Optimal rearing conditions for salmon growth in recirculating aquaculture systems

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Land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) provide the opportunity to control environmental conditions to increase production opportunities while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. The net-pen industry rears up to 1 kg fish in RAS prior to release into ocean pens, and there is an emerging land-based industry attempting to rear salmon to market size in RAS. Although conditions for adequate growth are reasonably well described, conditions for optimal growth are largely unknown. Defining the truly optimal conditions that maximize growth, welfare, quality and cost-efficiencies in RAS is crucial for a sustainable and economically-feasible RAS industry. InSEAS (Initiative for the Study of the Environment and its Aquatic Systems) is a newly constructed, world-class aquatic research facility poised to define these conditions for rearing salmon in RAS. The overall goal of this grant is to determine optimal salinity and temperature, and the interaction with photoperiod, for Atlantic salmon, a common aquaculture species in North America, and coho salmon, a BC native fish that is increasingly being considered as a cultured species. We will assess the impact of salinity, temperature, and photoperiod on growth performance, physiological robustness, welfare, and product quality in Atlantic and coho salmon. Our experimental design allows us to identify optimal conditions for fish up to 1 kg (for the net-pen industry) and to market size (for the land-based industry). From this we will be able to precisely quantify the benefit of rearing salmon under more optimal conditions. Differences in growth performance under optimal conditions can be incorporated into economic feasibility models to project the economic impacts of our research. With its flexible research platform and strong industry support from land-based producers (Miracle Springs Inc., Kuterra LP, and Target Marine Hatcheries), a feed producer (Taplow Feeds) and government (BC Ministry of Agriculture), InSEAS is positioned to provide the land-based closed containment salmon aquaculture industry with the scientifically grounded information needed to enhance salmon production and increase Canada's competiveness in this emerging industry.