Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Recirculated Aquaculture Systems

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are land-based, closed-loop production systems in which water is continuously treated and reused rather than being discharged after a single pass. Water leaving the culture tanks is routed through a sequence of treatment stages, typically mechanical filtration to remove solids…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 6 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 2× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2691-6622 🗓 Reviewed October 2026

Overview

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are land-based, closed-loop production systems in which water is continuously treated and reused rather than being discharged after a single pass. Water leaving the culture tanks is routed through a sequence of treatment stages, typically mechanical filtration to remove solids, biological filtration in which nitrifying bacteria convert toxic ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate, degassing and oxygenation, and often disinfection by ultraviolet light or ozonation, before being returned to the fish. This engineered approach allows precise control of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and waste concentrations, enabling year-round production independent of external climate and location. RAS substantially reduces water consumption and effluent discharge compared with flow-through or open systems, supports high stocking densities, and improves biosecurity by limiting exposure to pathogens and escapement. Trade-offs include high capital and energy requirements, technical complexity, and dependence on reliable system management, since failures in filtration or oxygenation can rapidly affect stock health. RAS is applied to a range of finfish and other aquatic species across hatchery, nursery, and grow-out phases. Research in this area addresses biofilter performance, solids and nutrient management, water reuse efficiency, fish growth and welfare, and energy optimization, making RAS a central technology in efforts to intensify aquaculture sustainably while minimizing environmental footprint.

Research published in this journal

6 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 6 articles above have been cited 2 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Recirculated Aquaculture Systems, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Aquaculture Research and Development (ISSN 2691-6622).

Journal editorial board
Abdolreza Jahanbakhshi · Iran Hamidreza Ahmadniaye Motlagh · Iran Oleh Marenkov · Ukraine

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.