On 9th March 2023, the GWP Working Group on Industrial Water Management, chaired by Dr Gerd Sagawe and Dr Daniel Frank, met online for an exchange on the topic of aquacultures. The agenda included a presentation of projects and stakeholders from the industry and from research, as well as the formation of a new subgroup that aims to create networking opportunities and an exchange of information on the aquaculture sector for interested members.
The meeting sought to thematically expand upon the last regular meeting of the working group in November 2022, during which the subject had been well-received and was subsequently established as a new focal topic. The online update once again attracted great interest and its five guest speakers introduced the 22 participants to strengths, challenges, and future prospects of aquaculture in Germany.
Exciting presentations about the latest developments in business and research
Prof. Uwe Waller, HTW Saarland and mentor at SEAWATER Cubes, kicked things off by using the example of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to point out the necessity of the precise interaction of various processes in plant operation. Prof. Jürgen Kolb, Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), who presented the latest research on the application of plasma technologies for water hygiene, provided a further impetus for discussion. The comparison of different methods for water purification, from ozone to UV and ultrasound, repeatedly led to lively discussions.
Providing an outlook on his contribution to the next working group meeting on 11th May 2023, Adrian Feiler, KAESER Kompressoren SE, shared the challenges which the company faced as a newcomer in the German aquaculture sector. Laura Bies, August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute (AWSI), steered the conversation towards the use of digital technologies in land-based fish farming through her presentation of the intelligent feeding system “FishAI”, a project collaboration with GWP member SEAWATER Cubes. Finally, Mirko Bögner, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research at AWI, presented his working group “Aquaculture Research” and its development of products at the intersection of various key issues for sustainability in the sector.
Next steps for the new subgroup aquacultures
Working group leader Gerd Sagawe then invited the members to an open exchange regarding their expectations towards the new focal topic. There was general support for an intensification of the networking activities as well as for a central pooling and dissemination of information on the aquaculture sector.
To help coordinate these initiatives in the future, Carolin Ackermann, Managing Director SEAWATER Cubes, Mirko Bögner, Adrian Feiler and Stephan Neumayer, Evonik Operations GmbH, volunteered to lead the new subgroup ‘Aquacultures’. Next steps and activities for this group will be scouted at an initial planning meeting with the subgroup leaders, the working group leaders and Amina Hussein as coordinator at the GWP office. We look forward to a successful collaboration and thank you for your interest in the subgroup ‘Aquacultures’!
Preview image: People Image Studio/shutterstock.com