A new report published in Canada says that land-based salmon farms make sense environmentally, technically and economically.

The study by Dr. Andrew Wright, challenges the long-held industry view that closed containment facilities are too costly and technologically challenging to build. It is expected to add fuel to the debate in B.C., where there has been growing public pressure to have fish farms moved out of the ocean, away from wild salmon migration routes.

"What I concluded is that closed containment is both technically and economically feasible, and extremely profitable when coupled with hydroponics, so you use the waste as the feedstock for an associated business beside it," Dr. Wright told the Vancouver Globe & Mail.

He said the salmon farming industry, which on both coasts typically raises stock in open-net pens in the ocean, has not grown to meet market conditions because of fears it is causing environmental damage by spreading sea lice to wild fish, and is polluting the ocean floor with unused food and fish
feces.

 But Dr. Wright said that concerns about sea lice being spread by farms, and about pollution of the seabed by yuneaten feed and fish faeces, could be swept aside by a move to land-based operations.He said at least one business group in B.C. is already raising funds to invest in a major land-based salmon farm, which could be under construction as early as next year.

His report states that for about $12-million, a closed-containment farm capable of producing 1,000 tonnes of full-sized, five-kilogram fish could be built. Yearly operating costs could be less than $6 million, and  final annual income after costs could range between $5 million and $13 million, dependent upon harvest strategies.

Dr. Wright said energy costs would be higher with a land-based fish farm, which would require more water pumping, but faster salmon growth rates would give more harvests. One big benefit would be increased bio-security. In a land-based farm, salmon are isolated from wild fish, eliminating the risk of spreading diseases or sea lice, and the risk of fish escaping.

The full report can be found at: http://www.saveoursalmon.ca/files/May_draft_05-04-10.pdf