Obayashi has developed a recirculating land-based system to raise abalone for human consumption. It cleans seawater for reuse, eliminating the environmental impact of releasing used water to the sea. Abalone is in strong demand as a high-end food in Japan.
While seafood farming technology has gained a lot of interest recently, the impact of releasing water used in cultivation to the sea presents a problem. That has focused attention on recirculating land-based farming technology, which cleans and reuses the water used to raise seafood. Obayashi has many technologies and expertise with protecting aquatic environments, which it uses to minimize impacts on living organisms during waterside construction. It has put this knowledge to work in a one-year proving experiment in abalone cultivation. The decline in harvests in recent years has raised hopes for cultivation of these
creatures.
Obayashi has also been establishing temperature control and tank sanitation control techniques for abalone raising. In approximately one year, the experiment successfully raised abalone fry with 3–4 centimeters shells into mature abalone averaging 7 centimeters, with the largest being 8.5 centimeters.
[Overview of equipment used for recirculating land-based
abalone farming technology proving experiment]
Microorganisms maintain water purity by breaking down and removing
organic matter and nitrogen compounds in tank water.