Location: Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture Research
Project Number: 8082-10600-001-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Dec 2, 2024
End Date: Dec 1, 2029
Objective:
Objective 1: Optimize genetic x environmental interactions for Atlantic salmon performance in recirculating aquaculture systems.
Sub-objective 1.A: Assessing U.S. strain Atlantic salmon performance, health, & welfare in RAS.
Sub-objective 1.A1: Family-based evaluation of St. John River strain Atlantic salmon.
Sub-objective 1.A2: Assessing heritability of RAS-derived off-flavor uptake, retention, and depuration in St. John River strain Atlantic salmon.
Sub-objective 1.B: Optimizing early rearing environmental conditions for triploid Atlantic salmon: Assessing diet impacts on musculoskeletal deformities in triploid Atlantic salmon at two different temperatures.
Sub-objective 1.C: Improving water quality for salmonid production in RAS: Evaluating the effects of RAS water quality on the production of the common off-flavor compounds, geosmin and 2- methylisoborneol.
Objective 2: Develop strategies to reduce the impacts of early maturation in Atlantic salmon on growth and production efficiency.
Sub-objective 2.A: Evaluating the effects diet energy content on the onset of early maturation in all- female Atlantic salmon reared in freshwater RAS at two different temperatures.
Objective 3: Develop precision aquaculture strategies to improve recirculating aquaculture system production efficiencies.
Sub-objective 3.A: Investigating the feasibility of hyperspectral imaging for the early detection of salmonid maturity in a semi-commercial scale freshwater RAS.
Sub-objective 3.B: Investigating alternative and low-cost off-flavor detection technologies for rapid tank-side detection of off-flavor in RAS cultured Atlantic salmon.
Objective 4: Develop and optimize methods to transform recirculating aquaculture system waste products to valuable, alternative revenue streams.
Sub-objective 4.A: Evaluate (i) anaerobic digestion (AD) and (ii) microalgae production for energy and nutrient recovery from RAS waste streams.
Objective 5: Optimize recirculating aquaculture system parameters for coho salmon.
Sub-objective 5.A: Investigating the impact of water temperature on post-smolt coho salmon in freshwater RAS.
Sub-objective 5.B: Evaluating the effect of water exchange rates on water chemistry and coho salmon growth, health, and welfare in replicated RAS.
Approach:
Over the past decade, the U.S. farmed salmon industry has demonstrated significant growth and substantial capital investment in large-scale land-based, closed-containment operations utilizing water recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) technologies. There are numerous advantages to land-based RAS compared to more traditional farming methods; these advantages include increased environmental control of fish culture conditions for optimized and biosecure fish production, the ability to strategically locate farms close to markets or regions supplying inexpensive power, and the enhanced ability to capture wastes to reduce environmental contamination significantly. As a relatively new approach to salmon farming, however, there remains considerable room for improvement in refining and optimizing the technological, biological, and economic aspects of RAS production. The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute (TCFFI), an extramural research program of the USDA-ARS, has been at the forefront of RAS technology research and development since the 1990s, and we continue to be uniquely suited to serve this growing agricultural sector through focused stakeholder-driven research and innovation. Our next 5-year research plan will focus on critical areas and knowledge gaps hinder growth in the U.S. land-based, closed-containment RAS salmon industry. Specifically, we aim to 1) identify genetic and environmental factors that can improve salmon performance in freshwater RAS, 2) develop strategies to reduce early maturation and consequent product devaluation in RAS-raised salmon, 3) innovate and refine precision aquaculture technologies to provide RAS farmers with accurate, real-time data to inform management decision-making, 4) develop viable supplemental revenue streams for RAS farmers through converting waste materials to sellable products, and 5) assist industry diversification through alternative salmonid species (e.g., coho salmon) culture environment optimization. We anticipate that public dissemination of our research findings to key stakeholders will significantly and positively impact the growth of the nascent U.S. RAS salmon industry.
