Binyamina, Israel-based Pure Blue Fish (PBF) has announced that it has taken in 10,000 red drum to the company's operations in what it has called the world's first commercial recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) that fully recirculates its water.
According to Pure Blue Fish, its RAS is entirely isolated from the environment, and does not need to either intake or discharge water.
"We’ve proven it works. By developing biological methods unique to us, we’ve essentially created a microcosm of the ocean, without needing the sea," PBF Director of Technologies, marine biologist Ehud Brill said.
PBF said that they aim to begin “a revolution in the global food sector, offering an environmentally friendly solution to raise sea fish away from ocean waters without polluting the environment, and 100 percent of the water is treated using PBF’s technology."
The fish have only recently been introduced to its farm, but the company said once the technology is proven it plans to establish numerous farms across the U.S.A.
“The most significant outcome of PBF's technological development is the ability to set up fish farms in any desired geographical location, without the limitation of proximity to the sea or ocean," PBF CEO Yuval Weiss said.
PBF’s red drum were placed in farm pods in July 2024, and are, according to the company, performing well. The fish will remain in the pools until they reach market size and then will be sold exclusively through local markets.
The company said it breeds a variety of fish in order to cater to local tastes, and seeks to align with several UN sustainability goals, including food security, responsible consumption and production, decent work and economic growth, and environmentally friendly practices.
"The fish are thriving," Brill said. "PBF brings great value to the world by offering the capability to sustainably grow sea fish anywhere, without relying on an ocean water source and without polluting emissions into the environment.”
The company added that it plans to open its planned RAS in Orangeburg, South Carolina, U.S.A. in 2025. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture first announced the company's intention to build a facility at the site in 2020. The company originally said it would have an original capacity of 4,600 metric tons (MT) of fish, but increased that total to 5,000 MT in its latest update.
While Pure Blue Fish claims to be operating the world's first fully recirculating RAS, beleaguered Nova Scotia, Canada-based Atlantic Salmon farmer Sustainable Blue has also claimed to be operating a 100-percent recirculating RAS. Sustainable Blue CEO Kirk Havercroft told SeafoodSource the company has developed a zero-discharge RAS for salmon that does not release any water into the marine environment, allowing it to farm Atlantic salmon in salt water with lower water use requirements than other systems.
