Closing the nutrient loop, a key factor to sustainable aquaculture

• Closing the nutrient loop, a key factor to sustainable aquaculture.Anders K. Kiessling Department of Wild Life, Fisheries and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden (SLU). Abstract In open systems feed is both the single largest cost to the farmer and the major factor affecting the environmental impact of fish farming, including production and transport of the feed as well as effluence from the farm during production. The main difference from terrestrial intensive animal production is that fish is farmed in water where recapture of dissolved nutrients are very difficult. RAS technology has the ability of equalising the problem between terrestrial and aquatic production. The two major issues terrestrial animal production, beyond local environment effects and high input of non-renewable energy, is the use of human grade food resources and secondly the loss of nutrients out of the food production system. Present RAS systems share both these problems with terrestrial animal production as well as the issue of non-renewable energy resources but it is reducing the problem of local impact. In order to make RAS production truly sustainable all these issues, including profitability and animal ethics, must be addressed. This presentation focuses the issue of feed resources competing with human food resources and the loss of nutrients out of the food production system as well as some of the problems specific for aquatic systems these issues impose. Keywords: Sustainable; Recycling; New feed sources * E-mail address: anders.kiessling@slu.se

Ämnesord

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Fisk- och akvakulturforskning (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Fish and Aquacultural Science (hsv//eng)

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