The first salmon eggs have been introduced into the incubator tanks at a new mega onshore Salmon farm in Florida of all places:
Does this spell the beginning of the end for traditional salmon farming in open pens floating in clean, clear and cold water in places like BC, Main, Chile and even Norway??
We farm Pacific salmon in the South Island of NZ. The water is not as cold as the waters of Chile but certainly below the preferred temperature that I would consider swimming in.
I expect Floridians are used to air conditioning everything. They can chill the water to whatever they want – not for free, of course.
Yes there are Chinook salmon farms in NZ but they are farmed in floating pens, I believe?
In Tasmania Atlantic salmon is farmed, just like in Chile and BC. Most, if not all, those operations are Norwegian owned, or at least was started by Norwegians, using equipment and techniques from there and flying in fertilised roe from Norway initially.
What is special with farming salmon in Florida, with no natural cold water. This will be done on shore in chilled water and in total enclosed cycle and near sterile conditions.
The risk is that pathogens somehow gets into the system since, after a few life cycles, these salmons will have no natural protection from sickness, causing mass death in the tanks.
It was tried with tiger prawns in Singapore and it worked well for a period, but eventually the clean chain got broken and the entire stock died.
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Atlantic salmon stop eating if it is too hot, or too cold. the grow best in water of a balmy 8 -14C,
So yes, onshore in Florida it will have to be chilled, re-oxygenated and cleaned trough a very extensive and expensive system. But many think it is the way to go to avoid the problem with lice and sickness that is plaguing the industry now.
In cold water areas salmon farming can be done in enclosed floating pens rather than open nets, or in tanks on shore.
In Norway temperature can be regulate by taking water from different depths in a nearby fjord and mix it to get the right temperature. (In Norwegian fjords the water keeps a steady 6C year around at 50-60 m.)
Other places with access to deep water near by can cool the recycled water through a heat exchanger.
This also remove the risk of lice, which only live near surface and reduces risk of pollution, viruses and bacteria.