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Better Water for Every Stage of the Live Aquatic Supply Chain

Live aquatic operations share a common challenge: animals continue to affect the water around them from the moment they are loaded until they are unloaded or sold.


As biomass and operating time increase, ammonia accumulates, pH changes and water quality becomes progressively more difficult to control.
DistanSea applies its water-treatment technology across five primary applications.

Truck

Live Seafood Transport

Move Live Seafood Further,
More Efficiently

Transporting live fish and shellfish is one of the most sensitive stages in the seafood supply chain.
During transport, the animals are confined within a limited volume of water. They consume oxygen, release carbon dioxide and continuously excrete ammonia. Even when oxygen is maintained, ammonia accumulation eventually limits the duration or density of the shipment.

The Operational Challenge

Transport operators must balance:

  • Animal biomass

  • Water volume

  • Journey duration

  • Temperature

  • Water quality

  • Mortality risk

  • Vehicle or container capacity

  • Shipping economics

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Increasing biomass improves transport economics, but it also accelerates the deterioration of water quality.
Extending the journey can create more direct routes, but only when the animals can be maintained under stable conditions.

The DistanSea Approach

ART selectively removes ammonium from saline transport water during the journey.
For more demanding applications, ART-pH can add pH support, while the future ART-X platform is being developed to manage multiple water-quality parameters as an integrated system.

Potential Customer Value

DistanSea’s technology is designed to support:

  • Higher biomass per transport unit

  • Longer wet-transport periods

  • Fewer water changes

  • More direct supply-chain routes

  • Reduced need for intermediate recovery points

  • Better arrival condition

  • Improved post-transport recovery

  • More predictable transport performance


Published studies involving gilthead seabream and European brown crab showed that selective ammonia removal can extend operating time and improve the condition of animals following transport.


The platform may be adapted for different live aquatic species, including:

  • Crabs

  • Lobsters

  • Marine fish

  • Shrimp

  • Shellfish

  • Other high-value aquatic animals

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Each application must be configured according to the species, temperature, biomass and journey profile.

Fingerlings

Fingerlings Transport

Transport More Fish
with Greater Water-Quality Control

Moving fingerlings from hatcheries to grow-out facilities is a necessary but vulnerable stage of aquaculture production.
Fingerlings may be transported in tanks, trucks, or sealed packages. Their small size allows large numbers to be shipped together, but the total biomass can still generate a significant ammonia load.

The Operational Challenge

Poor transport conditions can affect:

  • Survival

  • Stress

  • Recovery time

  • Feeding after arrival

  • Growth performance

  • Uniformity of the delivered stock
     

Transporting fewer fish per tank or package reduces water-quality risk, but increases the number of vehicles, tanks, bags, handling operations and shipments required.

The DistanSea Approach

ART removes ammonium as it accumulates in the transport water.
ART-pH can be used where additional pH stability is required. The amount of media is matched to the expected biomass, journey duration, temperature, and ammonia-excretion profile.

To complete the solution, DistanSea also provides a compact appliance that facilitates gas exchange in sealed bags, transferring oxygen into the water while removing carbon dioxide into the gas phase.
The technology can be incorporated into suitable transport tanks or evaluated for other closed transport configurations.
 

Potential Customer Value

For hatcheries and aquaculture producers, the technology is designed to support:

  • More fingerlings per shipment

  • Fewer tanks or transport packages

  • Better use of truck and container capacity

  • Reduced transportation cost per animal

  • More stable water conditions

  • A wider safety margin during delays

  • Improved arrival and recovery conditions

  • More predictable delivery performance


The purpose is not simply to keep the animals alive during the journey. It is to deliver stock that can recover quickly and continue into the next production stage.

Supermarket

Supermarket Aquariums

More Stable Water for Live Retail Displays

Live seafood aquariums allow retailers to present animals directly to customers, but they also create a demanding water-treatment environment.
Stock may arrive at different times and in different conditions. Biomass changes frequently, feeding and handling practices vary, and water quality must be maintained by staff whose primary responsibility is retail operation rather than aquaculture engineering.

The Operational Challenge

Retail aquarium operators may face:

  • Sudden changes in biomass

  • Ammonia peaks after new stock arrives

  • Frequent water replacement

  • Variable staff experience

  • Limited space for treatment equipment

  • Animal losses before sale

  • Inconsistent display quality


Traditional biological filtration can perform well under stable conditions, but sudden increases in biomass may create a temporary mismatch between the ammonia load and the biological treatment capacity.

The DistanSea Approach

ART can provide an additional ammonia-control layer that operates independently of biological-filter maturation.
The treatment media can be configured for the aquarium volume, expected stock level and service cycle. ART-pH may be considered where pH stability is also a recurring concern.

Potential Customer Value

DistanSea’s technology is designed to help retailers:

  • Manage sudden increases in livestock

  • Reduce ammonia-related water-quality fluctuations

  • Lower water-replacement requirements

  • Reduce operational complexity

  • Improve consistency between deliveries

  • Maintain better display conditions

  • Reduce avoidable stock losses

  • Create a more predictable maintenance routine

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The solution can complement existing filtration rather than requiring the replacement of the complete aquarium system.

Holding Facilities

Water Treatment for Holding Facilities

Increase Holding Capacity Without Increasing Water Demand at the Same Rate

Holding facilities connect multiple stages of the live seafood supply chain.
They may receive animals from fisheries, farms or transport operators, hold them for recovery or consolidation, and later prepare them for the next shipment.
These facilities regularly experience changes in species, biomass, water temperature and holding duration.

The Operational Challenge

When ammonia begins to accumulate,
facilities typically respond by:

  • Increasing water exchange

  • Reducing biomass

  • Adding additional tanks

  • Shortening holding periods

  • Moving stock earlier than planned

  • Accepting higher operational risk


These responses can limit capacity and increase pumping, heating, cooling, treatment and labour requirements.
Facilities located away from a reliable seawater source face an even greater challenge.

The DistanSea Approach

ART adds selective ammonia-removal capacity to existing holding systems.
The treatment can be sized for normal operation, seasonal peaks or specific high-value species. It may be used alongside circulation, oxygenation, mechanical filtration and existing biological treatment.
ART-pH can provide additional pH support where required, while Regen-ART enables the treatment media to be restored and reused.

Potential Customer Value

DistanSea’s technology is designed to help holding facilities:

  • Increase biomass within existing infrastructure

  • Extend holding periods

  • Reduce water exchange

  • Manage seasonal or temporary biomass peaks

  • Improve recovery conditions after transport

  • Reduce pressure on biological filtration

  • Improve operational flexibility

  • Delay or avoid investment in additional tank capacity

  • Support more consistent outgoing shipments


For facilities constrained by water availability, tank space or treatment capacity, ammonia control can become a direct capacity-management tool.

RAS Facilities

Water Treatment for Zero-Discharge RAS Facilities

In zero-discharge RAS facilities, potassium can gradually accumulate in the water because it is not effectively removed through biological uptake, precipitation, or routine water exchange. At elevated concentrations, potassium can become toxic, adversely affecting water quality, fish health, and system performance.


DistanSea is developing a selective potassium removal solution that adsorbs excess potassium from circulating water without changing its ionic composition. This helps maintain stable water chemistry, reduces wastewater generation, and enables more efficient zero-discharge aquaculture.

Start with the Application

DistanSea does not begin with a standard equipment package.
We begin by understanding:

  • What species is being handled

  • How much biomass is involved

  • How long the animals must remain in the system

  • What water conditions must be maintained

  • What currently limits the operation

  • What economic result the customer wants to achieve

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From there, we define the appropriate product configuration and pilot plan.

Become a design partner

DistanSea is working with transport operators, hatcheries, holding facilities, seafood distributors and retailers to evaluate its technology under real commercial conditions.

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