Climate change, population growth, youth bulge, widespread unemployment, extreme poverty and hunger are some issues that the African continent struggles with, leading to food insecurity.
The continent’s reliance on imports continues to grow , with an estimated 85% of food imported.
Building aquaculture capacity in the continent will help address food insecurity. But de spite decades of international financial and technical support, SSA countries account for less than 1% of global aquaculture production. Impacts from disease, climate change and inadequate infrastructure have hindered aquaculture development on the continent.
Recirculating Aquaculture S ystems offer an ideal solution for commercial scale aquaculture on the African Continent.
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are the logical evolution of open/outdoor fish farming, employing a technological approach to aquaculture where the entire process is brought into an indoor, highly controlled facility. Every aspect of the operation can be optimized to create an ideal and consistent growing system. Fish are raised in large culture tanks with filtration systems constantly cleaning and recycling the water( up to 95%), greatly reducing the amount of fresh water used. Waste products are filtered and collected, and can be recycled for other agriculture uses. These systems have a much higher degree of biosecurity, reducing the threats of disease and eliminating the need for antibiotics, vaccines and hormones. Other advantages include predictable production, no seasonality and more resilience to climate change. These facilities can be located close to urban areas and are inherently scalable. Unlike other types of agriculture, the jobs the systems create are not seasonal, but are long term, secure technical careers with upward mobility .
Blue Ridge Aquaculture is uniquely positioned to offer insights into RAS Opportunities and Challenges for the African Continent
Blue Ridge Aquaculture has operated a RAS facility for over thirty years. Our company produces 2,500 tons of tilapia per year( WFE). We have grown to be a completely integrated company with our own b roodstock program (23 generations), hatchery, nursery, feed mill and distribution. Our biosecurity protocols have prevented disease from our system for over twenty years, allowing us to produce with antibiotics, vaccines and hormones. We enjoy better KPI’s than any other operation in the industry, with mortality of less than 3%, biologic FCR of 1.45 and fast growth with hatch to harvest in under 8 months. We have been through our challenges and have participated in and witnessed the evolution of the industry. This gives us unique insight into the opportunities and challenges of establishing RAS in Africa . We are confident that Recirculating Aquaculture Systems offer the best opportunity to develop sustainable aquaculture on the African Continent.