UK trials land-based king prawn farming diversification

A UK research project is testing whether land-based systems can support a new domestic king prawn farming sector to cut imports and environmental impact.

The UK Sustainable King Prawn Project is modelling and commercially trialling the production of tropical king prawns using fully land-based recirculating aquaculture systems.

These are co-located with renewable heat sources such as solar, anaerobic digestor plants and geothermal energy.

According to the project, combining king prawn aquaculture with farm-based renewable energy “will provide a novel home-grown output with considerable but poorly understood economic and health potential”.

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The project is also modelling whether using UK farmland for prawn production could be cost-effective in comparison to traditional crops, alongside quantifying the environmental benefits of switching land use.

The initiative aims to position the UK as “a global frontrunner” in sustainable prawn farming while offering “innovative diversification opportunities for UK aquaculture and agriculture”.

The research cites public benefits from replacing beef or sheep production with prawns.

This includes reduced greenhouse gas emissions, lower water pollution and freeing land for biodiversity and recreation.

Co-locating indoor prawn units with anaerobic digestors is expected to “maximise use of their [otherwise wasted] heat energy”, improving sustainability and supporting farm-based renewable energy income.

Researchers are assessing the conditions needed to grow “the healthiest and most nutritious prawns” indoors at both laboratory and commercial scales.

UK consumers currently buy 22,852t/year of imported warm water king prawns.

The project states that overseas production can involve “destroying up to 80% of nations’ mangrove forests”, alongside risks from chemical misuse and high transport emissions.

Offset imports

Project leaders estimate that adapting just 20% of UK anaerobic digestor plants could support 960 production units and 5,520t of output annually, equivalent to around 25% of current warm-water prawn imports.

Funded by £2m from UK Research and Innovation between 2022 and 2026, the programme involves industry partnerships with Ixora Energy, Cargill, Sainsbury’s, Lyons Seafoods and aquaculture producers.