Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel-based AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies, a specialist in recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology, will be launching an RAS design specifically for the rearing of shrimp by 2020.
AquaMaof said it successfully adapted its proprietary RAS technology to the production of whiteleg shrimp (Peneaus vannamei), achieving “a high-survival rate and disease-free results.” Its technology also makes it possible to complete partial harvests of varying sizes of shrimp and allows control over the color of the shrimp and their genetics, the company said in a press release.
“Three years ago, we began to notice growing shrimp demand on the one hand, and the many challenges faced by the traditional shrimp aquaculture industry on the other. We decided to adapt our proven integrated RAS technology for the indoor production of shrimp,” AquaMaof CEO David Hazut said. “Moving production indoors in a closed containment environment has enabled us to overcome many of the industry’s challenges and become the first company to offer a commercial end-to-end solution.”
In the past few years, AquaMaof has established itself as one of the primary players in the RAS development sphere, landing contracts that include a EUR 25 million (USD 28.7 million), 2,500-metric-ton capacity Atlantic salmon farm in Vologda Oblast, Russia; a contract with Grieg NL to build the world’s largest indoor salmon aquaculture facility in Newfoundland; and a Pure Salmon project in Virginia, U.S.A.
AquaMaof Vice President of Marketing and Sales Shai Silbermann told SeafoodSource at the 2019 Seafood Expo Global he believes RAS technology represents a golden opportunity.
“Everyone is starting to realize there is no other choice. Population and consumption are going up and up, so somebody needs to fill this gap, which is becoming huge,” Silbermann said. “A project that’s producing 60,000 tons of fish is now just a drip in the ocean – we will need to produce millions of tons of fish to meet demand.”
Photo courtesy of AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies
