FAQ
Commercial aquaculture FAQ
The questions commercial buyers, investors and governments actually ask before committing capital.
Frequently asked questions
Semi-intensive lined ponds: roughly $150K–$400K per hectare CAPEX, plus land, permits and working capital. Super-intensive and shrimp-RAS are 3–10× higher per hectare but produce 10–50× the yield. Use our Commercial CAPEX and Shrimp Yield calculators for a project-specific estimate.
$8,000–$25,000+ per tonne of annual capacity, depending on species, climate and specific energy target. A 500 t/year RAS typically ranges $4M–$12M. Use our RAS Sizing and Commercial CAPEX calculators.
Pond systems: 1–5 hectares per 100 t/year (semi-intensive). RAS: 0.05–0.2 hectares per 100 t/year. Marine cages: minimal land, but coastline and permits are the constraint.
Pond flow-through: 3,000–10,000 L/kg produced. RAS: 300–1,500 L/kg. Ponds with reuse: 1,000–3,000 L/kg. Confirm with a mass-balance and a source-water analysis.
RAS: 4–10 kWh/kg produced. Super-intensive shrimp: 2–5 kWh/kg. Pond systems with aeration: 0.3–1 kWh/kg. Use our Energy Cost calculator to translate into $/kg and $/year.
Use the Project Builder to shape scope, then the RFQ Package Builder to generate a bank-ready procurement package. Provide species, life-stage, capacity, water analysis, energy envelope, permits and warranty expectations.
Never rank — tender. Use Employer's Requirements (outcomes, not brands), invite 4–6 qualified vendors, compare bids in a common format (CAPEX + 10-year OPEX), and require performance guarantees.
Not necessarily — start with pre-qualification (see our Financing Pre-Qualifier). Debt lenders typically want a signed EPC and bankable design; equity partners engage earlier.
ASC and BAP are the most widely accepted by global retailers. Design farms and processing plants for certification from day one — retrofitting is 3–10× more expensive.
Feasibility to first harvest: 12–36 months typical, depending on scale, permits and construction complexity. Add 6–24 months for export approval.
Next steps
Turn this knowledge into a bankable project.
Short answer
What do buyers need to know about FAQ?
FAQ affects both project cost and project risk, so it belongs in the specification stage rather than the purchasing stage. This page sets out what commercial buyers assess, what typically drives cost and lead time, and which questions to put to suppliers before signing. You can turn any of it into a confidential RFQ in a few minutes.
- Who it is for:
- Investors, operators and project developers specifying commercial systems
- Cost drivers:
- Capacity, water source, energy price, permitting and logistics
- Next step:
- Turn the requirement into a confidential RFQ
- Cost to buyers:
- No fee charged to the buyer