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Nocera eyeing Georgia as second US RAS location

Following its purchase last September of 229 acres of agricultural land for a land-based fish farm in Montgomery, Alabama, Nocera Inc. has set its sights on yet another recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Georgia.

“We have interest from Georgia to build potentially one of the biggest fish farms in the US,” Jeff Cheng, founder and chief executive officer of Nocera said in a recent post on the Nocera website.

Nocera is a fully integrated, sustainable seafood company that provides land-based RAS for both fresh and saltwater fish and invests in fish farms by building high-tech RAS.

No other details were release. However, the plan is part of the Taiwan-based company’s strategy to expand its footprint in the U.S. RAS space.

“We are committed to raise green and sustainable fish for the market and look forward to continued execution of our fish farm construction in the months ahead,” Cheng said. “We will continue to invest and expand in a green and sustainable way in the United States and globally.”

Nocera is also interested in developing smaller systems for farmers in South America. “I have also received several requests from the Brazilian government,” according to Cheng.

Nocera’s RAS technology uses tanks constructed of relatively inexpensive materials to reduce costs for the farmer. It takes three months to build a farm depending on size of the farm, and in just six to 12 months the fish can be ready to go, with the tanks able to produce 22,000 pounds of fish annually.

The company is also partnering with solar companies to help reduce the cost of running RAS facilities and cut environmental impact.

Much land-based aquaculture is focused on raising salmon.

Cheng is confident Nocera is capable of raising more fish that its rivals because Nocera focuses on freshwater fish such as tilapia.

Tilapia is more affordable fish that has a larger market.

In terms of health benefits, tilapia is considered as a good source of protein and relatively low in fat. Market research firm IMARC Group expects the global market for tilapia to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.1% between 2021 and 2026. “Tilapia is something that you just can’t ignore,” he said.