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Gloucestershire start-up proposes RAS-raised shrimp for UK market

A new aquaculture company based in South West England aims to produce shrimp in a land-based facility to in order to offer biosecure and sustainably grown seafood to the United Kingdom market. Land Ocean Farm of Gloucestershire said it is still looking for a suitable location for its planned receirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility for shrimp.

“Our goal is to champion sustainable aquaculture in the UK reducing dependency in foreign import and reduce pressure on natural sources,” according to the company. “Outdoor prawn farming is extremely exposed to the risk of diseases, making it highly inconsistent and unpredictable business model.”

Land Ocean Farm is headed by Rusel Mahmud, project leader of the company and technical director of Bay of Bengal Aquaculture; and Litu Mohiuddin, managing director and sustainable farmer for Land Ocean Farm.

Prawns are produced 6,000 miles away from UK market. The seafood has to travel approximately 45 days by sea freight. This practice produces a significant impact on the carbon footprint of the product, the company pointed out.

The company also said that widespread use of antibiotics and non-European Union approved chemical in seafood entering the UK is also widespread. Furthermore “mislabelling or glazing, soaking and peeling products is a common issue,” according to Land Ocean Farm.

The company has partnered with Royal Agriculture University, the RAU Farm 49 Agritech Innovation and Incubation, FoodForward Tech, Consortium SAIC, Bay of Bengal Aquaculture, ECOShrimp Aquaculture Innovation, Forest of Dean District Council, the Glucestershire County Council, and the Growth Hub of the University of Glocestershire.