08/06/2012

Recent examples on sustainable aquaculture development in Denmark

Lars-Flemming Pedersen

Bsumer Fischtag, 7/6 2012

DTU Aqua National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Section for Aquaculture, Hirtshals, DK.

Recent examples on sustainable aquaculture development in Denmark

OUTLINE BackgroundandstatusinDenmark Fromflowthroughtorecirculation ModelTroutFarmconcept Challenges&Perspectives

http://www.aqua.dtu.dk/English/Research/Aquaculture.aspx

DTU Aqua

08/06/2012

Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Background&status
Danish trout production (freshwater)
50000 45000 40000 1.20 35000 1.30

30000 25000 20000 15000 1.00 10000 5000 0 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Production Feed consumption Feed quotient

1.10

0.90

National plan to increase the production > 3x

DTU Aqua

Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Background&status
Freshwater trout production prospectives

MT/year

Recomm. from a national aquaculture committee in 2002

FREA*
* Fully Recirc. Aquaculture systems

Model Trout Farm

Flow-through

Source: Danish Aquaculture Organization: Plan for Green Development, 2009

FQR (feed delivered / biomass gain)

Annual production (MT/yr)

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Danishaquaculture background&status
From flow-through to recirculation Decreasing # of aquaculture facilities Increasing average production / unit 2009: < 190 traditional fish farms > 25 model trout farms (RAS) (> 30% produced in MTF) Model trout farm concepts were implemented in 2004 Increased focus on sustainability discharge regulations EU-Water Frame Directive / EPA Environmental neutral production expansion sustainable development

Danish trout farms anno 2001

(From Faunapassage rapport, 2004)

DTU Aqua

Fromflowthroughtorecirculation
Flow-through
30 - 60 m3/kg

Model Trout Farm

3 - 4 m3/kg
Semi-recirc. with > 95% water reuse. Environmentally improved and economically feasible relying on RAS treatment components

Full Recirculation
0,2 0,4 m3/kg

Traditional flow-through rely on water intake from natural water courses

Advanced full RAS for high value species. > 70% of all large scale RAS designed by Danish companies

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Fromflowthroughtorecirculation
Nitrogenous and Carbonaceous loading is determined by the by the relative water consumption (kg feed/m3 make-up water)

Waste product

Dilution (Qin)

DTU Aqua

Fromflowthroughtorecirculation

Courtesy: P.B. Pedersen

DTU Aqua

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Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Modeltroutfarmcomponents sludgecones

Courtesy: A. Jokumsen

DTU Aqua

Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Modeltroutfarm components drumfilters

< 75 m mesh Solids removal + parasitic control

Courtesy: A. Jokumsen

DTU Aqua

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Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Modeltroutfarm components Biofilter

400 m2 biofilter surface pr. ton feed/yr NH3/NH4+ -NO2- & COD reduction
DTU Aqua

Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Modeltroutfarm components airlifts

Airlift: water circulation, O2 CO2

Alternative: Pumps, O2 and trickling filters

DTU Aqua

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Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Modeltroutfarm components constructedwetlands

Courtesy: P.B. Pedersen

+ Sludge compartments and geotubes [organic matter and nitrate removal]

25 m2 constructed wetland pr. ton feed/yr

DTU Aqua

Recirculatingaquaculturesystems Modeltroutfarms pros&cons

Water course
Advantages: Free water flow up/down stream and free fauna passage Reduced nutrient and organic matter losses per kg produced fish Reduced discharge of medicines and therapeutants and reduced maximum concentrations Improved oxygen conditions downstream the fish farm Reduced losses of fauna from water courses to the fish farm Happy entomologists and anglers

Fish farm
Advantages: Stable production conditions, incl. increased water temperature Improved efficiency of cleaning devices Improved management control and production planning Reduced risk of external infections Reduced need for medicine/antibiotics Improved work environment Disadvantages: Seasonal fish loss due to parasites Higher energy consumption per kg fish Risk of toxic levels of ammonia and NO2 Increased need of supervision and management Increased need of back-up systems: Electricity, oxygen, pumps, etc.

Disadvantages: None

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Removal efficiency in MTF

Parameter BI5 NH4+ TotalN TotalP Expected 75% 31% 60% Realized 93% 77% 50% 76%
(After PB. Pedersen & L. Svendsen, 2008)

Recirculatingaquaculturesystems
encouragementandincitementstoperformbetter
Model trout farm has proven successful and economical feasible - and new concepts have been developed. Raceways vs. circular tanks improved solids removal, fixed bed vs. moving bed biofilters and management experiences etc. Recent legislation allows feed allocation based on effluent values as opposed to a fixed feed quota. An additional motivation to improve management.
Parameters Wastecontribution (kg/tonsoffishproduced) 39 56 4,9 97 Discharged criteria* (kg/tonsoffishproduced) 25,4 52,1 2,7 27,1 Dischargedamounts(example) (kg/tonsoffishproduced) <20 <27 <1,4 <14

NH3+NH4N TotalNitrogen TotalPhosphorus BOD

DTU Aqua

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Recirculatingaquaculturesystems NewgenerationopenRASsystems[FREA]

DTU Aqua

Recirculatingaquaculturesystems NewgenerationRASsystems[FREA]

Design: 1 l/s makeup water 200 tons feed/year ~ 6 kg/m3 make-up water High N-P-C removal efficiency 1.1 kW/kg fish produced
Courtesy: P. Nielsen Nielsen Consulting, DK.

DTU Aqua

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ModelTroutFarms Challenges

Managementissues Waterquality(microbial&chemical) Pathogencontrol TANandnitritelevels(nitrification) Effluent treatment Reduce Ndischarge Endofpipe denitrification Sludgehandling

DTU Aqua

Perspectives
Environmentally neutral production expansion Effluent based regulation / discharge control increased focus and motivaiton on effluent composition MTF and big scale FREA systems (> 2000 MT/y) Landbased saltwater RAS Difficult conditions for traditional flow-through fish farms (Intensification or nich production) Energy, production and water treatment optimization

DTU Aqua

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Thanks for the attention

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