Avon Valley Salmon says its planned land-based Atlantic salmon farm in southern England will operate with a substantially smaller water footprint than the trout farm that previously occupied the site.
Speaking to the BBC, farm manager Alistair Watret said the former Trafalgar Fisheries operation near Downton abstracted approximately 1,800 litres of water per second from the Hampshire Avon before returning it to the river.
The new salmon facility will instead operate a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), using groundwater from a borehole that is treated and reused within the production process.
The comments follow Wiltshire Council’s approval of a canopy structure covering the site’s existing concrete tanks. Avon Valley Salmon has said the enclosure is intended to improve biosecurity and help maintain water quality.
According to Watret, waste solids will be captured through filtration systems and stored for use as fertiliser or in biogas production.
Founder Julian Connor told the BBC that solar panels planned for the roof of the structure could provide between 24% and 40% of the facility’s electricity requirements.
The project, being developed at the former Trafalgar Fisheries site near Downton, is expected to become England’s first commercial land-based Atlantic salmon farm.