Everything You Should Know About RAS Farming

Recirculating Aquaculture System Farming, also known as RAS Farming, is a method of raising aquatic animals such as fish or shellfish in a controlled environment. This type of farming is considered more environmentally sustainable compared to traditional methods of commercial fishing or fish farming done in ponds or sea cages. While RAS Farming has been around for many years, advancements in technology have spurred the development of modern techniques that not only enhance operational efficiencies but also improve the quality of the product. If you’re interested in learning more about RAS Farming, you’ve came to the right place. In this blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know about RAS Farming.

Before we dive into the nitty gritty technical aspects of recirculating systems, let’s discuss why aquaculture systems were built in the first place. As alluded in the intro, traditional methods of obtaining seafood for consumption just aren’t sustainable. Over the last 50 years, commercial fishing has pushed one third of the world’s assessed fisheries to their breaking point.1 Catching fish at a rate that exceeds the natural capacity of the fish population to reproduce and maintain itself can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and local communities that depend on fishing for food and income.1 That’s just one of the many reasons behind the growth of the aquaculture industry.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food industries among major food-production sectors.2 Today, the market is divided into two main categories: marine aquaculture, which involves farming aquatic organisms in saltwater environments, and freshwater aquaculture, which involves farming aquatic organism in freshwater environments. As a whole, the industry brings in an estimated $2.1 billion in revenue every year.3 This growing demand for more eco-friendly ways to produce gourmet grade seafood is helping to drive innovative.

Historically, growing seafood like shrimp in a controlled system came with its fair share of challenges. Successfully powering the continuous flow of recirculated and filtered water needed to maintain a healthy environment requires a great deal of energy. Aware of the obstacles that occur in large-scale RAS farming systems, NaturalShrimp developed a custom design specifically tailored for the aquaculture industry. Its innovative “Vibrio Suppression Technology”, launched in 2014, utilizes Electrocoagulation (EC) technology as part of the filtration loop to treat wastewater by passing an electric current through it causing the formation of small, charged particles known as flocs. These flocs can then be easily removed from the water through sedimentation or filtration, effectively removing pollutants and other dangerous contaminants.

Further, Vibrio Suppression Technology simplifies the wastewater treatment process by replacing the need for biofilters. Biofilters such as gravel or sand have been traditionally used to remove impurities and excess nutrients from the water by providing a surface for beneficial bacteria to grow. However, relying on populations of uncontrollable bacteria can incite the development of harmful organisms.

NaturalShrimp offers an alternative to sea cages with biologically controlled, antibiotic and chemically free sustainable water system. The enclosed, salt-water systems, uses patented technology to produce fresh, naturally grown shrimp, without the use of antibiotics or toxic chemicals. Shop shrimp to place your freshly harvested gourmet-grade shrimp order today!

1“What Is Overfishing? Facts, Effects and Overfishing Solutions.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing.
2 Hakai Magazine. “A Short History of Aquaculture Innovation.” Hakai Magazine, https://hakaimagazine.com/features/a-short-history-of-aquaculture-innovation/.
3Hakai Magazine. “A Short History of Aquaculture Innovation.” Hakai Magazine, https://hakaimagazine.com/features/a-short-history-of-aquaculture-innovation/.

Gary Shover

I am one of the few lucky recipients that received some of the most beautiful shrimp during a shipping trial…. and when I say lucky and beautiful, I am not exaggerating.The shrimp arrived in a sealed Styrofoam container and the temperature was 37 degrees. I then went to the store and purchased some regular shrimp. Sadly, the guy working the counter did not know where the shrimp originated from. After cleaning both the store bought shrimp and the Natural Shrimp I set about cooking and did so with a skillet and the grill…. The taste of Natural Shrimp was outstanding when compared to the store bought shrimp the taste comparison was as different as night and day. The texture and taste was shrimply outstanding… The store bought shrimp was gritty and had little flavor versus NaturalShrimp that was tasty and buttery smooth. After eating Natural Shrimps product, I will never eat store bought shrimp again and gladly rate this a 5 star product.

Randy Tye

I live on the Gulf Coast and regularly purchase fresh caught wild shrimp right off of the shrimp boat and I have had the pleasure of eating Natural Shrimp numerous times. There is no comparison in the quality. Natural Shrimp is gourmet quality and I highly recommend it.

Allen Frank

I have had the pleasure of tasting the Natural Shrimp on 3 separate occasions. I normally buy my shrimp from a small shop located in San Leon, Texas on the Gulf Coast right on the water that gets their shrimp ” Right off the boat”. I like that since I know they are American caught shrimp, and the boats are tied up next to the store. I can honestly say that the Natural Shrimp is BY FAR taster and has NO odor than the shrimp I normally buy from the store. They have a sweet and buttery taste. As a big plus there is no need to de-vein the shrimp also. There is NO visible vein to remove…..I can honestly rate these tasty shrimp as a HUGE 5 STAR.

Steve & Deb Salmen

My husband and I drove 12 hours to purchase shrimp from Natural Shrimp. We were not disappointed in our purchase. The shrimp was extremely clean, no odor and had a good flavor. We’re looking forward to purchasing more in the near future. 5 stars!

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Gary Shover

Randy Tye

Allen Frank

Steve & Deb Salmen

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