Tasmanian salmon farmer, Petuna, opened state-of-the-art salmon RAS hatchery. Premier of Tasmania, Jeremy Rockliff, and Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jo Palmer, officially opened Cressy III, the company’s third RAS at its Cressy hatchery, eliminating reliance on the traditional flow-through system, providing a controlled environment, the company said on Facebook.

The $13-million facility uses world-leading technology to recirculate up to 99% of the water, through mechanical and biological filters. It uses less than 5% of the water of traditional systems and allows the company to grow its salmon to a larger size on land, reducing the time they need to be at sea. This is an integral project for Petuna, demonstrating its commitment to continual improvement in environmental sustainability, with 100% of the waste planned to be used on a neighboring farm.

“We researched globally to identify the best methods of developing Cressy III, and we're proud to have opened one of the most innovative new systems in Australia, as part of our sustainability strategy to invest in the world’s best technology. We are also very proud of the fact that 70% of the total build cost was carried out by local Tasmanian companies.

We are incredibly appreciative to have worked with such capable and innovative project partners CBM Group, Mitchell Plastic Welding, Tas City Building, Wynyard Transport and Akva Group, all of whom played a critical role in making Cressy III possible,” the company said.