LITHUANIA
Marine Research Institute, Klaipeda University: Optimising recirculation systems for aquaculture
Farming saltwater species on land Researchers at the Marine Research Institute of Klaipeda University consider recirculation aquaculture systems an innovative way to establish a marine water farming industry in a country that has a 100 km coastline.
Experimenting with warmwater shrimp production In Lithuania, at the Marine Research Institute of Klaipeda University (KU), Nerijus Nika and Gintautas Narvilas are studying the biological implications of shrimp production and the technology that enables it, respectively. The researchers have partnered with Klaipeda Science and Technology Park (KSTP), a business support agency with 42
Klaipeda University Marine Research Institute
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U imports of frozen warmwater shrimps amounted to close to 285,000 tonnes with a value of just under EUR2bn in 2019 according to the EU Fish Market report from EUMOFA. The species imported are the Pacific white leg and the giant black tiger. Shrimp that is frozen and shipped from Asia or Latin America is quite a different product from fresh shrimp grown locally. The challenge is that Europe does not have the climatic conditions to grow fresh shrimp the way they are grown in tropical parts of the world. The popularity of warmwater shrimp in Europe and the high price it commands combined with the evolution of farming technology has inspired several attempts to produce shrimp in recirculation aquaculture systems. These endeavours are made by research institutions interested to customise the technology and develop the protocols for this production, as well as by entrepreneurs who sense an opportunity.
The time it takes to reach a 22 g shrimp has been decreasing as the scientists identify and solve issues that stress the crustaceans.
extensive facilities including a recirculation aquaculture system (RAS), to investigate the best way to produce under local conditions warmwater shrimp which require water at a temperature of about 30 degrees C. They also seek to make this technology most effective and attractive to potential investors. To produce shrimp on land using RAS, beside heat, artificial marine water is an important issue. In western Lithuania, where Klaipeda is located geothermal resources are extensive, but also shallowly located and therefore relatively easy to
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access. The area is the site of the country’s only geothermal power plant and since it was trying to diversify its activities, feasibility studies were conducted to find out whether this resource could be used for aquaculture production. Their conclusions suggested that shrimp would be one of the most suitable species to farm. The research is being conducted as an activity of the Aquaculture Competence Centre, a joint venture between KU and KSTP established in 2018, the goal of which is to acquire shrimp cultivation
knowledge, to optimise growth technology for local conditions and to comercialise this knowhow. Over the last three years of running the trials different issues have cropped up in the production which the researchers have tried to overcome and thereby improve the system. The goal is not to produce commercially themselves, Dr Nika emphasises, but to develop reliable production technologies and knowhow that can then be offered to potential investors interested in shrimp production. The RAS being used is designed by German experts
