UK's UKSKPP Taps Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) to Supply Fresh, Environmentally Friendly Prawns and Offer New Agricultural Diversification
A pioneering research project, the UK Sustainable King Prawn Project (UKSKPP), is exploring how farmers in Britain can diversify their income streams by growing king prawns. The UKSKPP, led by the University of Exeter in collaboration with the University of Reading and Rothamsted Research, proposes that land-based king prawn aquaculture could be a major component of the UK's future food production, offering benefits for the domestic seafood industry, farmers, and the environment.
King prawns (Penaeus vannamei) are one of the 'big five' seafoods consumed in the UK, alongside cod, haddock, salmon, and tuna. However, an astonishing 28,000 tons are currently imported annually, primarily from South East Asian producers, some of which have ecologically questionable practices, including the destruction of carbon-trapping mangrove forests.
The UKSKPP proposes a radically different, sustainable model using indoor Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). These systems are designed to operate under circular economy principles and be powered by renewable energy technologies. The result is a home-grown product with a low carbon footprint and exceptional freshness for the consumer. Furthermore, the land-based systems offer new employment opportunities.
Prof. Rod Wilson, the UKSKPP lead from the University of Exeter, stressed that for the UK to keep its population fed while reversing biodiversity loss, 'sustainable aquaculture has to be a major part of food production.' Prof. Ian Bateman, an Exeter colleague, noted the financial potential for struggling farms, stating that they could diversify profitably into both prawn and fish production via RAS.
Prof. Bateman highlighted the incredible efficiency of the system, noting that a one-hectare RAS facility could produce the same amount of food as 50 hectares of prime livestock land, requiring minimal land use to yield huge amounts of food. He suggested a potential role for the Government to reduce funding for currently 'not particularly effective' public goods schemes, such as biodiversity restoration, and instead target and fund start-up costs for farmers who would benefit from the financial stability offered by diversification.
The project, which began in 2022 and will run until March 2026, has established a demonstrator farm site near St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Production from this site is sold through Eden Valley Prawns, which is currently the UK’s only commercial land-based king-prawn farm. The team is actively addressing critical barriers to expansion, such as the reliance on imported larvae and the need to develop a skilled workforce within the sector.
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The UKSKPP proposes a radically different, sustainable model using indoor Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). These systems are designed to operate under circular economy principles and be powered by renewable energy technologies. The result is a home-grown product with a low carbon footprint and exceptional freshness for the consumer. Furthermore, the land-based systems offer new employment opportunities.
Prof. Bateman highlighted the incredible efficiency of the system, noting that a one-hectare RAS facility could produce the same amount of food as 50 hectares of prime livestock land, requiring minimal land use to yield huge amounts of food. He suggested a potential role for the Government to reduce funding for currently 'not particularly effective' public goods schemes, such as biodiversity restoration, and instead target and fund start-up costs for farmers who would benefit from the financial stability offered by diversification.
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