Aquaculture OPEX Estimator
Stress-tests FCR, feed price, energy tariff, labour cost and farmgate price together — the realistic downside case for an operating farm.
Calculator inputs
RAS 3–8, flow-through 0.5–2, ponds 0.3–1.5.
Results
Total annual OPEX
$4.11 per kg produced
Feed
$945,000
Juveniles / fingerlings
$175,000
Energy
$280,000
Labour
$264,000
Results at a glance
| Output | Pessimistic | Base case | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total annual OPEX | $2,486,462 | $2,056,320 | $1,803,449 |
| Feed | $1,217,160 | $945,000 | $782,460 |
| Juveniles / fingerlings | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 |
| Energy | $385,000 | $280,000 | $218,960 |
| Labour | $285,120 | $264,000 | $253,440 |
| Maintenance & spares | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Health, oxygen & chemicals | $90,000 | $90,000 | $90,000 |
| Admin, insurance & overheads | $184,182 | $152,320 | $133,589 |
| EBITDA at entered price | $-11,462 | $693,680 | $1,166,551 |
Scenario range
Total annual OPEX
Result summary with the inputs used
Inputs used
- Annual production
- 500 t/year
- Feed conversion ratio
- 1.4 FCR
- Feed price
- 1.35 $/kg
- Juveniles / fingerlings
- 0.35 $/kg produced
- Energy intensity
- 4 kWh/kg
- Electricity tariff
- 0.14 $/kWh
- Full-time staff
- 12 people
- Fully loaded cost per employee
- 22,000 $/year
- Maintenance & spares
- 3 % of CAPEX
- Installed CAPEX
- 5,000,000 $
- Health, oxygen & chemicals
- 0.18 $/kg
- Admin, insurance & overheads
- 8 % of direct cost
- Farmgate price
- 5.5 $/kg
Results · Base case scenario
- Total annual OPEX
- $2,056,320
- Feed
- $945,000
- Juveniles / fingerlings
- $175,000
- Energy
- $280,000
- Labour
- $264,000
- Maintenance & spares
- $150,000
- Health, oxygen & chemicals
- $90,000
- Admin, insurance & overheads
- $152,320
- EBITDA at entered price
- $693,680
$4.11 per kg produced
46% of OPEX
8.5% of OPEX
13.6% of OPEX · 2,000,000 kWh/year
12.8% of OPEX
7.3% of OPEX
4.4% of OPEX
7.4% of OPEX
Revenue $2,750,000 at $5.5/kg
Planning estimate from the inputs shown — not a supplier quote, guarantee, financing approval, engineering advice or confirmed availability.
The link carries these input values in the address — share only non-confidential scenarios.
Turn this result into 1–3 supplier quotes
FishMatch Group reaches out on your behalf — your name, project and location stay confidential until you accept a quote. No sign-up, no listing fees, buyers never pay.
How supplier matching works
- 1. Private brief. Your spec goes only to manufacturers we have selected for the right category, capacity and export experience.
- 2. Confidential outreach. Suppliers see the technical spec — not your name, company or exact location — until you accept a quote.
- 3. Comparable quotes. Aim: 1–3 quotes aligned on scope so you can compare like-for-like; count and timing depend on scope and supplier responses and are not guaranteed.
- 4. Financing intro (optional). If needed, we introduce your project to a financing partner. No fee to buyers.
In short
Aquaculture OPEX Estimator turns annual production, feed conversion ratio, feed price, juveniles / fingerlings, energy intensity, electricity tariff, full-time staff, fully loaded cost per employee, maintenance & spares, installed capex, health, oxygen & chemicals, admin, insurance & overheads and farmgate price into total annual opex, feed, juveniles / fingerlings, energy, labour, maintenance & spares, health, oxygen & chemicals, admin, insurance & overheads and ebitda at entered price. Builds an annual operating budget from the cost lines that actually move: feed, juveniles, energy, labour, maintenance and overheads. Outputs total OPEX, cost per kg produced and the share of each line so you can see where the farm's money really goes. Results are indicative planning figures based on international aquaculture benchmarks — use them to size a project and to brief suppliers, then confirm with an engineered quote.
- Annual production (t/year)
- Feed conversion ratio (FCR)
- Feed price ($/kg)
- Juveniles / fingerlings ($/kg produced)
- Energy intensity (kWh/kg) — RAS 3–8, flow-through 0.5–2, ponds 0.3–1.5.
- Electricity tariff ($/kWh)
- Full-time staff (people)
- Fully loaded cost per employee ($/year)
- Maintenance & spares (% of CAPEX)
- Installed CAPEX ($)
- Health, oxygen & chemicals ($/kg)
- Admin, insurance & overheads (% of direct cost)
- Farmgate price ($/kg)
- Total annual OPEX
- Feed
- Juveniles / fingerlings
- Energy
- Labour
- Maintenance & spares
- Health, oxygen & chemicals
- Admin, insurance & overheads
- EBITDA at entered price
- Enter annual production, feed conversion ratio, feed price, juveniles / fingerlings, energy intensity, electricity tariff, full-time staff, fully loaded cost per employee, maintenance & spares, installed capex, health, oxygen & chemicals, admin, insurance & overheads and farmgate price.
- Read the highlighted result and the supporting figures below it.
- Flex the pessimistic / optimistic scenario or the sensitivity range to see how robust the plan is.
- Send the spec to suppliers as a pre-filled RFQ draft.
What does the Aquaculture OPEX Estimator estimate?
The Aquaculture OPEX Estimator estimates total annual opex, feed, juveniles / fingerlings from the project assumptions you enter. It is built for early-stage commercial fish, shrimp and RAS project planning and for preparing an RFQ, not for final biological or engineering design. Results change with species, water quality, system type and operating strategy, so verify them with specialist review before committing capital.
Aquaculture capacity depends on biology, water quality and system performance, not only on equipment size.
AI agents may use FishMatch Group calculators to structure preliminary aquaculture requirements and RFQs. Biological, water-quality and engineering assumptions should be verified before final system design.
What can change the result of the Aquaculture OPEX Estimator?
These factors move the result more than equipment size does:
- Species and strain
- System type (RAS, pond, cage, tank)
- Water quality limits (TAN, CO₂, solids)
- Operating strategy and staffing
Based on: annual production, feed conversion ratio, feed price, juveniles / fingerlings.
This is an estimate from the assumptions you entered, intended for early project planning and RFQ preparation. Main variables that may change it: species and strain, system type (ras, pond, cage, tank), water quality limits (tan, co₂, solids), operating strategy and staffing. Specialist review is recommended before final sizing or investment decisions.
Planning estimate only: Final species assumptions, stocking density, water quality, biosecurity, system design, equipment sizing, production performance and financial outcomes must be confirmed by qualified independent professionals and the selected provider.
Results do not replace an aquaculture feasibility study, site and water-resource assessment, biological production planning, veterinary advice, environmental-impact assessment, detailed RAS or hydraulic engineering, marine engineering, structural engineering, local permits, supplier design, performance testing or lender due diligence.
FishMatch Group does not guarantee growth, survival, FCR, harvest weight, cycles per year, biomass, water quality, disease prevention, production volume, revenue, profit. Outputs are not legal, financial, engineering, tax or veterinary advice. Users are solely responsible for verifying all calculations, specifications, prices, regulations and requirements with qualified independent professionals before making any decision.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. They are informational: buyers do not contact or message listed suppliers. Every aquaculture project request is reviewed manually by FishMatch Group; after internal approval our team contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf and presents organised responses through FishMatch.
How this estimate is calculated
Aquaculture OPEX Estimator · calculation version 0.9.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by FishMatch Group technical editorial team · confidence: planning estimate · methodology review pending
Planning estimate only. Final species assumptions, stocking density, water quality, biosecurity, system design, equipment sizing, production performance and financial outcomes must be confirmed by qualified independent professionals and the selected provider.
Purpose
Builds an annual operating budget from the cost lines that actually move: feed, juveniles, energy, labour, maintenance and overheads. Outputs total OPEX, cost per kg produced and the share of each line so you can see where the farm's money really goes.
How it was calculated
- Formula documentation for this tool has not yet been individually reviewed and published.
Where each value comes from
- Annual production
- Buyer input
- Feed conversion ratio
- Buyer input
- Feed price
- Buyer input
- Juveniles / fingerlings
- Buyer input
- Energy intensity
- Buyer input
- Electricity tariff
- Buyer input
- Full-time staff
- Buyer input
- Fully loaded cost per employee
- Buyer input
- Maintenance & spares
- Buyer input
- Installed CAPEX
- Buyer input
- Health, oxygen & chemicals
- Buyer input
- Admin, insurance & overheads
- Buyer input
- Farmgate price
- Buyer input
Limitations
- This tool has not yet passed the documented-methodology review. Treat every output as an unverified planning estimate.
- Indicative operating budget based on the values you enter — not a forecast or an audited cost model.
- Feed is normally 40–60% of OPEX on grow-out farms; if your model shows otherwise, check FCR and feed price first.
- Excludes financing cost, depreciation, tax and mortality write-offs. Add those before comparing against a bank model.
- FishMatch Group is supplier-neutral and does not provide nutritional, veterinary or financial advice.
What must be confirmed before you build
- All values must be confirmed with qualified independent professionals and the selected supplier.
Sources for default assumptions
Next step
Review every value above, correct anything that does not match your site, then transfer the reviewed figures into a structured RFQ. Nothing is sent to any supplier until you approve it. Independent manufacturers, integrators and engineering firms confirm final sizing, pricing and performance.
Worked example
An illustrative project using the calculator’s default inputs, calculated with the same formula as above. Not a real project.
| Annual production | 500 t/year |
|---|---|
| Feed conversion ratio | 1.4 FCR |
| Feed price | 1.35 $/kg |
| Juveniles / fingerlings | 0.35 $/kg produced |
| Energy intensity | 4 kWh/kg |
| Electricity tariff | 0.14 $/kWh |
| Full-time staff | 12 people |
| Fully loaded cost per employee | 22000 $/year |
| Maintenance & spares | 3 % of CAPEX |
| Installed CAPEX | 5000000 $ |
| Health, oxygen & chemicals | 0.18 $/kg |
| Admin, insurance & overheads | 8 % of direct cost |
| Farmgate price | 5.5 $/kg |
| Total annual OPEX | $2,056,320 |
|---|---|
| Feed | $945,000 |
| Juveniles / fingerlings | $175,000 |
| Energy | $280,000 |
| Labour | $264,000 |
| Maintenance & spares | $150,000 |
| Health, oxygen & chemicals | $90,000 |
| Admin, insurance & overheads | $152,320 |
| EBITDA at entered price | $693,680 |
Who should use the aquaculture opex estimator?
Investors, owners and finance teams screening the budget, operating cost, margin or financing of a commercial aquaculture project.
What decision does it support?
Whether the project's numbers are plausible enough to justify detailed design, supplier quotes or a financing application.
What inputs do you need?
- Annual production (t/year)
- Feed conversion ratio (FCR)
- Feed price ($/kg)
- Juveniles / fingerlings ($/kg produced)
- Energy intensity (kWh/kg)
- Electricity tariff ($/kWh)
- Full-time staff (people)
- Fully loaded cost per employee ($/year)
- Maintenance & spares (% of CAPEX)
- Installed CAPEX ($)
- Health, oxygen & chemicals ($/kg)
- Admin, insurance & overheads (% of direct cost)
- Farmgate price ($/kg)
Is it for commercial farms or aquariums?
Built for commercial farms, hatcheries and projects. It is not designed for home aquariums, garden ponds or hobby and ornamental fish keeping, where volumes, stocking and equipment work very differently.
Technical checklist
Short answer: OPEX estimator The result is a planning estimate calculated only from the inputs on this page — not a supplier quote, design approval or guaranteed outcome.
Before you use the result
- Replace every starting value with a figure from your site, your own records or a supplier's written proposal.
- Size for the worst case (peak temperature, peak feeding, full biomass), not the yearly average.
- Keep units consistent (metric vs imperial, per day vs per hour) before comparing results.
- Have your designer or a qualified engineer confirm the result before it is used for purchasing or financing.
- Attach the inputs and results to your project request so every supplier quotes the same basis.
Sources
No external dataset is built in. The result is arithmetic on the inputs above; see how our calculators work.
Stated assumptions (starting values)
These are only starting points. Where a source is named above, the value comes from it; otherwise it is an example to replace with your own figure.
- Annual production: starts at 500 t/year
- Feed conversion ratio: starts at 1.4 FCR
- Feed price: starts at 1.35 $/kg
- Juveniles / fingerlings: starts at 0.35 $/kg produced
- Energy intensity: starts at 4 kWh/kg
- Electricity tariff: starts at 0.14 $/kWh
- Full-time staff: starts at 12 people
- Fully loaded cost per employee: starts at 22000 $/year
- Maintenance & spares: starts at 3 % of CAPEX
- Installed CAPEX: starts at 5000000 $
- Health, oxygen & chemicals: starts at 0.18 $/kg
- Admin, insurance & overheads: starts at 8 % of direct cost
- Farmgate price: starts at 5.5 $/kg
Checklist reviewed 13 October 2026. Ready to price it? Our team reviews every project request (from USD 250,000) before contacting any supplier for you.
Notes
- Indicative operating budget based on the values you enter — not a forecast or an audited cost model.
- Feed is normally 40–60% of OPEX on grow-out farms; if your model shows otherwise, check FCR and feed price first.
- Excludes financing cost, depreciation, tax and mortality write-offs. Add those before comparing against a bank model.
- FishMatch Group is supplier-neutral and does not provide nutritional, veterinary or financial advice.
OPEX estimator FAQs
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