Helmut Wedekind
Bavarian States Research Center for Agriculture, Germany
Title: Recirculating aquaculture – Status and developments
Biography
Biography: Helmut Wedekind
Abstract
The cultivation of different aquatic organisms in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) is practiced since decades in Europe, the USA and other countries worldwide. Due to different limitations of open aquaculture systems (e. g. ponds or net cages), and restrictive regulations of water supplies and waste, water reuse is becoming more and more relevant. Whereas heated RAS in isolated buildings were already established in the eighties, the increasing use of the recirc-technology in cold water aquaculture (e. g. salmonid farming) is a relatively new development. When compared to traditional aquaculture, both - warm water RAS and cold water RAS - are characterized by a comparatively sophisticated technology and high operating efford and capital costs. Consequently, mangers of RAS are in need for a thoroughly base of specific know-how. For successful RAS farming fundamental knowledge in the field of biology, production technology, mechanical and biological filtration, stock management, feeding, health management, controlling, biosecurity, and economics is essential. All this has to be considered for warm water RAS, which accomplish high recirculation rates, and cold water RAS with a higher daily water exchange. Actually, the production of different tropical fish and crustaceans, as well as species cultured under temperate temperature – including freshwater and marine organisms – recently is rapidly developing