Prototype Testing of the Appurtenance for Settleable Solids In-raceway SeparaTion (ASSIST)

The most common type of rearing unit for rainbow trout produced in the US is the flow-through raceway. A water treatment structure, which can be readily retrofitted into existing raceways, was designed to create rotational currents to aid in the concentration and collection of particulate waste material in situ. The designed structure, referred to as the Appurtenance for Settleable Solids In-raceway SeparaTion (ASSIST), incorporated a drain line which diverts a small fraction of the raceway flow to continuously remove the uneaten feed and fecal material from the collection area located at the effluent end of the raceway. Continuous removal of the collected particulates minimizes the leaching of soluble material from the solids into the water column. Based on scale model tests using analogous waste material, the ASSIST is expected to remove 40–50% of the settleable solids generated in commercial rainbow trout aquaculture while diverting 5–10% of the raceway flow.