting
Jan 08
Publications (PRJ)
Feb 08
Publications (PRJ)
March 08 Publications (PRJ)
Jun 08
Publications (PRJ)
Sept 08
Publications (PRJ)
1
PhD study (finished)
May 08
Countries
addressed
Iceland
60000
Partner
responsible
/involved
B1
General public
Scientists, students
Norway
Several
10000
10000
B1, A6
B1, A2
Scientists, students
Several
1000
B1, A3
General public
Several
2000
B1
1000
1000
1000
100
B1
B1
B2
B2
100
B2
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Several
Several
Several
Portugal,
Spain
Portugal,
Spain
Several
Several
Several
Several
Several
Spain
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
50-100
B1-B4
B1-B4
B1,B2,B3
B1-B4
B1-B4
B2
Type of audience
General public
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Scientist, student
Size of
audience
May 082
May 083
Master study
Scientist, student
Portugal
50-100
B2
Master study
Scientist, student
Portugal
50-100
B2
May 084
Master study
Scientist, student
Portugal
50-100
B2
In the first half of the project, dissemination of information about the project was limited to the consortium
partners. During the second half of the project, articles have been submitted and published in scientific
journals as well as in more industrially oriented magazines. These publications will include all scientific
results in all areas of the projects. The SMEs, Universities and Research Institutes will allow the free use of
scientific results obtained through the proposed project after their presentation through publications,
international conferences and open workshops. These results will be available to all EU aquaculture industry.
1 Masalo, I.. – Hydrodynamic characterisation of aquaculture tanks and design criteria for improving self-cleaning properties. PhD
thesis in Food and Agriculture Biotechnology. Department of Food and Agriculture Engineering and Biotechnology of the Technical
University of Catalonia. Castelldefels. February, 2008. Supervisor: Oca, J.
2 Matos, A. – Classical, molecular and multivariate analysis of bacterial diversity in a shallow-raceway-marine farm with water reuse
and recirculation. MSc in Ecology, Environment and Territory, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 2007-2008. Supervisors:
Borges, M-T (DZA-FCUP and Ciimar-UP), Castro, PML (ESB-UCP). Thesis submission: July 2008. Public presentation: to be
scheduled. (Executive Summary in Annex I)
3 Peixe, C. – Preparation and characterization of ammonium ion sensors. MSc in Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of
Porto, 2007-2008. Supervisors: Pereira, CM (DQ-FCUP and CIQ-UP), Borges, M-T (DZA-FCUP and Ciimar-UP). Thesis
submission: to be scheduled. Public presentation: to be scheduled. (Executive Summary in Annex I)
4 Ribeiro, H. – Studies on nitrification in biofilms of a MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) biofilter operating in a marine fish
farm. MSc in Environmental Science and Technology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 2007-2008. Supervisors: Borges, MT (DZA-FCUP and Ciimar-UP), Castro, PML (ESB-UCP). Thesis submission: October 2008. Public presentation: to be scheduled.
(Executive Summary in Annex I)
Page 33 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
Publications (peer review journals, PRJ)
In cooperation with the SMEs involved, data from both small scale laboratory trials and large scale
industrial trials will be published, when feasible and agreed between all partners, in acknowledged
scientific journals. Candidate journals are Aquaculture, Aquaculture Research, Fish Physiology and
Biochemistry, Aquaculture International, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and Journal
of the World Aquaculture Society.
Conferences and exhibitions
Data obtained in the project that are not subject to limitations, i.e. industrial protection, may be presented
orally or as posters in national (within each country in question) and international conferences such as the
annual meetings of the European Aquaculture Society.
Section 3 - Publishable results
The project will in the next reporting period produce rearing protocols in the form of scientific publications
that will greatly contribute to the exploitation of turbot as an important aquaculture species in Europe. The
biological part of the project will result in a number of distinct protocols for turbot rearing and ongrowing.
However, it is important to acknowledge that the biological knowledge and expertise generated in the
project is not seen as patentable and cannot be seen as an exploitable result in the same manner as
technical innovations can.
C. Publishable results
Peer review publications
1. Imsland, A.K., Foss, A., Gunnarsson, S., Sparboe, L.O.. Øiestad, V. and Sigurðsson, S. 2007.
Comparison of juvenile spotted wolffish Anarhichas minor growth in shallow raceways and circular
tanks. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 38, 154-160.
2. Imsland, A.K., Gústavsson, A., Gunnarsson, S., Foss, A., Árnason, J., Jónsson, A., Smáradóttir, H.,
Arnarson, I. and Thorarensen, H. 2008. Effects of reduced salinities on growth, feed conversion
efficiency and blood physiology of juvenile Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.).
Aquaculture 274, 254-259.
3. Imsland, A.K., Jenssen, M.D., Jonassen, T.M. and Stefansson, S.O. 2008. Best among unequals? Effect
of different size grading and social environments on the growth performance of juvenile Atlantic
halibut. Aquaculture International (in press).
4. Magnussen, A.B., Imsland, A.K. and Foss, A. 2008. Interaction of different temperatures and salinities
on growth, feed conversion efficiency and blood physiology in juvenile spotted wolffish Anarhichas
minor Olafsen. Journal of World Aquaculture Society 39, 000-000.
5. Imsland, A.K., Gunnarsson, S., Foss, A. Sigurðsson, B. and Sigurðsson, S. 2008. Stocking Density and
its influence on growth of spotted wolffish, Anarhichas minor, in shallow raceways. Journal of World
Aquaculture Society 40, 000-000.
6. Imsland, A.K., Gunnarsson, S., Ásgeirsson, Á., Kristjánsson, B., Árnason, J., Jónsson, A.F.,
Smáradóttir, H. and Thorarensen, H. Long term rearing of Atlantic halibut at intermediate salinities:
effect on growth and blood physiology. Journal of World Aquaculture Society (submitted).
7. Matos, A, Peixe, C, Borges, M-T, Henriques, I, Pereira, CM, Castro, PML, 2008 - Molecular and
multivariate approach to the microbial community of a commercial shallow-raceway-marine
recirculation system operating with a Moving Bed Biofilter. Submitted to Aquaculture.
8. Borges, M-T, Peixe, C, Matos, A, Pereira, CM, Castro, PML, Øiestad, V - Water quality and water
reuse effects in shallow raceways combined with recirculation technology for the production of
juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). In prep.
9. Borges, M-T, Santos, I, Restivo, T, Gabriel, J, Pereira, CM – Waterscan – a prototype application for
water quality evaluation in shallow raceway systems. In prep.
10. Matos, A, Borges, M-T, Castro, PML - Classical, molecular and multivariate analysis of bacterial
diversity in a shallow-raceway-marine farm with water reuse and recirculation. In prep.
11. Borges, M-T, Ribeiro, H – Controlled evaluation of nitrification rates and carrier nitrifier enrichment as
tools to improve MBBR performance. In prep.
12. Reig, L., Oca, J. A comprehensive tool to define criteria for the design and management of shallow
raceways for flatfish culture. In prep.
13. Oca, J., Duarte, S., Reig, L. Laser scanning, a reliable method to assess flatfish distribution in a
raceway. In prep.
Page 34 of 35
Final activity report – Project No 016869 – RACEWAYS
14. Almansa, C., Reig, L., Oca. J. Evaluation of changes in flatfish distribution in shallow raceways
according to changes in several rearing parameters evaluated by laser scanning. In prep.
15. Masaló, I., Moyà, A., Reig, L., Oca, J. Analysis of the influence of fish density and water depth in the
hydrodynamics of a shallow raceway, using flatfish dummies and Residence Time Distribution analysis.
In prep.
Proceedings, conferences, workshops, book chapters
16. Øiestad, V., Foss, A. and Imsland, A.K. 2007. Industrial aquaculture parks offer intensive alternative
for land-based seafood production. Global Aquaculture Advocate 10 (5), 66-70.
17. Imsland, A.K. and Gunnarsson, S. 2008. Hlýri - Kjörin eldistegund við íslenskar aðstæður? (Spotted
wolffish – An ideal candidate for fish farming in Iceland?). Náttúrufræðingurinn 76, 132-138 (in
Icelandic with English abstract).
18. Matos, A, Borges, M-T, Castro, PML, 2007 – Microbial community distribution and dynamics in a
shallow raceway recirculating mariculture system. Congress Micro’07-Biotec’07-XXXIIIJPG, Lisbon
30 Nov-2 Dez 2007, Abstract Book (Escola Superior de Biotecnologia Ed.), p. 136.
19. Peixe, C, Pereira, CM, Silva, F, Borges, M-T, 2008 – Sensor for amperometric determination of
ammonia in seawater. IJUP08 – Young Researchers of University of Porto Meeting, Porto 20-22-Feb
2008, Abstract Book p. 127.
20. Oca, J., Duarte S., Reig, L. 2007. Evaluation of spatial distribution of flatfish by laser scanning.
Aquaculture Europe 2007, "Competing claims" (Istanbul – Turkey). Book of abstracts, pp 157.
21. Reig, L., Oca, J. Tecnologies apropiades per l’aqüicultura a Catalunya. I. Simposi d’Aqüicultura. De
Catalunya. XRAq de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Barcelona (Spain) 6-8 febrer 2008.
22. PhD course, The Economics of Salmon Aquaculture, CEMARE, University of Portsmouth, 1-5
September 2008: Presentation of “An Economic Analysis of a Turbot Farm” (T. Bjorndal).
23. The Economics of Salmon Aquaculture (T. Bjorndal and F. Asche, eds; Blackwell, 2009 forthcoming);
section based on “An Economic Analysis of a Turbot Farm”.
24. Øiestad, V. and Bjørndal, T. 2007. INDUSTRIAL PARKS FOR AQUACULTURE, The International
Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, 10th - 14th June 2007, Arendal, Norway, Book
of Abstracts, p. 142.
25. Øiestad, V. and Bjørndal, T. 2007. PARQUES INDUSTRIALES DE ACUICULTURA, The
International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, 10th - 14th June 2007, Arendal,
Norway, Book of Abstracts, p. 142.
26. Øiestad, V. 2007. Industrial Parks for Aquaculture – now launched in Spain. Presentation during the
conference “Farming the Sea”, Refsnes Gods – Moss (Norway), 21st and 22nd of August 2007
http://www.umb.no/statisk/ior_english/oiestad.pdf
27. Øiestad, V. and Pérez Carracasco, L.A. 2007. Nuevos sistemas de producción en tierra: Una
oportunidad para el liderazgo tecnológico, Ruta Pesquera, Nov 2007, pp 18-19.
Page 35 of 35