NIRAS increases competences and services for the land-based fish farming industry

Land-based fish farming has proven a beneficial alternative, and in many respects the advantages are so significant that producers are looking to large-scale land-based fish farming to keep up with consumer demand and to decrease their environmental footprint.

The migration of farms from sea to land

The benefits of land-based fish farming are numerous. While sea-based farming in some cases poses a series of risks to both captive-bred and wild fish in the form of parasites and genetic contamination (escaped captive fish breeding with wild fish leading to genetic problems that can end up eradicating entire fish tribes); land-based farming provides safe and controlled environments with minimal risk. Additionally, in the ocean environment, the release of nutrient salts from the farms to the wider ocean is a serious problem causing oxygen deficiency and marine decay.

Land-based farming provides a stable environment where technologies for nutrient optimisation and water reuse can be applied to minimise discharge and protect the wild fish tribes. Technology like Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) has been thoroughly tested and proven profitable on the long term, and design and engineering of land-based farms has seen significant progress in recent years.

Strengthening competences and services for land-based fish farming

NIRAS has increased competences and services for land-based fish farming after acquiring the employees and knowledge from Aqua-Partners ApS. Aqua-Partners ApS, a design and consultancy service company specialised in marine hatcheries and hatchery technology was founded in 1996 by Dr. Bent Urup. Their technology is specialised in seawater RAS with fish species such as (Steelhead salmon, Yellowtail Kingfish, Rainbow trout and Grouper). Aqua-Partners ApS has a long track record from many countries all over the world. NIRAS has made an agreement with Aqua-Partners ApS that NIRAS will be responsible for the Design & Engineering part including the knowledge base and Aqua–Partners ApS will be responsible for delivering the needed equipment for a land-based facility. NIRAS can deliver an even more comprehensive set of services to key clients and new start-ups  to help building a sustainable and profitable scalable productions.

Designing and engineering of land-based fish farms is complex and requires specialist knowledge, and all aspects of the project planning need to be considered in order to build financially and environmentally viable farms. With Aqua-Partners ApS' knowledge and experience, NIRAS offers a complete package within engineering, design and environment. This makes it possible for clients to get an integrated solution, encompassing all aspects of the design of land-based fish farming facilities.

With increased specialist knowledge and new opportunities within land-based facilities, NIRAS is equipped to meet the increasing demands from both clients and legislation. This shift towards land-based fish farming is not only economically beneficial, but also a necessary development to ensure the environment and the sustainability of the fishing industry.