Hype VS Fact – Closed Containment Systems
MYTH #5
Open net cages are environmentally destructive, allowing both farmed salmon and their effluent to escape into the ocean. Land-based fish farms or closed containment systems are the solution.
The Facts:
A closed containment system describes the use of a large, rigid tanks that contain fish. It’s located on land and not in the ocean environment. Despite research and field trials this potential technology remains unproven – showing neither economical nor environmental benefit.
Aquaculture has historically used a form of closed containment system during the freshwater stage of fish development, a common practice that continues today. For approximately one-third of its life cycle, farmed fish are already raised in an enclosed environment in freshwater hatcheries.
For the remaining two-thirds of the fish’s life cycle, net pens utilize ocean tides to move water and provide fresh oxygen to the fish. For comparison, land-based farms would pump water and inject oxygen - requiring vast amounts of energy to do so .
One would think that environmental activists would be trying to reduce energy consumption used to raise fish – not increase it.
Despite these common sense limitations to closed containment farming, BC salmon farmers are always looking to utilize new technologies that continue to provide a healthy and sustainable protein.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/hype-versus-salmon-farming-facts
The following information on Closed Containment has been compiled for your reference:
Closed Containment: News Items, Blogs and Letters to the Editor
Salmon farms more efficient
North Island Gazette, December 02, 2010
Where is that electricity going to come from? The current energy cost for salmon farming is very low. Should we build more run-of-river projects, dam more rivers, build coal-fired power plants and natural gas plants just so we can move salmon farms on land? Is that sustainable?
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/salmon-farms-more-efficient
News: Adult salmon in closed-containment pens unviable:
BIV Business Today, Dec. 01, 2010
Advocates of using closed-containment technology to fully grow Atlantic salmon in B.C. should not get too excited by the recent findings of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ feasibility study.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/adult-salmon-closed-containment-pens-unviable-industry
News: Closed containment salmon farming unlikely to be viable
FishfarmingXpert, Odd Grydeland, Nov. 30, 2010
All of the many environmental groups that have an opinion about conventional salmon farming in Canada- and there are plenty of them in British Columbia- have for a long time been trying to force the industry into some form of closed containment technology, without specifying what these systems would look like
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/closed-containment-salmon-farming-unlikely-be-viable
Blog: Closed containment press release seen as a joke.
Positive Aquaculture Awareness, Nov. 27, 2010
A report on closed containment fish farming was released this past week by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). The report looked at the financial viability of several ways to grow salmon, which included land based tanks, ocean net pens and ocean solid walled systems. Land tanks shows a marginal return on investment after 3 years (4%) and ocean net pens returned 52%. All other options failed to return a profit. The government then, and rightly so, recommends a land based system (Recirculating Aquaculture System, RAS) pilot project to see if the estimated financial returns are accurate or can be improved.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/blog/closed-containment-press-release-seen-joke
News: Open salmon pens more profitable
By Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun November 25, 2010
A report from Fisheries and Oceans Canada says closed containment technology for salmon aquaculture offers less potential for profit than conventional open ocean net pens.
The report says land-based pen technology appears to be "marginally viable from a financial perspective" and presents a higher level of financial risk for operators compared with conventional net pens.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/open-salmon-pens-more-profitable
Letter: Land-based aquaculture would stress resources
Courier-Islander November 12, 2010
After reading Ray Griggs recent opinion column, 'Land Based, Closed-Containment Salmon Farms', I wondered how this approach would look in the context of the salmon farming industry's current production. If, as Ray so boldly stated, this should be the future of salmon farming in BC, then we need to look at the whole picture
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/land-based-aquaculture-would-stress-resources
Letter: Land based farms not as simple as column says
By David Minato, Courier-Islander November 10, 2010
BC's salmon farmers, of course, are very involved in the closed containment research. We already use all of this technology in hatchery systems for the first year of our salmons' lives - and we continue to assess any extension of the technology's application.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/land-based-farms-not-simple-column-says
Letter: Closed containment isn't easy to do
North Island Gazette, Published: May 25, 2010
Closed containment is a suggestion that seems simple in premise, but is more complicated in application. In 2008, DFO did a review of 40 closed containment projects around the world. None produced exclusively Atlantic salmon and none succeeded. The projects’ failures were due to a variety of factors, such as mechanical breakdown, poor fish performance and inadequate financing.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/closed-containment-isnt-easy-do
News: Expert Nanaimo businessman with two decades of experience says closed containment systems would be power hogs The Daily News, May 14, 2010
Land-based Atlantic salmon farms are technically possible, but it has yet to be proven that they can be commercially viable, according to Wayne Gorrie.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/expert-nanaimo-businessman-two-decades-experience-says-closed-containment-systems-would-be-power-hog
Letter: Sticking to the facts
Letter to the Editor, Courier-Islander, Published: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I can hardly wait for the hue and cry in our community when 72 three-metre deep Timberline football fields are proposed for a location near Campbell River to deal with the present market requirements for just one company.
Never mind the noise of the vast number of pumps and the fuel trucks to service them. No technology for such massive tidal power requirements exists so the net effect on the environment by burning fossil fuels to supply hydro or run the pumps would be greater than the present system http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/sticking-facts
BC Salmon Farmers Association
Some answers, more questions for closed containment
November 19, 2010
A new report by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans offers good information in the ongoing assessment of closed containment technologies for salmon aquaculture - while also noting the amount of analysis still needed when considering new technologies for growing salmon on land.
The Feasibility Study of Closed-Containment Options for the British Columbia Aquaculture Industry is one of the follow-up steps to a 2008 report titled Potential Technologies for Closed-Containment Saltwater Salmon Aquaculture by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. As part of the CSAS's recommended investigation into closed containment, this latest report assess the economics of these different technologies.
http://www.salmonfarmers.org/some-answers-more-questions-closed-containment
Closed Containment: Where BC Salmon Farmers stand.
May 10, 2010
The world's demand for seafood is growing and wild stocks are being stretched to their limit. That's a reality that more and more people understand - and those people see the importance of salmon farming as part of long-term food security.
http://www.salmonfarmers.org/closed-containment-where-bc-salmon-farmers-stand
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Feasibility Study of Closed-Containment Options for the British Columbia Aquaculture Industry
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/lib-bib/nasapi-inpasa/BC-aquaculture-CB-eng.htm
Science Advisory Report 2008/001
Potential Technologies for Closed-containment Saltwater Salmon Aquaculture
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/SAR-AS/2008/2008_001-eng.htm
Evaluating Closed Containment Technologies
The department is currently conducting an initial technical evaluation of "closed containment" technologies through the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS), which coordinates the peer review of scientific issues for DFO.
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/sheet_feuillet/containment-pisciculture-eng.htm
DFO: Frequently Asked Questions
What is closed containment?
Closed containment is a barrier technology that attempts to restrict and control interactions between farmed fish and the external aquatic environment. The goal of closed containment technology is to minimize possible environmental effects and provide greater control over factors beneficial to aquaculture production.
Has Fisheries and Oceans Canada studied closed-containment studies in the past?
Yes. DFO has carried out its own studies with closed containment systems. In fact, DFO reviewed a pilot-scale closed containment system at a model farm near the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, BC. It was our assessment at the conclusion of the pilot study, based on existing level of equipment and practices at the time, that it was not technically or economically feasible to operate a commercial-scale closed containment system. The flexible bag system, developed by Future Sea Technologies, is best suited for use in unique, sheltered sites.
DFO encourages the research of innovative technologies that could assist the salmon farming industry.
Are there any closed-containment systems for salmon aquaculture in the marine environment?
No, not at a commercial-scale. However, various components of closed-containment technologies have been developed to try to address a number of specific production or wild/farmed interaction issues.
A few Canadian companies have experimented with different types of containment systems. One company in BC, Future Sea Technologies, has been successful using a "bag" system, but it is not a true closed-containment system. It is open at the bottom and best suited for use in unique, sheltered sites.
What is Fisheries and Oceans Canada doing now to assess closed-containment technology?
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is currently leading a collaborative review of the technical feasibility and economic viability of closed containment systems for salmon aquaculture.
There has been a renewed interest in closed containment systems for salmon aquaculture over the last year. This project will contribute to an informed public debate on this issue and help inform the department’s future management or policy decisions.
It is challenging to evaluate new technologies, such as closed-containment systems, in an integrated fashion because no standards have been established and there is limited information on past performance of the technologies. Critical to this review, both in terms of the technical feasibility and economic analysis, is that the closed-containment system be evaluated within a commercial production scale (~1,000 – 3,000 tonnes).
What do the six papers discuss?
Six international experts were asked to prepare papers to evaluate various elements of the technology as it exists today. The papers include:
• Review of past experiences and existing technologies (literature review)
• Engineering evaluation – comparison of existing designs and operations
• Biological requirements – comparison of salmon production requirements
• Water quality for optimal fish health and fish growth
• Assess strategies to mitigate transmissions between the farm and environment
• Based on results from papers 1-5, conceptualize an integrated system that could be considered in the development of a pilot project or model farm.
DFO’s workshop on closed containment, attended by 60 international experts, was very successful as a forum to thoroughly review the status of salt water closed containment systems.
The workshop highlighted that there are no closed, confined systems currently being used exclusively for adult Atlantic salmon in salt water environments. While some technologies may look promising, none have been used on a commercial scale and the financial feasibility of such technologies still needs to be evaluated.
Is DFO shifting its support for open net-pen salmon aquaculture cages?
A DFO is committed to protecting the environment as a sustainable aquaculture industry continues to develop in Canada.
DFO encourages innovation and the development of new technologies, like closed containment systems that could improve the sustainability of the salmon farming industry’s current practices.
DFO believes that the current best practices used by the salmon aquaculture today – using open net pen cages - are sustainable and responsible. Salmon farmers, particularly in BC, operate under some of the strictest regulations in the world. In January 2008, the Province of BC recently issued its 2006 compliance report noting that the industry is 99.7% compliance with those regulations. That is a pretty impressive score.
Are you familiar with the closed-containment pilot project in Campbell River?
Yes. We look forward in receiving regular updates regarding the progress of this model farm. The results will help inform our assessment of closed-containment technologies even after our current review is completed. DFO is always interested in the research of innovative technologies that could assist the environmental performance of the salmon farming industry.
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/faq-eng.htm#n4g
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (MAL _____________________________________
New Technology Development
In 2000, as part of the Salmon Aquaculture Policy Framework, the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (MAL), in conjunction with the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (now Ministry of Environment) and BC Assets and Lands (now Integrated Land Management Bureau), issued a request for proposals to develop alternative (“green”) salmon farming technologies. At the time a moratorium on new salmon farm tenures had been in place for several years, and new salmon farm tenures were offered as an incentive to attract interest and investment in these untested technologies.
Several proposals for experimental projects were received following the initial request for proposals. Ultimately, three of six proposed projects became operational. These were for Marine Harvest Canada, Agrimarine Industries, and Totem Oysters. Each project involved various versions of closed-containment systems, along with other ‘green’ technologies and production approaches.
Marine Harvest’s project trialed two experimental technologies, one being a closed containment net-bag system. The other trial project involved feeds containing alternative oils and proteins, and evaluated their impact on fish production.
Agrimarine’s pilot project involved trials of a land-based system for growing Atlantic, Coho and Chinook salmon.
Totem Oysters’ project focused on using closed containment net-bag systems to produce a variety of species including Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, sablefish and Pacific oysters.
