About

Aquaculture is currently estimated to be the fastest-growing area of food production in the world. Although aquaculture can provide an important food source, these types of farms must be developed in a responsible and sustainable way. The rapid growth of intensive aquaculture systems has already caused important damage affecting both the environment and human health. The surrounding waters are affected by the chaotic algae growth generated by the high quantity of discharged pollutants (organic matters, P and N compounds etc.). This water pollution in some cases can prove deadly for certain aquatic species and indirectly constitute a danger to human population, who end up eating contaminated fishes and uses an inadequate quality water. When an ecosystem becomes too compromised, the fish farm is simply moved elsewhere and the environmental problems remain.

The objectives of ABAWARE are:

• Developing an advanced technology for increasing the efficiency of water use in RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems) aquaculture with minimum costs (investment and operational).
• Understanding and minimising the RAS negative impacts on the environment and the risks of freshwater aquaculture for human health.

Results

• A pilot innovative RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems) plant for warm-wateraquaculture.
• A prototype pipeline for bioconversion of suspended solids and excess of generated biomass into feed grade proteins or lipids.

The ABAWARE project has been founded on a combination of three independent research areas to develop and improve solutions for sustainable freshwater aquaculture by recirculation aquatic systems so-called RAS.

It has been working coordinated in identifying microorganisms that can improve the biofilters of aquaculture RAS systems. These microorganisms are bacteria, fungus and microalgae but also some plant species are tested. Various existing RAS facilities for salmonid cold-water species and warm water species as African catfish are used as resources for identifying important microorganisms. However, other sources like wood eating insects are also used for identifying optimal organisms. There is a close collaboration between research laboratories, research facilities for fish and commercial systems for human sewage handling.

At the end of ABAWARE various microorganisms are isolated and ready to be introduced to lab-scale and prototypes of commercial systems that can handle both water and sediments from RAS systems for freshwater fish aquaculture.