General Competition (July 1995)

Development of New Technologies for Treating and Recycling Wastewater from Aquaculture Facilities

Sponsor: Kent SeaTech Corporation

• Project Performance Period: 8/15/1995 - 8/14/1998
• Total project (est.): $3,260,115.00
• Requested ATP funds: $1,996,160.00

Aquaculture--the controlled farming of fish for food--is the fastest growing sector of the agriculture industry, and today provides nearly 15 percent of seafood in the United States. However, U.S. aquaculturists face serious challenges from foreign competitors. The U.S. industry must cope with limited supplies of fresh water (aquaculture requires large quantities) and, more importantly, the growing problem of treating wastewater prior to discharge. Competition with cities, industry, and other agricultural needs as well as strict federal and state wastewater standards put U.S. aquaculture companies at a disadvantage when competing with foreign producers with access to plentiful water supplies and few environmental restrictions. The most promising aquaculture route for the United States uses "semi-open" systems that employ intensive fish holding methods in raceways or tanks and that treat and recycle a significant fraction of the water. But while intensive fish holding methods are fairly well understood, little work has been done on the other half of the problem--cost-effective methods for the extensive water treatment needed. Aquatic Systems proposes to meet this need with a broad research program to develop new treatment methodologies, including adaptation of activated sludge processes and "managed wetlands" systems, which recently have been applied in industrial and municipal waste treatment. The goals will be to develop innovative and economical waste-water treatment technologies to meet the U.S. aquaculture industry's need to remain competitive with foreign producers and to develop technologies that can easily be adapted to existing aquaculture facilities, enabling better conservation of water, increased productivity, and more effective integration of aquaculture with agriculture.

For project information:

James M. Carlberg, (619) 452-5765
70653.270@compuserve.com

ATP Project Manager

Douglas Jones, (301) 975-2004
doug.jones@nist.gov