RAS Talk

Last year, Lago Sofia became the first Chilean aquaculture farm to be WELF-CERT certified for its animal welfare standards. CTO Daniel Elton shares their approach to animal welfare in RAS systems, emphasizing the five domains defined by the OIE: feeding, environmental parameters, behaviour, and mental well-being. He also introduces a new venture, Blue Waters Aquaculture Engineering, where they can offer their technological expertise to design RAS projects for others.

Matt Craze, lead researcher at Spheric Research, sat down with our co-hosts at the end of last year to discuss the 2025 industry trends in land-based aquaculture. He highlights a significant increase in deal flow with known investments surpassing US$2 billion. Over 90% of investments were in Atlantic salmon, with notable projects in Norway, Iceland, and Japan. The conversation also touched on the importance of a favourable regulatory environment, government support, and the need for more success stories to attract investors.

David Serino, director of Aquaculture Research & Development at Carteret Community College, discussed the potential of striped bass in land-based aquaculture. He highlighted the benefits of retrofitting existing sites, such as a former hog farm in North Carolina, to create a 1,500-ton annual production facility. The project aims to scale up production gradually, leveraging existing infrastructure and partnerships to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

This is a special episode that shares the live keynote presentation at Hatchery International's World Trout Culture Summit 2025. The Riverence Group is the leading trout producer and egg supplier in North America. Chief Science Officer Jesse Trushenski shared about the company's strategic thinking behind Riverence’s breeding principles and growing ASC-certified rainbow trout and Steelhead in land-based aquaculture farms in southern Idaho. Discover the philosophies that have underpinned their success and gain insight into Riverence’s vision for the future of trout aquaculture.

SalmoGen Company was first established in 2022 to develop a St. Johns River salmon strain for commercial aquaculture production. The broodstock is being developed at the National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program in Maine. General manager, Nick King, shares insights about establishing a new salmon genetics company for North America and how the new company is gearing up for its first commercial sale of eggs in fall 2026.