With an investment of one million pesos, the Secretariat carried out the project in the facilities of the Aquaculture Center El Zarco, which has managed to make efficient use of water without affecting aquaculture production and productivity.
Through a system of biofiltration, the SRA removes contaminants from water produced in the same culture. It also has a solids removal module and a disinfection system that keep the water free of pathogens. This will save up to 98 per cent of the liquid usually required.
The adoption of this technology made the SRA a sustainable alternative for the more than 2,500 registered fish farmers in the state.
The SRA was also designed with the material construction policy in mind. This requires that all material used for construction, repair and maintenance can be purchased in the area local to the production unit, so that the parts are obtained with relative ease.
"Today the care, handling and reuse of fresh water is a priority established by governments worldwide, so efforts have been aimed at sustainable use and exploitation of the vital liquid," he said on a tour of El Zarco Fisheries sub-delegate the SAGARPA, Maria del Carmen Avila Arcos.
He explained that the system serves only 50 per cent of the hatchery of the Aquaculture Center, with a capacity to hold 200,000 rainbow trout fry, reaching a height of four inches.
He stressed that currently the RAS increases the average annual volume availability of water by 33 per cent.
"This system has been studied since 2000 and is currently in its fourth version, which was designed to be supplied with different sources of water such as rainwater harvesting," said Ivan Gallego.
The Technical Specialist Aquaculture Center El Zarco, Jos Lus Damas Aguilar, said that it has now successfully operated the RAS, which has successfully commercialised farming rainbow trout to the State of Mexico and other producing states.
The National Development Plan 2007-2012, in the section on Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Water in Agenda 2030, presented in March this year by President Felipe Calderon, realised the vital importance of maintaining fluid.
SAGARPA Increases Trout & Carp Production
MEXICO - The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), in collaboration with the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (CONAPESCA) and the University of Mexico State, has developed the Recirculating Aquaculture System (SRA), allowing for increased water availability, ensuring the increased production of trout and carp by up to 50 per cent.
