The initiative, promoted by Ecobiofarms Fuerteventura, has the scientific support of the Aquaculture Research Group (GIA) of the ECOAQUA institute, which specialises in the genetic improvement of the species.
With an investment of around 2.6 million euros, an aquaculture farm of almost 13,000 m2 will be created, the first on the island of Fuerteventura, with which it is hoped to achieve the cultivation of 300 metric tons in 5 years, with a sales value of around 4 million euros.
The XIX National Aquaculture Congress (CNA), which is being held between 17 and 19 June in the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, organised by the Aquaculture Research Group (GIA) of the ECOAQUA Institute of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), for the Spanish Aquaculture Society, today saw the presentation of one of the most outstanding projects to be developed at the event, that of 'Sustainable Prawn Production in RAS', by the company Ecobiofarms Fuerteventura S. L.
This is an initiative which, with an initial investment of around 2.6 million euros, will be a milestone for Canary Island and Spanish aquaculture by boosting the cultivation of white prawns at national level, multiplying the annual production of this crustacean by five. It is estimated that the current 8 tonnes generated at the only prawn farm currently operating in Spain, the one in Medina del Campo (Valladolid), will be far exceeded, producing some 40 tonnes with an estimated sales value of between 400,000 and 600,000 thousand euros in the first year.
The first productions of this rapidly expanding species, which has positioned it as the second most important aquaculture species worldwide, are expected to be obtained from the fourth month after the start of the activity, scheduled for the second quarter of 2025.
So far, aquaculture production in the Canary Islands, mainly sea bream and sea bass, to which the study of seriola (amberjack) farming is being added, was distributed in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and Lanzarote. With this new farm, Fuerteventura is also embarking on its way in this sector with the introduction of a new species.
The Fuerteventura initiative will allow the creation of a farm in the municipality of Antigua (Fuerteventura), the first aquaculture production of the whole island, with a surface area of 12,750 m2. Fifteen professionals will work there, including biologists, technicians and aquaculture specialists in RAS (Recirculation Aquaculture System) systems, in indoor facilities, both in the maturation and fattening processes.
The project has the collaboration of the Aquaculture Research Group (GIA) of the ULPGC, under the direction of Dr. Juan Manuel Afonso López, and president of the Organising Committee of the XIX National Aquaculture Congress, which has a long history after supporting since 2015 the development of the industry in Ecuador in white prawn or shrimp, a world leader in the cultivation of this species.
The GIA group, with the participation of fifteen researchers, is involved in a genetic improvement programme using BLUP methodology for the production of white prawns, with funding of 2 million euros, with which it has managed to introduce the latest technology and reduce the fattening process from three to two months and to study the traceability and quality of the product for the consumer.
For Anthony D. Forde, promoter of this prawn farming project together with Marta D. Cisneros, through their company Ecobiofarms Fuerteventura, "our work and experience of 30 years in the fishing sector, nurtured, moreover, in farms with RAS systems in which we have worked in Asia and the Middle East, as well as in Central America, has encouraged us to develop this innovative aquaculture project".
Premium quality
In five years, they say, "we expect to produce between 280 and 300 metric tonnes with a sales value of between 3.5 and 4 million euros. Sales, both fresh, refrigerated, raw and cooked, will be aimed at consumers in the Canary Islands and the mainland, obtaining premium quality".
"Speaking exclusively of fresh prawn production, we estimate the growth potential in the Canary Islands in the medium and long term at 400 metric tonnes and for Spain at around 3,000", they add.
This farm, like the one in Medina del Campo, will be dedicated to the cultivation of the species 'Peneaus vannamei' in the full cycle. However, at the Antigua farm, in a second stage "we will also produce the species 'Peneaus monodon', known as tiger prawns. The differences between the two farms, they explain, lie "in the production system and the availability of seawater from direct catchment, obtaining optimum quality".
The estimated rate of acceptability among consumers in both the Canary Islands and Spain "is high, around 70% and 80%," they say. "Nutritionally, the white prawn provides us with protein, it is low in calories as it contains little fat and provides us with nutrients such as iodine, phosphorous, selenium and calcium, and it is also a very popular food on a worldwide culinary level".
The farm, using the RAS production system with a combination of filters, will be "at the forefront of technology, as it treats the water efficiently, its quality is appropriate for the growth of the prawns, reducing consumption and controlling production more exhaustively to make their feeding more efficient", says Darío Basopo Escalante, biologist and production director of Ecobiofarms Fuerteventura, S.L., who presented the project at the National Aquaculture Congress.
Regarding the RAS systems, he explains that "it is true that the investment is costly compared to traditional cultivation systems. However, the advantages it offers make this system more reliable in terms of production quantity, quality and bio-security. With this system, it is possible to programme the harvest dates, giving a manoeuvrability that optimises the entire production process".
According to the biologist, this is a sustainable production, which already exists in other European countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Austria, "as it allows the monitoring of environmental and quality parameters in compliance with current requirements. In our project, the discharge of waste is zero, as the sludge will be treated for subsequent use as agricultural compost".
The National Aquaculture Congress Gran Canaria 2024 has the main sponsorship of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Spain, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the European project AQUAWIND of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, through the Society for Economic Promotion of Gran Canaria (SPEGC), as well as the support of BiOasis Gran Canaria, the Department of the Primary Sector, Food Sovereignty and Water Security of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, the Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC), the Center for Aquaculture Technologies (CAT, California, USA), the official Veterinary Associations of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, ad DiagNost S. A, Trovan, Biosigma, Biotein, Roda International and Ecobiofarms Fuerteventura, SL.