Producing Sustainable Catches
Aquaculture production is an industry of growing importance in the world. With ever increasing demand on shrinking global fish stocks, aquaculture production is the only way forward to meet demand and feed coming generations. Global aquaculture production attained an all-time high of 101.4 million tonnes in 2014 and is expected to continue growing year-over-year (FAO, 2016). The aquaculture industry is rife with challenges associated with high production costs, slim profit margins, disease, and the high degree of scrutiny by industry groups and the public.
Water quality is the most important factor affecting fish performance and health in aquaculture. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, solid (fecal) and dissolved wastes (ammonia, carbon dioxide) and contaminants (pathogens, pollutants, hydrogen disulfide, etc.) are key water quality parameters for aquaculture operations. Current water quality management technology is outdated, energy intensive, and costly to purchase, operate, and maintain.
Water quality is the most important factor affecting fish performance and health in aquaculture. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, solid (fecal) and dissolved wastes (ammonia, carbon dioxide) and contaminants (pathogens, pollutants, hydrogen disulfide, etc.) are key water quality parameters for aquaculture operations. Current water quality management technology is outdated, energy intensive, and costly to purchase, operate, and maintain.
Our innovative airlift pump design alleviates the problems experienced with current water quality management systems by introducing a single efficient and optimized pumping and aeration system
Our goal is to reduce the potential negative environmental impacts of aquaculture operations enabling the industry to continue to support the growing global demand for farmed fish and aquacultural products while adopting sustainable and economically viable practices and technologies.
Field Trials
Aqua-Cage Fisheries
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Aqua-Cage Fisheries located in Parry Sound, Ontario; is a fish farm that implements an open net approach to producing fish. This method includes growing fish inside nets that are then dropped into a lake. In the winter months, the cages are tied to the shore where de-icer blades are used to keep the area used from icing over. Whereas in the summer, the cages are moved further into Georgian bay lake where the nets are dropped further down and more fish are added into the nets. This approach allows the fish to grow in an open lake atmosphere rather than a more controlled setting such as raceways or recirculating tanks.
The airlift pump application in this setting was to investigate how effective the pump could be for de-icing applications in the winter time, while testing its upwelling performance for the summer season. The pumps would deposit the water at a velocity that would deter the ice from forming on the surface of the lake, while pumping water from deeper in the lake to the surface. This trial was conducted in the month of June of 2017, and so the upwelling application was tested, but the water velocity at the exit elbow and the surface water velocity was also recorded for later studies. The airlift pumps used were 4-inch and 6-inch pumps, with varying suction lengths to study its effect. |
Lyndon Fish Hatcheries
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Lyndon Fish Hatcheries in the town of New Dundee, Ontario is a trout farm that produces trout eggs and fingerlings. The farm currently contains 52 tanks with 4 different systems of maintaining their fish. The owner, Clarke, is interested in implementing the new airlift pumps in 17 out of the existing 52 tanks. The 4 different arrangements currently in place include circular tanks, smaller hatchery tanks and 2 raceways, one with baffles and the other without. This field trial occurred during the month of July 2017 where the airlift systems were implemented and tested in the circular tanks and the segmented raceway.
The current system in the circular tanks consists of 2 inflow pipes, an air stone system and a central drain. By placing two 4” airlift pumps in this system, a more efficient method of providing proper water circulation and aeration can be achieved. As for the segmented raceways, they operate using an inlet to provide flow, where the baffles are then used to increase the velocity. When the flow rate is lower than desired, two carry pumps are used to pump water from the exit of the raceway back to the start. However, the carry pump usage has been reduced due to unwanted solid waste being pumped through out the raceway. This is where the installation of an airlift pump can provide the proper strength to maneuver the raceway water as needed. |
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