According to the National Ocean Service, aquaculture, also known as fish farming or aquafarming, is an environmentally responsible source of food and commercial products. In order to maintain and improve this practice, equally responsible technology is needed.
With an ever-increasing demand for fish products, like salmon, carp, tilapia, trout and perch, the need to develop the aquaculture industry efficiently and sustainably is of the utmost importance. Without aquaculture to alleviate this growing demand, we risk overfishing and damaging natural water systems.
Sustainability in Aquaculture:
Sustainability in aquaculture has a wide variety of implications. From the environmental impacts of over-farming to damaged seabeds and poor water quality, without sustainable considerations, aquaculture as an industry can do a lot of unintentional damage.
Luckily, the industry often does consider sustainability and is developing or outsourcing new technology and solutions to help promote its environmental responsibilities:
- Using seaweed to reduce marine nutrient pollution
- Increasing land-based farming to reduce fish escapes
- Moving sea-based farming further out to reduce impacts on nearshore ecosystems
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by adding new production systems and practices
- Implementing innovative technologies like nanobubbles to reduce oxygen/energy and chemical applications through improved oxygen transfer efficiency and lowered disease pressure
What is nanobubble technology?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released a white paper on the “Sustainable Intensification of Aquaculture Using Efficient Nanobubble Technology” that discusses the science and benefits of nanobubble technology in aquaculture:
“The homogeneous mixture of nanobubbles throughout the water column with the nanobubbles remaining in solution for days and weeks efficiently ensures that DO levels are optimal for the species and stock size being cultured in aquaculture production units. It reduces aquatic stock stress, allows sustainable intensification of aquaculture production and higher stocking densities, and results in better feeding with lower feed conversion ratios. Furthermore, the likelihood of pathogen disease outbreaks is mitigated. This all translates into greater productivity and improved aquaculture unit profitability from aquaculture production units.”
Nanobubble technology is a chemical-free way to increase the sustainability of aquaculture by improving oxygen transfer efficiency, water quality, and feed conversion ratios at the lowest total cost. Nanobubble technology serves two distinct benefits for aquaculture.
First, Moleaer’s nanobubble generators deliver an oxygen transfer efficiency of over 85 percent, nearly 30 times the rate of traditional aerators. This high rate of oxygen transfer is more cost-effective than alternatives and promotes water quality, reduces odors and eliminates hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production.
Nanobubble technology is particularly good at improving processes, including feed conversion ratios and lowering mortality rates of fish stock. By increasing oxygen availability throughout an aquaculture system, the quality of fish improves overall.
Second, Moleaer’s nanobubble technology also produces nano-sized bubbles, nanobubbles, that have unique chemical and physical properties with their own list of benefits. Nanobubbles adsorb and demulsify contaminants, remove biofilm and prevent it from reforming, aid in ammonia and biological oxygen demand (BOD) oxidation, control pathogens and prevent H2S. These benefits equate to improved treatment efficiency and lowered costs for aquaculture farmers as well as reduced use of chemical and parasite treatments.
Nanobubbles are efficient in improving sanitary conditions in aquaculture systems and can remediate seabeds and restore health to bodies of water — all without the use of chemicals or pesticides.
Summary of the Benefits of Nanobubbles in Aquaculture:
- Remove contaminants and biofilm
- Control pathogens and reduce disease pressure
- Prevent H2S
- Improve ammonia and BOD oxidation
- Remediate seabeds and restore water bodies
- Reduce fish stress and fish kills
Nanobubble generators are further well suited for aquaculture because of their flexibility. They can be installed in a wide variety of systems, with little disruption to operations, such as net pens, recirculating aquaculture systems, delicers and more. This fact coupled with the multitude of benefits makes nanobubbles and aquaculture a perfect match.
How nanobubbles promote sustainability:
There are several ways nanobubbles promote sustainability in aquaculture:
Reduction of chemicals:
To keep algae and other harmful bacteria out of aquaculture systems, it's often necessary to use harsh chemicals and pesticides to keep biofilm under control.
Unfortunately, this method is often not sustainable and can cause unintended consequences to the surrounding water systems. Either through misuse or the nature of the chemical itself, non-targeted organisms can be impacted by chemical use which can have disastrous consequences. Additionally, the cost of these chemicals can negatively impact ROI for farmers, reducing their bottom line.
Even in closed containment aquaculture systems, such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), alternative methods to removing harmful bacteria are always preferred as the safer option when compared to chemical usage.
That is where nanobubbles step in. Nanobubbles remove bacteria through physical disruption with their ability to scour and break up biofilm.
Algae is also unable to flourish when nanobubbles are introduced into a system. The constant disruption of the bubbles kills off existing algae and prevents future algae from growing.
Reduced disease and parasite occurrence from nanobubbles also result and fewer chemical applications to curb populations.
Healing natural water systems:
Many aquaculture systems exist within naturally occurring water systems, such as along the coast or in ponds. The condition of these water systems is not always the healthiest, both for the fish stock and other species in the area.
By maintaining a clean and healthy aquaculture system with nanobubble technology, the surrounding area will in turn be healed from issues such as algae or damaged seabeds.
When large masses of algae are removed from a water system, that system’s total methane production decreases, thereby assisting in the reduction of global warming.
Damaged seabeds often occur from accumulated waste. Nanobubbles are a uniquely sustainable option for removing this build-up of sludge and helping in restoring the health of seabeds. This helps not only the stock but the surrounding area tremendously by promoting a cleaner, healthier ecosystem.
Promoting an increase in fish health:
Furthermore, nanobubbles can assist in improving fish health and reducing mortality rates. In fact, the tiny bubbles are able to promote increased physiological activity in other living organisms as well.
- Agricultural growth - Nanobubble's oxygenation abilities improve horticultural practices and plant growth levels.
- Fish growth - Nanobubble's oxygenation and sanitation abilities improve fish stock growth and breeding levels.
Consequently, when nanobubble generators are utilized in an aquaculture system, feed conversion ratios improve as operational costs decrease, thereby making them more sustainable and efficient the longer they are in use.
The use of nanobubbles also assists in improving stock densities, meaning aquaculture systems are able to yield higher-density stock than before. This is thanks to the higher presence of oxygen, which allows fish metabolisms to function better. Without good oxygenation, the stock will be unable to efficiently digest its food and cannot reach its full growth potential.
The necessity for this increase in stock densities is at an all-time high. Demand for fish products is continuing to rise. Aquaculture has long been recognized as a necessary industry to keep up with this demand, as our natural water systems cannot provide enough fish without causing major environmental impacts.
Sustainability in aquaculture must always be a priority. Without it, we risk overfishing and causing irreparable damage to our environment. Nanobubbles are an incredibly useful technology that will help promote sustainability in aquaculture for years to come.
