AquaMaof announces contract for Pure Salmon RAS facility in France

AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies has announced its participation in a new recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) project in Bologne-Sur-Mer, France.

Rosh Haayin, Israel-based AquaMaof will supply the equipment being used in the project, which  was previously announced by 8F Asset Management under the Pure Salmon brand. The French facility, which is slated to produce up to 10,000 metric tons of Atlantic salmon when complete, is currently in the design phase. First eggs are scheduled to go into the system by 2021 and first harvest expected by 2023.

“We are excited to kick off this project that will integrate all the latest advancements in RAS technology. These projects will provide important local production capabilities to markets that today import the vast majority of their fish and seafood,” AquaMaof Vice President of Marketing and Sales Shai Silbermann said. “Today more than ever, the capabilities of maintaining a clean, bio-secured, disease-free environment in fish and seafood production, as well as enabling local production in a time of disrupted food production and international supply chain and transport, are much sought after. Governments, investors, and big retailers are seeking food-production technologies that promote food safety and local production capabilities.”

AquaMaof specializes in indoor aquaculture technology and turn-key projects, specifically focused on recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). As of March 2020, it had closed more than USD 360 million (EUR 329.9 million) in deals involving work on 10 facilities worldwide. Those include work on the world's largest indoor salmon aquaculture facility, located in Newfoundland, Canada – a USD 70 million (EUR 62.9 million) development being built by Grieg NL; three projects in Russia, including a trout facility, an upcoming USD 28 million (EUR 25.1 million) facility that will produce 2,500 tons of Atlantic salmon, and a previously undisclosed contract signed for a salmon facility to be built soon; two RAS projects for growing Atlantic salmon being built in Japan with a combined capacity of 15,000 metric tons; a catfish facility in Slovakia that has been operating since 2015, a grouper facility in Southeast Asia, and  “more facilities including Germany and Norway in design stage,” according to the company.

Silbermann told SeafoodSource at the 2019 Seafood Expo Global that progress toward greater adoption of RAS in the seafood industry is inevitable.

“We feel very confident with our technology, and the ‘why’ behind investing in our technology. We want to be part of the success story of RAS and also to gain profit for our company,” Silbermann said. “This is the future, and it’s already happening now.”

Photo courtesy of AquaMaof