Aquantum Leap is a ground breaking closed fish farm

Aquantum Leap is a closed containment fish farming system, consisting Aquantum 500K and Aquantum 12K. The former, Aquantum 500K is a large fish cage for adult salmon, with a volume of 500.000 m³. Aquantum 12K consists of several smaller fish cages gathered in a rigid frame, making 12K well suited for post-smolt production. Both facilities have solutions for sectioning, sorting and delivery of fish and handle sea conditions on regular fjord locations well. In addition to answering the sustainability challenges for cage culture today, Aquantum Leap is also the first fish farming system that embrace large scale production with fully integrated and automated operations. We believe economies of scale is important for the cage culture industry in order to achieve the desired growth.

Sea lice

Sludge collection

Escape

World's largest closed fish cage

Aquantum 500K is probably the world’s largest planned closed fish cage. It has a diameter of 120 m and a depth of 60 m. Aquantum 500K holds 500,000 m³, and one 500K with permission for increased density, can potentially produce the equivalent of 2% of the salmon production in Norway today. All operations are automated and integrated into the steel structure. The volume can be sectioned into three adjustable parts. These sections can be sealed apart, or separated by nets that allow water to flow through. These possibilities for sectioning effectively provide opportunities to sort, starve, process and move fish. Sludge is collected by sedimentation and processed at the plant. The entire steel structure can be lifted out of water for washing, maintenance and disinfection on site without the use of service vessels. The Aquantum 500K technology is patented.

Closed fish farming system optimized for post-smolt

Aquantum 12K is a closed containment fish farm for the production of post-smolt where several smaller, closed and raiseable fish cages are gathered in a rigid frame. Each cage can be raised separately. The fish farm has the necessary flexibility for the production of post-smolt, which requires increased sorting and moving salmon between the cages. Aquantum 12K is therefore designed with an integrated system for transport between the cages, and to and from a well-boat. Sorting equipment can be installed in this transport system and thus reduce the need for support vessels. The water volume in each fish cage can be adjusted to ensure optimal density in the cage. Water intake is separated from discharge water to reduce potential infection between the cages. Water intake is done from depths from a few meters down to 30 meters, or even deeper if necessary. Sludge is collected by sedimentation and transported continuously out of each cage and processed at the plant. The Aquantum 12K technology is patented.

Economy of scale

Salmon is a healthy and environmentally friendly source of proteins. In line with the UN’s sustainability development goals we aim to facilitate a large scale growth of salmon production while taking care of the oceans and their biodiversity.

The Norwegian government has an ambitious goal of producing 5 million tonnes in 2050. In order to reach this goals a few environmental challenges must be solved. Seafarming Systems develops different fish farming solutions that not just solve the challenges of sea lice, escape and pollution of the sea, but also facilitates large scale production in order to reach the desired growth. One Aquantum Leap fish farm can produce up to 33.000 tonnes per year. Merely 40 Aquantum Leap facilities will cover the Norwegian yearly production of c. 1,3 million tonnes.

Circular economy

With a volume of 500.000 m³, the amount of sludge collected form Aquantum Leap will be sufficient to create a true circular economy where resources in the fish sludge is recycled as fertilizer or bio gas. In the development project there are plans for developing the sludge drying and recycling facilities with Skretting, Scanship, IVAR, Bellona og HØST to handle the large amount of sludge from Aquantum Leap. Sludge collection and treatment also hold the potential for recovering valuable minerals as phosphorus. Handling large quantities of fish sludge, and utilizing it as a resource is an important part of the total solution for sustainable aquaculture.

Closed fish cages and sea loads

When a rigid fish cage is closed, the water inside the fish cage is forced to move with the cage. This free liquid surface effect can lead to sloshing, the build up of waves inside the cage. Closed containment fish farms in the sea are significantly different from traditional net pens from a hydrodynamic and construction perspective. This implies significant differences in environmental loads from waves and currents and their effect on the structure.

FHF, the fisheries and aquaculture industry’s research funding, has funded a research project to gain more knowledge about wave loads on closed fish cages. Read more about the research project of FHF and the results here. (only in Norwegian)

A closed fish cage with the same volume as a conventional net pen must be located in a sheltered location to avoid sloshing. To achieve the goal of a sustainable increase in production, and avoid area conflicts, we must develop rigid closed fish farms that also solve the challenges of sloshing.

Both Aquantum 500K and Aquantum 12K prevents sloshing and will lie stable in all regular fjord locations where there is salmon production today.