Lisaqua

99% reduction in water use and waste heat recovery

Every year, 300,000 tons of prawns from South America and Southeast Asia are imported into Europe, with their farming having a very strong impact on biodiversity and the environment. To counter this phenomenon, Charlotte Schoelinck, a doctor in marine biology, has created a patented technology inspired by “permaquaculture”: the company recreates a controlled natural ecosystem in its farms and combines complementary species (bacteria, micro-organisms, marine invertebrates) in order to filter and valorize all the gambas’ effluents. The ponds, managed by humans and supported by predictive modeling tools, use 99% less water and 20% less feed than conventional farming. No antibiotics are used and production does not cause any polluting or chemical discharge.

After four years of R&D, Lisaqua created a pilot farm in Saint-Herblain near Nantes in 2022 that produces 10 tons of gambas per year for fishmongers and restaurant owners. Building on its success, the 25-person company will set up the largest prawn farm in Europe (500t/year) in the Paris region by 2024. In a circular economy approach, this farm will use the waste heat from the incinerator in northern Seine-et-Marne to heat its breeding ponds. Lisaqua is aiming for a European deployment and a cumulative production of 10,000 tons/year by 2030, with the establishment of 20 to 40 farms near the main consumption areas, each recovering the waste heat from agricultural or industrial facilities (incinerators, methanizers, cold rooms, data centers).