After the exhibition,we go to visit Evans Fish Farm, which was established in 1998, is a 100-acre fish farm located in Pierson, Flo., about an hour and 40 minutes drive from downtown Orlando. The farm is one of the first complete sturgeon aquaculture operations in the United States. The farm raises four species of sturgeon for its caviar – Ossetra (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), Sevruge (Acipenser stellatus), Siberian (Acipenser baerii) and Beluga (huso huso). The farm spawns each of these species and hand rear the young fish. The farm currently has 2ndand 3rd generation farm-raised sturgeon. They also farm tilapia and hybrid striped bass.

Aquaculture Systems

Much has been written about the rapid increase in the number of onshore aquaculture facilities.

This is due to several factors, among them increased demand for seafood due to population growth and a greater understanding of the nutritional benefits of eating fish; increased pollution of seas and oceans and over-fishing, resulting in a decline in fish populations around the globe; and a growing awareness of the significant environmental advantages of closed-containment, recirculating aquaculture system-based technology.

It is this last element that is the key to securing a sustainable future for aquaculture.

Advantages of Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) Technology

Recirculating aquaculture systems technology offers several significant advantages over other existing aquaculture methods.

Growing fish in a land-based, closed, and controlled environment reduces the risk of disease contamination.

No antibiotics or disease treatments are involved in a normal production process, so the fish produced are healthier.

Water motion in the rearing tanks allows the growers to exercise the fish, which in some fish species results in a more natural fat and tissue composition.

Since RAS technology is not entirely dependent on proximity to a specific water source, the facility can be built close to market, resulting in a shorter time from water to plate, and reduced transportation costs. Another advantage of recirculating aquaculture systems is that its advanced filtering capabilities significantly reduce water pollution from feed, feces, and chemical waste, making it a much more sustainable alternative to other aquaculture methods.

In terms of efficiency and productivity, RAS enable continuous harvest year-round, and fish grow to commercial size faster when compared with other aquaculture methods.

Faster growth usually means better conversion of feed to fish mass, and overall lower impact on the entire production chain and production costs, thanks to complete control of water temperature and the ability of recirculating aquaculture systems to maintain optimum oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

Leading the Way: Advanced RAS-Based Installations

Dozens of recirculating aquaculture system-based installations are successfully operating around the world, and as seafood industry stakeholders and financial investors increasingly recognize the many significant advantages of recirculating aquaculture systems technology, we are seeing greater demand for these facilities.

AquaMaof is a unique coming-together of aquaculture system veterans and professionals, each competent in a broad array of subdisciplines of aquaculture.