RAS Talk

Steffen Nielsen is CEO of Danforel, one of Europe’s largest producers of rainbow trout located in Grindsted, Denmark. The farm produces about 4,000 metric tons per year. In this episode, Steffen highlights the farm’s close relationship with its owner and feed supplier, Aller Aqua. Since the acquisition, the farm and feed supplier have enjoyed a close collaboration towards an effective fish product...

CEO Ragnar Joensen discusses the Nordic Aqua Partners project in Ningbo, China. He highlights the facility’s strategic location near Shanghai which allows them access to 800 million consumers within 12 hours. The Atlantic salmon project started with a 4,000-ton capacity, expanded to 8,000 tons, and plans to reach 20,000 tons. Ragnar estimates profitability by the end of this year.

Carlos Lopez, commercial director of Spring Genetics in Miami, Fla., explains the company's history, its focus on growth and disease resistance, and the importance of biosecurity. He details the facility's operations, including the use of UV-treated water, restricted access, and health surveillance. He also offers his thoughts on tilapia aquaculture's potential to expand in the U.S. market, and th...

Last year, Lago Sofia became the first Chilean aquaculture farm to be WELF-CERT certified for its animal welfare standards. CTO Daniel Elton shares their approach to animal welfare in RAS systems, emphasizing the five domains defined by the OIE: feeding, environmental parameters, behaviour, and mental well-being. He also introduces a new venture, Blue Waters Aquaculture Engineering, where they can...

Matt Craze, lead researcher at Spheric Research, sat down with our co-hosts at the end of last year to discuss the 2025 industry trends in land-based aquaculture. He highlights a significant increase in deal flow with known investments surpassing US$2 billion. Over 90% of investments were in Atlantic salmon, with notable projects in Norway, Iceland, and Japan. The conversation also touched on the...

David Serino, director of Aquaculture Research & Development at Carteret Community College, discussed the potential of striped bass in land-based aquaculture. He highlighted the benefits of retrofitting existing sites, such as a former hog farm in North Carolina, to create a 1,500-ton annual production facility. The project aims to scale up production gradually, leveraging existing infrastruct...

This is a special episode that shares the live keynote presentation at  Hatchery International 's World Trout Culture Summit 2025. The Riverence Group is the leading trout producer and egg supplier in North America. Chief Science Officer Jesse Trushenski shared about the company's strategic thinking behind Riverence’s breeding principles and growing ASC-certified rainbow trout and Steelhead i...

SalmoGen Company was first established in 2022 to develop a St. Johns River salmon strain for commercial aquaculture production. The broodstock is being developed at the National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program in Maine. General manager, Nick King, shares insights about establishing a new salmon genetics company for North America and h...

To celebrate the end of the RASTECH 2025 Conference and Trade Fair , Jean Ko Din sits down with her co-host, Justin Henry, and Howard Tang, CEO of Peritus Capital to talk about takeaways from the show in San Diego, Calif. Justin was session chair of a New Projects session that showcased new innovators in recirculating aquaculture, while Howard hosted the Investors’ Forum to talk about the investme...

Success in RAS can come in all shapes and sizes. At RASTECH 2025 (June 9-10 in San Diego, Calif., USA), our keynote panel explores how their farms forged their own path of profitability, and on their own terms. Our panelists: Thorsten Vammen is the general manager of FREA Solutions, based in Denmark. FREA AS is fully recirculated facility raising rainbow trout in Felding, Denmark. Located just a f...

Trevor Gent, director of Engineered Solutions at Alumichem, delves into the critical role of wastewater treatment in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). As a "fish poop expert," he emphasizes the importance of early planning and integration of waste management systems. He discusses various treatment options, highlighting the need for regulatory compliance and market development.

Bendik Fyhn Terjesen is the head of Land-Based Innovation and Development at Cermaq Global. He shares how one of the largest traditional salmon net pen companies became a pioneer of recirculating aquaculture technology. He provides insight on how Cermaq has grown its smolt RAS production over the years and where the company's hopes lie for future expansion.

Danish Salmon, founded in 2009, is one of the oldest RAS companies for Atlantic salmon. The company in Hirtshals, Denmark faced numerous challenges, including system failures and inefficiencies. CEO Kim Hieronymus Lyhne shares lessons from the company's financial turnaround, reporting profits for the first time in 2024 with its annual capacity of 2,300 tons.

John Hansen, a project director in the RAS industry, discussed his experience and responsibilities, including managing design and construction for land-based fish farms. He emphasized the importance of early involvement in projects to ensure constructability and avoid costly changes. He also stressed the need for simplicity in design to keep costs and timelines manageable.

Laxey's freshwater manager, Chris Malanka, manages four RAS facilities, focusing on fish health, production planning, and water quality. This RAS project in Iceland's Westman Islands aims to produce four million smolts annually, with a gradual startup plan. Public relations manager, Óskar Jósúason, also tells the story of how a local male choir's visit to the newly built growout tanks represents&n...

Tommi Mäkinen, chief technology officer and head of Finnforel Technologies, talks about the company's philosophy of making each process of rainbow trout RAS production sustainable and innovative. He shares a breakdown of their new Varkaus gigafactory and the lessons they learned from its previous pilot systems to make its large-scale facility optimized from egg to packaged filet.

Fabian Rydell and Bert Wecker, the co-CEOs of Oceanloop Group, share about their German-based company raising shrimp and grouper in their unique vertical farming-style, recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). We explore the technical and operational challenges the company has overcome, as well as their ambitious plans for scaling up production across Europe.

Reflecting on the company’s first year of production, CEO Martin Rasmussen emphasizes Andfjord Salmon’s concept of combining the natural benefits of the sea with the advantages of being on land, leveraging the company's unique location near the Gulf Stream for optimal water temperature and quality.

James Peter Henry Tuller is the commissioning manager at Norway-based Pure Salmon Technology. On the second day (June 6) of the RASTECH 2024 Conference and Trade Fair, Tuller took the stage to give attendees a simple breakdown of the commissioning process for a RAS facility. He talks about the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to this final step before system startup.

Aqua Founders Capital managing directors, Ohad Maiman and Thue Holm, share insights on the challenges they hope to address in the recirculating aquaculture industry. They also offer an update on their latest projects, Farm in a Box and The Black Cod Company. This episode is a live recording of the keynote session at RASTECH 2024 Conference and Trade Fair on June 5, 2024 in Charlotte, N.C., US...

In RASTECH’s new mini-podcast series, “5 To Watch”, recorded ahead of RASTECH 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina (Jun 5-6), host Mari-Len De Guzman talks with Matthew Smith of Xylem, the event’s Diamond Sponsor, about the company’s various technologies and solutions for RAS operations.

In this new mini-series, “5 To Watch”, recorded ahead of RASTECH 202 4 in Charlotte, N.C., USA (June 5-6, 2024), host Mari-Len De Guzman talks with Jason Danaher of Aquatic Equipment & Design about their aquaculture technology solutions such as mechanical filtration and new aeration diffusers. Also, what to expect at Aquatic E&D’s booth this year and their team’s contribution in chairing s...

In our new mini-series, “5 To Watch”, recorded ahead of RASTECH 2024 in Charlotte, N.C., USA (June 5-6, 2024), host Mari-Len De Guzman talks with Callum Graham of Octaform about their tank technology for new RAS projects, fish welfare, and restorative solutions for degraded concrete tanks. Also, who and what to expect at Octaform’s booth at this year’s RASTECH event. This episode is sponsored by O...

In a new mini-series, “5 To Watch”, recorded ahead of the RASTECH 2024 conference in Charlotte, N.C., USA (June 5-6, 2024), host Mari-Len De Guzman talks with Aran Lavi of Atlantium Technologies Ltd. about the company’s current solutions for water biosecurity based on their medium pressure UV technology. Also, who and what to expect at Atlantium’s booth at this year’s RASTECH event. This episode i...

In our new mini-series, “5 To Watch”, recorded ahead of RASTECH 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina (June 5-6, 2024), host Mari-Len De Guzman talks with Michael Malone of Aquaculture Systems Technologies about their new incubation system, bead filtration and wastewater treatment technologies. Also, who and what to expect at AST’s booth at this year’s RASTECH event. This episode is sponsored by Aquac...