Imagine a sustainable supply of Fresh Sea fish around the world and being able to afford to eat it, whatever your income. Well, DIOBAS has found a completely new way to rear Cod and other species in Freshwater at any location in the world in a controlled environment, even on the most unproductive terrain any distance from the sea without quotas and approximately one third below current market price. The benefits to the environment are obvious, particularly when considering the reduced transport costs and the chance to rest and restock our oceans. The Research Team at DIOBAS has managed to push the boundaries beyond established research with a completely new solution to the rapid depletion of our ocean fish stocks. This innovation will revolutionise the way we harvest Cod and indeed many other saltwater species such as Sea Bass, and may even rear the endangered Bluefin Tuna and freshwater Sturgeon. It is no exaggeration to say that this Freshwater Research Program is of significant international importance both financially and environmentally. To date, all research, both government and privately funded, has concentrated on studying the various ocean species in their own environment with limited success. Rearing pens have proved unsatisfactory both in terms of disease vulnerability and practicality. Diobas approached this challenge in a different way and decided to take Cod out from the vagaries of a saltwater environment and rear them in a controlled freshwater habitat thus eliminating all the problems. This was a radical decision that has proved extremely difficult to accomplish. At times it seemed that the problems associated with this new approach were frankly impossible to solve but the rewards were too great for us to give up on the Program. We had to design many new components including, revolutionary Particle Fractionators, with controlled natural daylight sequences, and even tide movements manipulated as part of the controlled environment. The end result is strong healthy fish, free from disease and the usual parasites that plague attempts to rear these fish in salt water pens. Our approach has been completely different to any other form of research and we are convinced that one day many other species will be reared in the same way.

It is not the intention of DIOBAS to supply Cod for the marketplace but purely to provide the means for others to do so. Within a fully automated and controlled freshwater environment, these fish thrive with a growth rate three times faster than in the wild. Their welfare has been the primary factor and they literally grow in a marine version of The Savoy whilst their behaviour patterns remain the same as if they were in the wild. The Freshwater System can be operated in a wide variety of sizes with the smallest producing in excess of 100 tons of Cod, the first crop being ready for sale 18 months to two years after the installation. The entire system is self contained and once filled with water will not require a re-supply of fluids. The main tank is connected to the second tank and water is pumped between the two with a tidal replication sequence at twice the normal rate. Coupled with simulated lighting operated with 12 hour daily cycles and seasonally comparative moon cycles, the fish are encouraged to develop at almost twice the normal metabolic rate, a further 30% growth rate is achieved through an enriched feeding program. A series of Ultra Violet units and our revolutionary Particle Fractionators have overcome the problem of efficient bacteria removal. Whilst the main tank is almost entirely dedicated to the growth of the Cod, the second tank performs several tasks. Primarily it acts as a giant biological filter and as well as fingerlings, will contain a variety of secondary income sources with filter feeding crustaceans, algae, crayfish and other sought after shell fish. When the main tank is cropped, the fish from the second tank are added and the whole procedure replicated to provide continuity. Once the water has circulated through this second tank it will be returned to the main tank in tidal sequence. The whole system is self contained and therefore cannot contaminate or interact with anything outside the building and there is virtually no waste as all the bacterial content is absorbed by the organisms in the second tank. This is the first time that a truly self contained environment has ever been achieved in either fresh or salt water. The transition for Cod from saltwater to live in freshwater is an absolutely remarkable achievement. This success will remain our secret at this early stage, particularly as we would like to carry out research on other species in the future but suffice to say that no drugs or any genetic modification are used, the Cod are entirely natural and thrive in this simulated environment. The whole principle is geared to keeping the Cod themselves stress free. The concentration of fish is a little less than would be found on a Salmon farm with the important difference that in our Freshwater System the environment is totally controlled. A density of 35 to 40 kg of fish per cubic metre allows more than adequate space. Reducing the density would gain nothing as the Cod habitually shoal and one would just end up with large areas of empty space. Their predatory instincts are also catered for as the food is introduced in a unique way through turbulent currents and therefore ‘on the move’ which encourages competition and active feeding. Muscle tone is kept at its optimum as there are strong and varying currents designed within the environment so there is no difference between wild Cod and those reared in our Freshwater System. It is important also to remember that it is entirely foolish to associate the needs of a fish with our own. They spend their lives with only two aims that fill their entire existence, feeding and breeding. There are no other considerations for them at all. What we have done is remove the stress from each by providing a safe environment with ample food and plenty of opportunity to breed. Every development we embark on always has the welfare of the world’s Marine and Freshwater environment in the forefront of our mind. In short, to describe this system as the marine equivalent of The Savoy is no exaggeration.