Meet the partners: SINTEF Ocean

SINTEF Ocean AS, Aquaculture

How the work developed at SINTEF Ocean impacts the environment?

SINTEF Ocean (SO) is a multidisciplinary research institute within the SINTEF Group, one of Scandinavia's largest independent research institutions, which contributes to innovation and industrial development along the whole fisheries and aquaculture value chain. SO has microbiological laboratories, excellently equipped with modern instruments for microbiological and molecular biological analyses, is hosting the Norwegian Plankton Technology Centre with cultivation systems for various aquatic organisms and operating ACE, a full-scale laboratory facility designed to develop and test new aquaculture technologies. In addition, SO focuses on environmental technology, with one of the world's leading professional environments in marine environmental technology.

What is SO’s primary responsibility in the project OPTIRAS?

SO analyses biological and physicochemical water quality parameters in experimental and demo-scale RAS trials with fish. The focus is on a detailed analysis of microbial community composition and dynamics in RAS environments where different water treatment methods are tested. In addition, innovative oxygenation technology is being studied, emphasising the characterisation of oxygen bubble size distribution.

What does SO expect to achieve within the deliverables of the project?

We expect to generate new knowledge on improving water quality in RAS to improve living conditions for the produced fish. More detailed, we expect to identify new methods to reduce the risk of H2S exposure in RAS, which can impair fish health and lead to sudden mass mortalities. By applying new oxygenation technology, we expect to improve biofilter performance, reduce unwanted anaerobic biofilms, save energy and costs and improve operational control. In short, we expect to contribute to more sustainable land-based fish production.

Roman Netzer, Senior Research Scientist, SINTEF Ocean AS