Photo: Aquponi/FIS

First simultaneous cultivation of vannamei and herbs in seawater by Akuponi

JAPAN
Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Started a test of cultivating white shrimp using brackish water aquaponics

Aquponi Co.,Ltd. (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; CEO: Kengo Hamada), which proposes circular business with the vision of "Making people and the earth happy through aquaponics," has begun experimental cultivation of whiteleg shrimp at an aquaponics farm operated by the company in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

In this demonstration experiment, saltwater will be used for aquaponics to cultivate whiteleg shrimp, which are in high demand in Japan. The water will also be circulated through vegetable beds to cultivate plants such as salt-tolerant Swiss chard and high-value-added herbs. During the experiment, sensors will be used to measure the necessary data for shrimp and plants, and the symbiotic effects of the two will be investigated, with the aim of commercializing brackish water aquaponics.

Aiming to commercialize brackish water aquaponics, we have begun a test of cultivating white-legs shrimp.

At Akponi's own farm in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, we are conducting experiments to develop and improve aquaponics cultivation systems and diversify the varieties of crops we cultivate. We have recently begun a test to cultivate "vannamei shrimp" using brackish water aquaponics.

According to a survey by the Fisheries Agency, shrimp is one of the top four consumed seafood products in Japan, and despite high domestic demand, the country relies almost entirely on imports (Reference: Fisheries Agency's 2022 Fisheries White Paper, "Trends Surrounding Supply and Demand, and Consumption of Fishery Products in Japan").

Currently, aquaponics in Japan is freshwater aquaculture, but if brackish aquaponics could be put to practical use, it would enable large-scale land-based farming of domestic seafood, including shrimp, with a low environmental impact, greatly expanding the scope of its applications. In recent years, we have received an increasing number of inquiries about shrimp farming, so we decided to conduct this test in order to expand the possibilities of aquaponics.

Demonstration experiment in progress

Demonstration experiment details

• Location: Shonan Akuponi Farm (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
• Duration: Until the end of September 2024 (planned)
• Demonstration system: NFT (thin film hydroponic method)
• Water volume: 2,500 L
• Able to grow 600 vannamei shrimp and 300 vegetable plants
• Vegetables planned to include Swiss chard and various herbs such as rosemary

Vannamei shrimp during the demonstration experiment

Key points of this demonstration experiment

1. Collecting shrimp and vegetable data using IoT / Selecting the best plants for brackish water aquaponics

In this demonstration experiment, we will use the "Akuponi Cultivation App," a unique service that provides centralized management of aquaponics, and use IoT to collect data on vannamei shrimp and vegetables.

This will allow us to understand the farm environment and growth conditions, which will enable us to optimize the environment for shrimp farming and select the most suitable plants for brackish water aquaponics.

The data we collect includes the following items:

Measurement items

• Feeding amount
• White shrimp and vegetable yield
• Air temperature, humidity, water temperature, salinity, DO (dissolved oxygen), pH, EC (electrical conductivity), carbon dioxide concentration in air, etc.

About the Akuponi Cultivation App

2. Exploring the possibility of domestic shrimp production, aiming to reduce both the environmental impact and costs

Aquaponics combines aquaculture and hydroponic cultivation to efficiently recycle resources, using nitrogen from fish and shrimp feed as fertilizer for vegetables.

Generally, when only land-based aquaculture is used, 88% of the nitrogen contained in the feed is discarded when the water is changed periodically. In a demonstration experiment conducted by our company in the past, we found that with aquaponics, the nitrogen that is normally discarded can be effectively used at about 99% as fertilizer for vegetables. Furthermore, the amount of water used is about one-third that of land-based aquaculture, so water consumption can be reduced by about 66%.

Currently, most shrimp consumed in Japan are imported frozen from overseas, particularly Southeast Asia. However, if it is proven possible to cultivate vannamei shrimp using aquaponics, and domestic shrimp production increases as a result, it is expected that carbon dioxide emissions caused by transportation will be reduced. At the same time, this will also lead to a reduction in transportation costs for businesses, contributing to the realization of a business that achieves both environmental load reduction and cost reduction.

Source: Aquponi, Co.Ltd. (translated from original in Japanese)

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