Optimization of Makeup Water in a Recirculating Aquaculture System

Fish grown in RAS require special water quality conditions to remain healthy and grow. New water is meant to be added to the system only to account for evaporation, splash out, cleaning and flush out of waste materials. However, the amount of makeup water used at the Oak Bay hatchery is excessive when biomass is at its peak; therefore, the main focus of this project is to discover the reasons for excessive water consumption and to determine whether the system can operate at a rate of 350 liters makeup water per kg of feed with the existing equipment. Otherwise, the point at which the target can no longer be met will be identified and based on the bottleneck of the process a modification will be proposed. The project will benefit Cooke Aquaculture Inc. by improving makeup water management and hence lowering water demand and reducing energy requirements.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michel Couturier

Student:

Partner:

Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture; Manufacturing

University:

University of New Brunswick

Program: