Ozone for Atlantic Salmon production in RAS:Effects on waterborne hormones, early maturation, fish performance

摘要

The use of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for Atlantic salmon production has increased tremendously over the last decade. The Freshwater Institute (FI) has, in part, pioneered a path forward for this growing aquaculture sector by demonstrating that it's biologically and technologically feasible to grow Atlantic salmon to > 4 kg in freshwater RAS (Davidson et al., 2016). Nevertheless, this ambitious endeavor has not been without challenges. It is well-documented that a critical drawback is the increased tendency for precocious salmon maturation. Early reproductive development has been particularly prevalent at FI in mixed-sex, diploid populations where the vast majority of maturing fish are 1 to 2-kg males. In the worst cases, approximately80 per cent of males matured before harvest, representing nearly 40 per cent of the total population (Crouse et al., 2021). Precocious salmon typically demonstrate reduced fillet yield, pale flesh colouration, and lower fillet lipid levels, which ultimately equate to anon-premium product and diminished enue for commercial producers.