We will not be raising Atlantic salmon in California. We will be focusing on Yellowtail kingfish
Yellowtail Kingfish
Are there advantages to Yellowtail Kingfish?
Yes. As described above yellowtail kingfish require ~10% less energy to produce than Atlantic salmon grown in the same recirculating systems. As a marine species, Yellowtail kingfish do not require freshwater to grow. As in Denmark we will include brood stock at our farm. This will allow us to produce our own eggs and fingerlings. Therefore, we will not need to import our eggs from another farm, ensuring increased biosecurity on our farm.
Does anything change with farm operations?
No. This does not change the nature of the farm or what we will do; grow premium, fresh fish for the regional market.
Does this introduce any new risk in terms of fish escape, pathogens, environmental impact, effluent?
No. All of the robust escape and biosecurity measures previously described for Atlantic salmon will still be in place. The farm will be smaller and therefore discharge and waste removal will be reduced.
Will you need to use more energy to heat the water?
No. We will use less energy. We have nearly identical grow out modules in Denmark and Norway called RAS 2020s. In Fredrikstad, Norway we have been growing Atlantic salmon in RAS 2020 modules and in Hanstholm Denmark we have been growing Yellowtail kingfish in the same RAS 2020 design module.
Due to our ability to capture and use waste heat we have demonstrated at a commercial scale that roughly 10% less energy is required to grow Yellowtail kingfish vs Atlantic salmon, and heat exchangers use less energy than chillers.
Will the discharge be warmer because this is a warm water fish?
No. The discharge temperature will be cooler than what it would have been for Atlantic salmon. We will use heat exchangers to remove the heat from the effluent before it is discharged. This will result in effluent that will be similar to the temperature of the receiving waters of the Pacific Ocean 1.55 miles out in ~80 feet of water at our outlet diffuser array.