WHERE SHOULD I PUT THIS FISH CAGE?

CHOOSING THE BEST LOCATION FOR AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY

(LA | 24/03/2023)

 

The urgency to develop aquaculture has emerged in the past decades. Globally, the production share between capture and aquaculture has shown a big difference. The efficiency of fish production using aquaculture indicates a better sustainable source of food. In the past few years, the fishing industry has developed an engineering basis for offshore fish farms. It ensures the availability of high-demand fish species like tuna, seabass, barramundi, sablefish, etc., and several mollusks like abalone, mussels, scallops, etc.

Figure 1 World Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture Production, 1980–2030 (Source: FAO, 2022 in https://www.fao.org/3/cc0461en/online/sofia/2022/fisheries-and-aquaculture-projections.html)

Having optimal fish farm production means that the local environment must support the growth of the fish. Determining the best location for offshore fish farming is than seeking a place for an oil platform. The considerations include environmental conditions, namely salinity, temperature, oxygen capacity, water flow, wave climate, etc. That information will be processed with the help of environmental experts to come up with an efficient solution in finding the best place for fish farms.

Figure 2 Fish Farm in Loch Ainort (Source: Geograph, 2010 in https://www.geograph.org.uk)

Seeing this huge potential in the fish farm industry, together with our partners in Kiel, Germany, we pour our knowledge to develop a supporting program. This program is designed to calculate the suitability of locations for the fish farm. We call the program The Decision Support System for Sustainable Marine Aquaculture. Aqualab can process various environmental observations results into a site design study.

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Figure 3 Interface of AquaLab: The Decision Support System for Sustainable Marine Aquaculture

Are you interested in knowing more about Aqualab? Stay tuned on our LinkedIn.