About Feed & Treat

Feed & Treat's objective is to optimise water quality and treatment efficiency in recirculating aquaculture systems for salmon smolt production through better adjustment of fish feed and water treatment devices.

The project focuses both on water quality and on improving the effectiveness of the purification process in such recirculating aquaculture systems. This is done by developing feed that is better adapted to the special conditions in RAS, applying to both  the fish and the water purification technologies. The project, which has the compact title Feed and Treat, is made possible by an EU-funded research programme for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

One of the six RAS units at IMARES (rendered by Eugenia Clavero)
One of the six RAS units at IMARES (rendered by Eugenia Clavero)

One of the aims of the project is to ensure optimal treatability of the fish excreta by giving the fish special feed designed for the conditions specific to RAS. In addition, the existing mechanical and biological methods for treating the water will be adapted to the modified fish excreta from the new feed.

Finally, the project should lead to an approach to reduce water and energy consumption. The aquaculture unit of IMARES is developing an experimental system in Yerseke. The first salmon eggs have already hatched.

The project is budgeted at approximately EUR 1.5 million. Beside the three SME’s Danish system builder Inter Aqua Advance, the French ACUI-T and the Norwegian aquaculture company Sømna Settefisk, the other participants are IMARES and Wageningen University, collaborating as Wageningen Aquaculture, the Norwegian research institute Nofima, the Scottish salmon producer Lakeland Group and the Danish feed producer Biomar.

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