Unfortunately, the traditional salmon farming practice using floating coastal net-pens is now limited due to environmental regulations. Researchers, Extension staff and education specialists at the University System of Maryland, in partnership with other academic and industry groups across the country and internationally, aim to overcome this limitation by addressing the major challenges to the success of a rapidly emerging, innovative and environmentally compatible platform of salmon farming--Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) that are land-based and fully contained.  

“The COVID pandemic demonstrated how vulnerable our food supply chain is, in that it is so heavily reliant on imported goods,” said Project Director Yonathan Zohar, director of the Aquaculture Research Center at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “Our national response is a movement towards increased domestic production across many industries, aquaculture being one of them.”  

“Our project and its research are important because they address industry bottlenecks that limit our capacity to significantly expand sustainable domestic aquaculture production of Atlantic salmon and help reverse the trade deficit associated with its imports,” Zohar said. “By addressing the sustainable agricultural intensification and value-added innovation goals of NIFA’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program, our project is expected to improve sustainable U.S. aquaculture and food systems and enhance life for fish farmers and society.”  

In collaboration with major U.S. RAS producers, leading aquaculture scientists are carrying out research focusing on industry-identified impediments to expanding the salmon RAS sector. Aquaculture educators developed RAS-related STEM curricula and modules at multiple education levels, and focused efforts on the urgent need to develop a trained workforce for the growing industry. Aquaculture Extension agents work with industry to increase public awareness of this new form of farming, engage with local communities, enable efficient technology transfer from academia to industry and ensure fish health and seafood safety.  

Recent reports suggest that RAS technology could boost output to the point of providing 35% of domestic Atlantic salmon production and supply (from the current 5%) by 2030, attract major foreign investments to the United States, and create hundreds of new jobs in rural and economically depressed areas.  

“A few large-scale RAS farms are already producing salmon in Florida, Wisconsin and Indiana. Several more are in the construction, permitting or planning phases in Maine, California, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and Nevada, and we are already looking at an estimated conservative investment of $2.5 billion for the rapid large-scale projected growth of RAS in the next few years,” Zohar said. “Foreign aquaculture companies also are very keen to invest in RAS facilities in the United States, as we are a top market for them too. Indeed, over the last five years, we have witnessed a major investment boom in Atlantic salmon's land-based RAS production in the nation.”  

Additional information about this research will be presented at a NIFA education session at Aquaculture America 2023 February 23-26 in New Orleans. NIFA national program leader Dr. Tim Sullivan, who provides leadership for programs in aquaculture, animal health and biotechnology, will moderate a session highlighting the breadth and impact of NIFA-funded aquaculture research and outreach.  

Top image: Atlantic salmon are transported USDA’s Agricultural Research Service National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center to the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology’s IMET’s Aquaculture Research Center at the University of Maryland. Credit: University of Maryland. 

Original source can be found here.