Georgia has what a land-based fish farm needs and rarely finds together: clean cold mountain water, land that is not priced like a city, and a location between the Black Sea and the Caucasus with roads and ports in reach of several markets.
What we want to build is a farm that pays for itself and leaves the region better off than it found it. That means fish raised a short drive from where it is sold rather than flown in, at prices ordinary households can pay. It means bringing in aquaculture technology that Georgian producers can learn from and use themselves.
It also means putting something back. Sturgeon in the Black Sea basin are under real pressure, and a controlled hatchery can take part in restocking rather than compete with what is left in the wild.
Three things separate a modern land-based farm from a conventional one. None of them is magic, all of them are engineering.
The first is that every tank runs on its own water loop. A problem in one tank stays in that tank. Separate loops also let us hold different species at different temperatures in the same building, which is what makes a mixed programme of sturgeon, trout and warm-water species possible at all.
The second is energy. The Georgian climate is mild enough that heating and cooling cost far less here than further north, and heat pumps and combined heat and power units are planned to cover the rest. Water quality is measured continuously and the recirculation returns most of the water to the tanks.
The third is that the project should be useful beyond our own fence. Georgia has a small aquaculture sector and very little land-based capacity. Whatever works here is worth passing on rather than keeping to ourselves.
We are more than just a fish farm; we are a hub of innovation and sustainability in the heart of Georgia. Join us in our journey as we continue to set new benchmarks in the aquaculture industry, fostering a future where sustainability and productivity go hand in hand.
ECOMAR stands as a pioneer in Georgian aquaculture, boasting an extensive array of fish species categorized by their value and ecological importance. We take pride in our sophisticated selection, ensuring a rich variety that caters to various preferences and market demands.
Huso huso
Huso dauricus
Huso huso × Acipenser ruthenus
Acipenser stellatus
Salvelinus alpinus
Paralichthys olivaceus
Hucho taimen
Thymallus thymallus
Salmo salar sebago
Oncorhynchus masou
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Salmo trutta
Epinephelus coioides
Brachymystax lenok
Salvelinus umbla
Coregonus muksun
Stenodus nelma
Coregonus migratorius
Coregonus lavaretus
Lates calcarifer
Sander lucioperca
Clarias gariepinus
Anguilla anguilla
Homarus spp.
Scylla spp.
Penaeus monodon
Cherax quadricarinatus
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
Oyster
A farm that sells only whole fresh fish leaves most of its margin on the table. The plant is planned to cover the full range of processing, so that every part of the harvest finds a buyer.
On the traditional side that means salting, pickling, drying, hot and cold smoking, canning and preserves. Trimmings go into minced products such as fish sausages and cutlets, and what is left becomes fish oil and fish meal rather than waste.
The canned range is planned in two directions. Fish in oil, with smoked trout and smoked sturgeon as the lead products for retail and the delicatessen trade. And fish canned in its own juices, for buyers who want the plain taste and nothing added.
Alongside that come fillets, hams and rolls for kitchens and caterers, and a deep-frozen line of steaks, skin-on fillets and whole gutted fish for customers who need a long shelf life.
Beyond the cans there is the fresh and processed range: fillets, sausages, hams and rolls. Some of it is an ingredient for a kitchen, some of it is ready to eat.
And there is the deep-frozen line for customers who need a long shelf life: steaks, fillets on the skin, whole gutted fish and whole fish with the head on. Freezing straight after processing is what keeps the quality in.
The location was chosen for its water rather than for its address. The Caucasus foothills carry clean, cold river and groundwater, and water quality is the single most expensive thing to fix if you get it wrong.
The buildings are planned as insulated modules rather than open ponds. That is what allows stable temperatures through a Georgian summer and winter alike, keeps the stock separated from wild fish and disease, and lets the farm produce at the same rate all year instead of following the seasons.
The recirculation system is laid out as several halls, each holding a number of large tanks sized for high stocking density. Water is treated and returned to the loop rather than discharged, which is what protects the river next to it. Nutrients the fish do not use are intended to feed hydroponic beds. These are planning figures and will be confirmed as the engineering progresses.
The water supply is designed as a closed circuit, built from components that are already in service at established European farms rather than from prototypes.
Fry are planned to arrive in four separate batches a year. Spreading the intake keeps every stage of the farm working at a steady rate, instead of the whole plant running flat out for a few months and standing half empty for the rest.
The recirculation plant itself is modular and compact, which is what makes it possible to produce a lot of fish on a small footprint and to keep producing regardless of the weather outside.
Inside, the facility is divided into zones that do not mix: broodstock, growing, and processing, each with its own access rules and hygiene regime.
A recirculating system costs more to build than a net pen and more to run than a pond. It earns that back in four ways.
Fish grow faster because temperature, oxygen and water chemistry stay where they should be instead of following the weather. The same control allows high stocking densities; the design figure for sturgeon in the grow-out stage is up to 70 kg per cubic metre, and the final figure will follow from our own trials. Output is predictable, which matters when a retail chain wants the same quantity every week of the year. And the farm uses a fraction of the water and land an open system needs for the same tonnage.
There is a fifth reason that is harder to price. A closed system does not release nutrients, medication or escaped fish into the surrounding water, which in a river valley is what makes it possible to build at all.
Fish waste is a problem in one system and a fertiliser in another. Water leaving the tanks carries the nitrogen and phosphorus that plants need, so it goes into hydroponic beds instead of into a treatment plant. The plants take up the nutrients, the water comes back cleaner, and the same volume does two jobs.
What grows there is planned as salad, herbs and berries: crops with a short cycle and a local market. It is a second income from water we have already paid to clean.
A land-based farm runs on electricity around the clock, so every kilowatt hour generated on the property is one we do not have to buy. Solar covers the roof area we have. Wind is the option we are looking at on top of it.
Conventional small turbines are a poor fit for flat industrial roofs. The system we are evaluating works differently: a stationary airfoil that channels the airflow already moving over the building edge, with no rotating blades and far fewer moving parts to maintain. The manufacturer states that one unit can generate as much as roughly sixteen solar panels and that it starts working at low wind speeds. Those are supplier figures under their test conditions, and we will measure our own before building the energy concept around them.
Toshiba H2One™: Pioneering Sustainable Hydrogen Solutions for Energy Demands
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba ESS) has introduced the H2One™, an autonomous hydrogen energy supply system, to support SP Group’s research efforts in Singapore. Designed to address the challenges of limited land and growing energy demands, H2One™ integrates renewable energy sources to electrolyze water, producing hydrogen for CO2-free electricity and hot water generation.
Compact and versatile, the 20-ft container system features metal hydride storage, making it ideal for Singapore's constrained spaces. H2One™ has been operational in Japan since 2015, aiding electricity operators in managing demand fluctuations and optimizing energy management operations.
SP Group, Singapore’s national power grid operator, is conducting feasibility studies on H2One™ under local grid conditions, exploring green hydrogen as a viable energy solution. These studies aim to support Singapore’s goals for sustainable energy integration.
Toshiba ESS, with expertise in hydrogen technologies, envisions expanding its H2One™ solutions globally, fostering the adoption of clean hydrogen to transform energy networks.
ECOMAR is evaluating hydrogen-based generation and storage as part of the energy concept for its facilities, in dialogue with Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions. The configuration, the share of demand it would cover and the role of a grid connection as a fallback will follow from the engineering study.
Part of the process technology in the plan comes from work by Prof. Khachatryan on hydrogen-based water and feed treatment. We hold access to these methods and intend to use them, and it is only fair to say plainly which results come from laboratory and pilot work and still have to be confirmed at our own scale.
The first method treats and activates the water used in the hatchery. In trials it produced noticeably faster growth in fry and better survival than the sixty to seventy percent that is normal in conventional hatchery practice. The reported factor is between one and a half and two times the usual growth rate. We will publish our own figures once we have a full production cycle behind us.
The second is a feed additive that releases hydride ions in water. The reported effects are better weight gain on feed with less protein and fat, higher egg production and a more robust immune system. Again, trial results, not yet ours.
The third concerns processing rather than farming. Fish meat is treated in an electrochemically activated mineral solution, which disinfects it and extends shelf life without chemical preservatives. Caviar is treated in the same solution and seasoned with a hydrogen-based salt, reported to improve keeping quality and flavour. Whether we adopt this across the range depends on our own testing and on the applicable food law.
The plant is planned around equipment that is standard in the European industry, for the simple reason that spare parts and trained staff are easier to find that way.
Cutting and filleting run on Marel lines, which give a higher yield from each fish than hand work and hold the portions within the tolerances retail buyers specify. Smoking and curing run on modern lines where the result is the same from the first batch of the day to the last. Packing and cold storage are part of the same building, so the fish never leaves the cold chain between the tank and the lorry.
Cans are a bigger cost item in fish processing than most people expect, and buying them in means paying someone else's margin on every unit sold. The plan is to produce them at the farm on Alfons Haar equipment.
The format is a two-piece drawn and redrawn can in 0.14 mm DR8 material, among the thinnest on the market. Thinner walls mean roughly a fifth less steel per can, and the equipment supplier puts the annual saving per line in the seven-figure range. That figure comes from the supplier and assumes a line running at full capacity, so treat it as an upper bound until our own line has run for a year.
Sidewall and base geometry are designed to keep the can rigid despite the thinner material.
At ECOMAR, we are thrilled to share the news of integrating Hauge Aqua Solutions AS's pioneering Egget® technology at our aquaculture setups in Georgia. This avant-garde, eco-friendly innovation is a leap forward in the realm of industrial fish farming.
The Egget® system is distinguished by its novel egg-shaped structure, providing a completely sealed aquatic habitat that greatly boosts fish welfare and eco-sustainability. Its deep water intakes, strategically placed, drastically lower the likelihood of parasite infestation, a notable advantage for operations within Georgia's unique ecosystem.
This ingeniously designed system facilitates supreme feed distribution and waste handling, effectively tackling prevalent industry hurdles. It enhances the health and safety conditions for personnel, diminishes the chances of fish escapes, and curtails environmental repercussions. The deployment of Egget® technology in Georgia not only emphasizes our dedication to sustainable advancement and ecological guardianship but also represents a significant stride towards addressing the specific environmental challenges of the region.
Key Benefits:
An area of this size in a valley is difficult to watch from the ground. Fences and cameras cover the perimeter, but not the roofs, the water intake or the parts of the plot still under construction.
That is the job we intend to give to drones. A patrol drone flies a fixed route on a schedule, day and night, and does not get tired or distracted. It is not a replacement for the people on the ground. It is what lets a small team keep watch over a large area.
The system we are looking at works as a pair. The drone itself is light, flies its route without a pilot, records video, and lands and charges on its own. The base station houses it, charges it and processes what its sensors bring back, so a person only has to look at the exceptions rather than at hours of footage.
The first phase goes into building. The facility has to be finished and the first production cycles started, and in parallel we need a distribution network in Georgia itself, with the retail chains in Tbilisi and the regional centres.
After that the plan is to take the farm to full capacity and to move up the value chain. That means branded products rather than raw fish: smoked, canned and ready to eat for the domestic market, and the high-value lines, sturgeon and caviar above all, for export.
The last stage is about reaching customers directly and about the next species. How fast that goes will follow from what the farm actually produces, not from a timetable written before the first fish is in the tank.
ECOMAR is building a land-based fish farm in Georgia, and we are open about the fact that it is still a project rather than a running plant. If that interests you, talk to us early rather than late.
Buyers get a straight answer on what we can deliver and when. Investors get the current documentation together with the assumptions behind it, so the figures can be judged rather than believed. And anyone who simply wants to understand how a closed system works is welcome to ask.