The Introduction of Recirculating Aquaculture System For Grouper Farming In Malaysia

RAS as it being called in the industry. I personally like the idea of precision farming and has been working on it back in 1990s when most of my friends think the cage culture was the best system for us due to easiness to set up and the abundance of suitable sites in our water bodies sorrounding the country. How relief am I now to see the emergence of RAS into our local aquaculture industry with this technology,either imported or locally invented. The most important point for me is the system already accepted by the industry. As in other cases of technology transfer in Malaysian fisheries and aquaculture industries, the farmers always shown a wait and see attitudes in the beginning but will not hesitate to invest into it once they have confident on the system. In fact, once convinced, they are very fast learners, with their own kind of additions and inventions.





Demonstration unit of RAS for grouper fry nursing

 

I must pay my respect to various Malaysian government agencies and government linked companies that have been working out to bring and introduce  this technology into this country. The efforts made by such agencies and companies make the work of convincing the present fish farmers and potential new investors much easier to the expansion officers.

I like to mention the innovation done by DOF at their marine research center in Tanjung Demong, Terengganu, Malaysia. Their researchers at that center successfully creating a simple and cheap RAS called CENTS (Cheap Efficients Nursery Tank System) for small scale nursery operators but can easily adopted by the commercial scales hatcheries.




RAS as being developed by one of the farmers.

They are very practical with their

 implementation of the system.

 The acceptance by the fish farmers seem to be very positive. I manage to visit few projects developed by the farmers after they undergo training from the center. For me, the sign of acceptance is very clear but the level of knowledge on the scientific parts of the technology must be improved to ensure our farmers properly equiped with the proper know-how of the system, especially the biofilteration process of the system.
Biofilters for recirculating aquaculture systems (Fact sheet)




Another RAS system used by farmers
 for fry nursing. Look at the colour
 of the tanks. That is their own innovation.

 

As previously mentioned, our fish farmers are very innovative to do the "perfection" into the systems that acceptable to them. They love to try their own ideas on the systems. I like this attitude and if given with right basic scientific knowledge of the systems, they might be able to come out with a better systems for their own usage. Without such basic knowledge, they might end up in failure, something that must be avoided for the future growth of aquaculture industry using this system. I am more concern that new investors that interested in this systems, especially those public listed companies and GLCs to properly understand the principle behind the system and not making mistakes in choosing the systems to be implimented at their project. The more well known corporate organisation failures not just tarnish their  own name, but drag down the potential of other investors to get the financing from the banks especially to those small scale fish farmers.




Another RAS under construction with their own perception.

 I wish to post some of my observations on the practice of RAS in Malaysia as well in other countries in future. As a way to improve the production of aquaculture industry especially for grouper fishes sustainably, I sincerely hope this technology will immediately mature in this country, so that we might ba able to precisely manage our production as it has been done in poultry farming. Only with precision, sustainable and environmental friendly technology that our grouper farming d aquaculture industry can go far. We are just one step from nowhere, but since 1000 miles started with the first step, I sincerely applause our first step taken by all of us. Our next step is to ensure those who are involve in the industry are well equiped with at least basic scientific knowledge about the systems.