RASTECH Magazine

Features
From the editor: Better together

May 10, 2022  By  Jean Ko Din


RASTECH 2022 was a great opportunity for more than 270 industry professionals to share their knowledge and best practices. (Photo: Jean Ko Din, RAStech Magazine)

Stars aligned for my promotion because in my first week as editor of RAStech Magazine, I got to host some of the best and brightest of the industry at RASTECH 2022. 

Our in-person flagship event on March 30-31 welcomed more than 270 industry professionals to a beautiful venue in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. After two years of emails and Zoom meetings, it was wonderful to reach out to experts in person and talk about the latest in recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology. 

I got the chance to ask them my questions first hand and understand what they truly care about. 

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We talked about the growing urgency in sustainable solutions to the climate crisis. We talked about engineering innovations that could promote better health in the fish. We talked about managing organic waste and how it affects the plumbing infrastructure around it. 

This industry is endlessly fascinating to me because it is one that is centred on creating a harmony between organism and technology. RAS is a very tricky business, but as it is shown in this issue’s pages, it is those with a bold vision who seem to thrive in the industry. 

Take, for example, our cover story about Sandplains Aquaculture. A building that began its life as a composting facility for local mushroom producers, has found a second life as a recirculating facility that grows tilapia and barramundi. They saw a need in the market and they filled it.

The same story goes for Noola Redclaw, which is a company that is making its mark as the first RAS facility in the United Kingdom to raise redclaw crayfish. If the company’s pilot facility becomes successful, it will easily poise itself as a go-to producer of locally-grown crustaceans. 

We also explore the business case for yellowtail kingfish. We have seen leaders in this industry look to this high-value species as another perfect candidate for RAS. Dr. Sagiv Kolkovski, who is a veteran in the aquaculture space, shares his thoughts on why the time is now to seize this species’ opportunity. 

What I learned during RASTECH 2022 is that the industry has a generous spirit. People genuinely want to share their knowledge. They see it as a collective goal to move recirculating aquaculture systems forward to help feed the world. 

I hope that this magazine continues to be an outlet for that kind of knowledge sharing. Competition encourages innovation, but collaboration encourages sustainability. 

And in continuing that spirit of generosity, I’d like to invite you, our valued readers, to send me your ideas at jkodin@annexbusinessmedia.com. 

After three years as associate editor and now editor, I watched as this magazine has adapted and expanded to the multimedia brand that it is now. 

Our team is constantly developing new projects, like our RAS Virtual Summit (Oct. 5, 2022), the RASTECH Conference and Trade Fair (April 20-21, 2023 in Orlando, Fl.), and of course, our ongoing RAS Talk podcast. 

But in the midst of our own innovations in this publication, I need your help to make sure that we continue to serve you and your interests first and foremost.  


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