Sociologist names key requirements for companies to ‘acquire’ social license. Failure in any one of them could seriously threaten a project’s acceptance, he says.
BY TOM WALKER
ocial license” was a phrase one used to hear more often in reference to mining operations. Lately, the aquaculture industry has been using it quite a bit. This has particularly been the case in British Columbia, where the issues of aboriginal rights with respect to salmon farms operating in traditional territories have made headlines recently.
But what is it? Dr Ralph Matthews, a Sociologist at the University of British Columbia, spoke about the topic at the BC Shellfish Growers Association’s AGM in Comox, BC in October.
“Whatever social license is, it’s about becoming part of the community,” Matthews says by way of introduction. The concept has been around since the 1930s, he explains. “Social license to operate refers to the degree to which a corporation and its activities meet the expectations of the local community, the
wider society and various constituent groups.”
The phrase tends to be used by companies that have a significant environmental impact. “It started with the coal mining industry,” Matthews relates. “It moved into forestry, oil and gas, the salmon aquaculture industry and, I believe, into the shellfish industry.”
“Social license is often argued by assertion,” Matthews says. But contentions, such as “aquaculture provides jobs in rural areas,” are simply not enough to garner widespread support from a community.
Acceptance of a particular situation is based on a couple of conditions, Matthews says. “It is not whether you [aquaculture] actually do leave garbage or spoil a view,” says Matthews. “It is about whether the information given to people can be presented in terms of their fundamental value perspectives and their experience in place.”
continued on page 7
Industry weighs in on potential changes to NAFTA
Aquaculture not a big factor in NAFTA discussions but the industry would be wise to prepare for uncertain times ahead
BY MATT JONES
onald Trump considers the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to be “the worst trade deal” in American history, and vows to either scrap the agreement or to replace it if he does not get the changes he seeks. So far, Trump has settled for renegotiation. This means Canadian, Mexican and US trade negotiators will discuss for much of 2018.
NAFTA centres around auto manufacturing and other such sectors, but players in the aquaculture industry would be wise to prepare for uncertain times ahead.
Neil Anthony Sims, co-founder, CEO and CSO of Hawaii’s Kampachi Farms LLC believes that even if NAFTA were com-
on page 8
Issue around salmon tenures in BC remains muddy
Uncertainty could impact $300 million in planned investment, says BCSFA
BY TOM WALKER
The climate of uncertainly around the tenures of provincial salmon farming operations in British Columbia could dampen investor interest, according to the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).
Salmon tenures in the province became a hot-button issue in October after BC Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham’s letter to Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) was made public. Some perceived the letter as threatening.
If the rules on how British Columbia engages with First Nations are changing, salmon farmers in the province haven’t been told yet
As reported in the Nov/Dec issue of Aquaculture North America (ANA), the letter warns MHC for stocking a farm in the Broughton Archipelago area between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland amidst the company’s dispute with the Namgis First Nation, which claims the area as traditional territory. MHC said it went ahead with stocking the smolts “for the safety of the fish.” The police were on site to ensure the protestors occupying the farm did not interrupt the transfer.
Salmon farms have a tenure agreement with the Ministry of Forest Lands Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development that gives them the right to operate on BC Crown land and water. However, some local First Nations want the right to control what activities go on in their traditional territories.
“Our members are still caught in the middle of a dispute between governments and those governments need to discuss what the best route forward is,” says BCSFA executive director
continued on page 23
Credit: BCSFA
Source: Fotolia
Aquaflor® is now approved for use in all freshwater-reared finfish at dose rates of up to 15 mg/kg*. I t ’s cleared for use in recirculating aquaculture systems, too.
S o whether you raise trout, tilapia, bass, c atfish or even baitfish or ornamentals, you can turn to Aquaflor for managing the toughest bac terial diseases of farm-raised fish.*
For the full stor y, call our fish-health specialist, K asha Cox, at 662.907.0692 or visit our new website at Aquaflor-USA.com.
or fenicol)
* In the USA, Aquaflor is approved for use at 10-15 mg/kg in freshwater-reared salmonids for the control of mor tality due to furunculosis associated with Aeromonas salmonicida and coldwater disease associated with Flavobacterium psychrophilum; in catfish for the control of mor tality due to enteric septicemia of catfish associated with Edwardsiella ictaluri; and in all freshwater-reared finfish for the control of mor tality due to columnaris disease associated with Flavobacterium columnare At 15 mg/kg, Aquaflor is also approved in freshwater-reared warmwater finfish for the control of mor tality due to streptococcal septicemia associated with Streptococcus iniae. LABEL CLAIMS NOT APPROVED IN CANADA.
CAUTION: Federal law restricts medicated feed containing this veterinary feed directive (VFD) drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.
and-based aquaculture has come a long way from four years ago that it now has a risk-reward profile that investors may find attractive, according to Jon Fitzgerald of Stope Capital Advisors.
“RAS [recirculating aquaculture system] is in a growth stage — it is at a stage where it needs to expand markets and infrastructure,” Fitzgerald told the audience at the 2017 Aquaculture Innovation Workshop in Vancouver, BC on November 29.
The industry may be young, he said, “but the technology has matured. Excellent projects will get financing.”
He noted how the sector has evolved substantially from the time he first started attending the conference. “I came looking for an investment opportunity that would allow me to achieve a return with less risk than I might find in alternative assets, or conversely, the same risk but higher reward.
“Four years ago that was not evident and available in the land-based aquaculture. Today, the sector has evolved substantially and I think from what you’ve seen today in the presentations, the market, the opportunity, has hit a really important inflection point,” he said.
The “return on investment in the low 20s” that fellow presenter Gary Robinson of GRV Consulting highlighted, “is now an
The Aquaculture Innovation Conference in Vancouver, BC in November gathered the ‘greatest collection of Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) experts assembled in the world today,’ according to organizers, The Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute and Tides Canada
entirely accurate, viable number to attract capital into this space,” said Fitzgerald.
“Four years ago that number, while on paper was potentially viable, the operating performance and the risk profile of these projects weren’t actually reflective of the volatility of those business models. Yes, on paper, at that time you could justify relatively comparable numbers, but in reality, the technology and the operating risk had to mature to a point where you could look at those numbers and say they were truly executable.”
Today, “if you’re a strong operator with performance history and you checked a lot of the boxes that any investment requires, I’m 100-percent confident that capital, equity capital, is out there. Capital isn’t abundantly available but we’ve absolutely hit an inflection point.”
Shrimp diseases drag down Hawaiian shrimp revenue
BY MATT JONES
hrimp disease issues in China have dragged down sales of Hawaii’s shrimp broodstock for the second year in a row, data from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) show.
Hawaiian farmed seafood was valued at $75.7 million in 2016, a drop of less than 1 percent from 2015. This marks the second annual decline following a record high of $78.2 million in 2014.
China, a key market for the state’s shrimp broodstock, has faced significant shrimp disease issues, with some farmers reportedly seeing disease rates as high as 70-80 percent and had to clear up to 90 percent of their ponds.
However, Hawaii state officials do not believe the decline is reflective of the state’s entire aquaculture industry.
Liz J. Xu, acting manager at Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Livestock Support Services, says the state’s
aquaculture production has two key focuses – shrimp broodstock and algae production. Revenues related to algae production actually increased by 1.6 percent to $34.3 million in 2016.
“I think the operators of the shrimp broodstock are used to fluctuations in demand,” says Xu. “We are fully aware of the challenges of controlling diseases. But it is only $2-million less than the highest year. We don’t think it’s a problem. We are not concerned at all. But we do want to strengthen our leadership in the shrimp broodstock industry. So we will make our product better to help shrimp farmers worldwide to fight disease.”
Hawaiian researchers have long been involved in developing specific pathogen-free shrimp, and have more recently worked on breeding shrimp for increased tolerance to viral pathogens such as the taura sydrome virus.
Kathy King, state statistician with NASS, says that she in unconcerned with the sales decline, particularly following record-high years.
New Brunswick raises oyster production targets
BY MATT JONES
The Canadian province of New Brunswick plans to raise annual oyster production by 10 percent under the province’s new shellfish aquaculture development strategy.
The new target represents a total of 30 million oysters annually, $12 million in farm gate sales, and $6.4 million in exports by 2021.
“A lot of times people arrive with cap in hand and say ‘we need money to do this or capital to expand,’” says New Brunswick Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet. “Instead, we’ve had businesses that arrive and say ‘if there’s a change in policy, a change in direction as to how we can grow it, we can grow this in a very sustainable manner and actually grow the industry.’”
Doucet says while the government set a modest goal of an annual 10-percent increase, the actual growth compounded over a five-year period could be 60 percent or higher.
“As we enable the industry to grow, we could be looking at 15 percent or more per year,” he says. “The results could be 75 to 100 percent and doubling the business in a very short period of time.”
Doucet says the target was established
alongside industry and he feels that it should allow the industry to grow significantly while not disrupting supply and demand relationships.
Doucet is aware that, as seen in Newfoundland with the Grieg Seafood project, social licence for aquaculture operations can be a hot-button issue. He’s confident, however, that they can effectively communicate the benefits of the industry.
“Shellfish aquaculture is a green industry,” says Doucet. “It’s certainly good for the marine systems. If you look at the bays that the aquaculture systems have set up, they’re cleaner after they’re done with them because the shellfish are actually a microfilter for the water system. That’s something that’s going to be pushed.”
Shrimp disease issues in China have dragged down sales of Hawaii’s shrimp broodstock Source: Fotolia
New Brunswick Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet (left) and Moncton East MLA Monique LeBlanc at the launch of New Brunswick’s shellfish aquaculture strategy
Milestone in salmon farming
BY RUBY GONZALEZ
After 10 years of research Nofima scientists have finally “cracked the code” to produce sterile farmed salmon.
Inducing sterility in farmed salmon will make them unable to interact genetically with wild salmon populations.
“In practice we don’t touch the genes, but affect a protein that is necessary to enable the fish to produce gametes,” said senior researcher Helge Tveiten.
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They have not seen any indications that the fish will become sexually mature or develop the urge to migrate in order to spawn.
Paving the way for the research was a
previous study carried out on zebra fish, which identified a few genes that are decisive in the development of gametes.
“The salmon we have researched do not develop gametes, and will never be sexually mature,” Tveiten added. “We see a tiny egg sac in the female fish, but no eggs are formed. The male fish develops what appears to be normal sexual organs, but they don’t have sperm cells.”
Tveiten’s work is part of the SalmoSterile research project financed by the Research Council of Norway. The project is a collaboration between the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (NIMR) and several major industrial companies, including AquaGen.
Editor Liza Mayer
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ADDRESSES TO: Aquaculture North America. CIRCULATION DEPT.
Nofima senior researcher Helge Tveiten Credit: Ole Åsheim/Nofima
NEWS AND NOTES
Aquaculture urged to reduce use of antimicrobials
Misuse
could create openings for new pathogens, says study
BY MATT JONES
The use of antimicrobials in aquaculture has not reached a critical mass but it is important to consider reducing their use, says a study.
The study, Unpacking factors influencing antimicrobial use in global aquaculture and their implication for management: a review from a systems perspec tive, noted that use and overuse of antimicrobials within an aquaculture system can wipe out good bacteria that help maintain a balance along with the targeted pathogens. This could create openings for new pathogens.
between farm sites; applying better management practices, and developing stricter regulations for antimicrobial usage.
Researcher Patrik Henriksson is the lead author of new research examining antimicrobial resistance and ways to reduce their usage
“What we found was that there are a lot of roads where you can reduce antimicrobial use,” says Patrik Henriksson, researcher and lead author of the study led by WorldFish, in collaboration with the CGIAR Research Program on Fish and Agri-food Systems.
To reduce antimicrobial use, the study recommends the use of probiotics to strengthen good bacteria; applying effective spatial planning to reduce disease spread
Henriksson noted the Norwegian salmon industry’s efforts to develop disease-free fish seeds and vaccines. He would like to see national governments and international organizations assist with the development of similar techniques for species such as carp, which is critical for nutrition in nations such as Bagladesh, Burma and parts of China.
The report also calls for increased education on the topic for farmers around the globe.
“One of the big problems today is that a lot of farmers, especially in countries in Asia or Africa, they don’t have the knowledge or resources to identify the type of disease they have, or they don’t know the consequences of using antimicrobials,” says Henriksson. “Simply by educating farmers and giving them better capacity to diagnose their diseases could result in huge reductions in antimicrobial use. We don’t have to stop using them, we have to use them more wisely.”
Second round of cuts on China’s seafood import tariffs
T his year’s second round of tariff cuts in China is making seafood exporters revved up to do even more business with the country.
The latest import tariff reduction took effect on December 1 and aims to “enrich domestic consumption choices.” It covers a range of 187 consumer products. The new list of seafood includes frozen salmon. General tariff rates fell from an average of 17.3 to 7.7 percent, according to the Chinese finance ministry.
China’s 2016 seafood importation is valued at $7 billion. It is projected to hit $20 billion by 2020. It is the world’s third largest seafood importer, following US and Japan.
Among China’s leading seafood imports are pollock, tuna, coldwater shrimp, frozen and unfrozen crab, and lobster.
In January 2017, the government implemented a new tax cut on certain seafood categories. The aim is to maintain normal supply inventory at stable prices.
Marine Harvest to acquire Canadian salmon farmer
Marine Harvest has announced it has entered into a share purchase agreement to purchase Northern Harvest, a salmon farmer on the East Coast of Canada.
Northern Harvest is a fully integrated with its own broodstock, smolt/hatchery, farming sites and processing operations.
“The potential acquisition supports Marine Harvest’s long-term strategy of being a world leading and integrated producer of seafood proteins,” said Marine Harvest.
The acquisition price on a cash and debt free basis is roughly $248 million (C$ 315 million).
Northern Harvest is expected to harvest 19,000 tonnes of salmon in 2018. It has currently 45 farming licenses in Newfoundland and New Brunswick and has applied for additional 13 farming licenses.
Founded in 1985 by the Ingalls family, the company said on its website that it is the oldest aquaculture company in the Americas. “Our salmon is raised naturally with no hormones or genetic modifications in the icy cold and pristine waters of New Brunswick and Newfoundland,” it stated.
The transaction is subject to approval by relevant competition authorities and customary closing conditions.
Northern Harvest is a fully integrated salmon farming operation with farms in New Brunswick and Newfoundland
Credit: Northern Harvest
Maine’s salmon aquaculture growing
The controversial salmon escape incident at a salmon farm in Washington State in August cast a dark shadow over the salmon industry, but developments in the State of Maine are buoying US industry outlook.
“With the uncertainties in place we don’t see major growth coming in the US right now,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Michael Rust told Aquaculture North America
markets in nearby big cities like Boston and New York City, as well as nationally, remain strong.
“We have 25 ocean sites and we are getting new ones over the next cou-ple years,” Belle told ANA
He acknowledged that growth is limited because Maine waters have been getting warmer over the last decade due to climate change. “Our limitations are biological,” says Belle, who is also a member of the National Aquaculture Associ-ation.
But salmon farming has recently been growing slightly in Maine, Rust said. “It’s not a tremendous growth but it is growing.”
Maine Aquaculture Association executive director Sebastian Belle said farm sites in Northern New England continue to expand into new markets while existing
Five trends driving the seafood sector
The trends are opening up new markets and opportunities
In 2016, the Monterey Bay Aquarium upgraded Maine farmed salmon to “good alternative” on its Seafood Watch sustainable seafood grading system.
“Obviously the market is incredibly strong,” Belle said. “We have a Maine farmed brand that has been doing well. We expect to expand slowly and mod-estly but any expansion helps the states coastal communities with year-long jobs.”
– Erich Luening
Netting Protection
five trends driving the seafood industry’s transformation. The five trends are: the need to predict and understand climate change impacts; wild fish stocks nearing maximum yield; product globalization and the rise of online sales; the worldwide growth of a health-conscious middle class; and aquaculture’s rapid expansion. These trends are opening up new markets in the seafood sector, and ventures around the world are racing to capture a share of the opportunities, said Fish 2.0, which concluded its annual competition on November 8 with the announcement of winners. The competition connects startups or inventors in
Services that ease seafood supply chain are among the innovations that are helping transform the seafood sector
aquaculture or fisheries with potential investors and other funding sources.
“Innovation in the seafood sector is growing like never before,” said Fish 2.0 founder and executive director Monica Jain. “Rapid technology advances and new players are coming to this previously traditional sector. We’re seeing creative products, services and business models that solve problems and remove barriers to both sustainability and growth of the seafood supply. These innovations are poised to create significant changes in the way seafood is produced, harvested and marketed over the next decade.”
WHO: Antibiotics ‘overused and misused’ on animal farms
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging farmers to stop the practice of using antibiotics on healthy animals for the purpose of promoting growth and preventing disease.
The new WHO recommendations aim to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics that are important for human medicine.
“Over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. Some types of bacteria that cause serious infections in humans have already developed resistance to most or all of the available treatments, and there are very few
The World Health Organization urges farmers to stop using antibiotics on healthy animals grown for food
promising options in the research pipeline,” WHO said.
Instead, farmers must only use antibiotics on animals that require it, and not for growth enhancement and prevention of diseases, said WHO.
It projected that by 2050, an estimated 10 million deaths per year globally will be attributable to antimicrobial resistance, with a cumulative economic cost of $100 trillion.
Source: Getty
Credit: Getty
So where can I get ‘social license?
continued from cover Credit: Fotolia
“There is a growing negative response to scientific information... Science can be seen as the problem, not the solution.”
That value perspective is a framework through which all information is viewed Matthews says. “There are no facts,” he says. “There are only empirical observations, and observations are always at the mercy of the frame of reference we bring to them.”
MISTRUST OF SCIENCE
A further complication is the increasing distrust in Science, he says. “There is a growing negative response to scientific information; there is a breakdown of trust in Science. Science can be seen as the problem, not the solution.”
While shellfish growers may state that “Science is largely on our side, we are sustainable and non-polluting,” there is an increasing mistrust of industries that are perceived as polluting – pipelines, fracking, logging, mining – says Matthews. Unfortunately, the shellfish industry cannot be exempt from this, he adds.
TRUST IS KEY
The key element in social license is trust, says Matthews. He suggests both industry and government regulators must, together, try and establish multiple types of trust as the cornerstones of social license. He says keys to success are “trust in the reliability of organizations, trust in the reliability of specific individuals and trust in the reliability of knowledge that guides action of industry.”
An industry is going to have to establish trust on at least two of these three levels, he adds. “Failure in any one [these levels] is usually enough to seriously threaten the acceptance of a project. It will certainly undermine any chance of achieving social licence.
“Trust has a history. Trust is built over time and trust is based on experience,” says Matthews. “You don’t chose to trust, it is based on knowledge and belief. You develop trust through past experience and cooperation.”
BUT TRUSTING INVOLVES RISK
“If I trust you, I have risked something,” Matthews points out. “We live in a very risk-averse society so building trust is difficult.”
“Trust builds out of limited stages of cooperation, small things, until finally you have built a sense of relationship that involves trust,” Matthews says. “Don’t go and ask people to trust you. Ask them to cooperate with you about something.”
BC shellfish growers are working on a number of those fronts. “We had the Minister of Agriculture out for a field day,” says Darlene Winterburn, executive director of the BCSGA. “We took her to a beach site, a deep-water site and a processing plant. Even though she lives here on
Better by Design
Vancouver Island, she didn’t have much knowledge of the shellfish industry, but she went away being quite supportive.”
A recent beach clean up also organized by the BC Shellfish growers speaks to Matthews’ points (ANA Nov/Dec 2017, page 24).
“You must figure out some path to overcome that sense of risk and give a preference for trust,” Matthews continues. “The more you are engaged in the life of a community the more you are likely to have trust.”
And that buys social license.
Industry weighs in on potential changes to NAFTA
continued from cover
pletely revoked, seafood imported from Canada or Mexico into the US would remain tariff-free. US consumption of seafood far outstrips domestic production. Imposing tariffs would make it harder or more expensive to get seafood to American consumers, which would be detrimental to both national economic and consumer health. “You may have activists or populists saying we need to impose tariffs on imported products because we need to protect the local industry,” says Sims. “There is a very, very small local [seafood] industry. Mexican and Canadian products don’t compete significantly with US products. Everybody in this industry recognizes that we need to grow the industry in the US and the main challenge to that is not the imports. The imports are a symptom, not a cause. The cause of the failure to grow the aquaculture industry in the US is the lack of political will.”
Jeremy Dunn, executive director of the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) agrees, noting that the United States imports significant wild and farmed seafood from not only Canada and Mexico but also Norway, Chile and nations in South East Asia.
“From a seafood perspective, I would say that no one benefits,” says Dunn regarding potential changes to NAFTA. “There would be some level of uncertainty for producers and for consumers. But there isn’t a benefit either way, really.”
Dave Rudie, president of San Diegobased fish distributor Catalina Offshore Products, says NAFTA has very little effect on the industry. Pre-NAFTA, import duties on seafood products were low, he says. But there are things that concern him.
“If NAFTA were to be overturned, it would go back to what it was before,” says Rudie. “It would not have a huge effect on the seafood business. The scarier thing that we’ve heard about is the possibility of a 20-percent border adjustment tax. If there were to be a 20-percent import tax on seafood from Mexico, that would make a huge difference. If NAFTA blows up and there’s a trade war, then anything is possible.”
One of the trickier aspects of the NAFTA renegotiation is “laws of origin,” which has come into play in circumstances where, for example, a car manufacturer may be using parts from other nations; would the manufacturer have to pay tariffs on those foreign parts? It is unknown what form such changes would take or how they could impact the industry.
“One of the aquaculture companies that I buy from is Baja Seas Hiramasa,” says Rudie. “They’re buying their food for the hiramasa out of Canada, growing it in Mexico and it’s primarily marketed in the US. It’s a product of Mexico, but some of the food that goes into the fish is coming out of Canada. I don’t know if that would be affected by any change in rules or not.”
Seafood market analyst, John Sackton, says that while tariffs would likely return to the low levels they were pre-NAFTA, a change to the agreement could disrupt the business plans of individual producers.
“If you have an investment into oysters or salmon or something that’s a two- or three-year cycle, and then all of a sudden the market landscape at the end of your three-year cycle is totally different than when you first put the product in, that’s a significant problem. That can be very disruptive,” says Sackton, who publishes Seafood News.
CANADIAN VIEW
Canada recently signed a free trade agreement with Asia-Pacific. While that and the diversity of Canada’s trading partners around the world could help Canadian producers make up for some lost sales if NAFTA was revoked, Sackton notes that the Canadian industry is still significantly tied to the US.
“If you look at not just the broodstock but the drivers of Canadian aquaculture, for instance, salmon and mussels and oysters, the US is far and away the primary market for those,” says Sackton. “Even if they increase sales in Europe or Asia, the US is still going to be the largest [market] by far. The Canadian producers and the US market are very intertwined. Even if you
add costs, you can’t really separate the two.”
All four observers we spoke to agreed that altering NAFTA would not benefit the aquaculture industry. Even if prices increase on imported seafood products in the US (thus benefitting US producers) this would not help the industry’s more prevailing need, which is to get consumers to eat more seafood. However, as aquaculture is not a big factor in NAFTA discussions, the industry may end up being a victim of decisions made in support of other sectors of the trading relationship between Canada, Mexico and the USA.
“I’m hoping it doesn’t have an effect, but you never know for sure,” says Rudie.
“If there is any suggestion at all that seafood is added as a tariff commodity, the industry will be in an uproar,” says Sims. “There is universal, vehement support for tariff-free flow of seafood into this country because we are so totally dependent on it.”
“The trade between our two countries in a number of products is important,” says Dunn. “I think that anybody involved in the seafood business should absolutely be paying attention because this is a very important bilateral relationship between Canada and the United States.”
Grants for aquaculture projects in the Gulf of Mexico
New kid on the block
British Columbia startup helps engineer better fish farms
BY MATT JONES
With a background in engineering and several years in aquaculture, Matt Clarke noticed the lack of innovative technical solutions and support services in the industry. To address that need, British Columbian Matt and his wife Heather Clarke co-founded Poseidon Ocean Systems in 2015 – a full-service aquaculture engineering and support company that specializes in infrastructure design, development, supply and installation.
“We always had an entrepreneurial mindset,” says Matt, speaking from his office in Campbell River, BC. “We’ve always kept an eye out for opportunities and then at the end of 2015, the time seemed right. What I saw from an engineering standpoint was there was a lot of room for technological innovations and a need for support services in the industry.”
Matt observed that many existing solutions have been developed in countries that may not necessarily face the same challenges as Canada. Matt cites predators on marine farms as an example of a problem specific to North American producers. In response, Poseidon Ocean Systems developed custom injection molded accessories that bolt onto cages to facilitate predator prevention or mitigation.
The husband-and-wife team wanted their company to have the flexibility to develop solutions for various operations.
“We focus mostly on solving problems in marine aquaculture,” says Matt. “Some of them are pretty generic stuff. For instance, we design and supply mooring systems; that’s really one of our core businesses. We also supply HDPE (high-density polyethylene) pen systems to the Canadian industry. But we’re not just suppliers. We innovate or develop customized solutions. Our attitude is if we can’t add value to it, we’re not interested in doing it.”
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
(GSMFC) is requesting for proposals to develop potential aquaculture projects in the Gulf of Mexico region. The aim is to increase seafood production through aquaculture.
A total of $450,000 has been earmarked for the grants that will be awarded to projects ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 each.
Considerations will be given to projects that can justify a greater need.
RFP (request for proposal) goals should address development of commercial techniques that focus on advancing commercial aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico and/or create pilot projects that demonstrate the feasibility of permitting an offshore aquaculture operation in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The grants will be for the funding period of April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. The deadline for application is on February 1, 2018.
Poseidon Ocean Systems has a diverse engineering team that develops custom and proprietary solutions. They come from diverse backgrounds, such as structural engineering, biology and naval architecture.
“The head of engineering for our life support and our aerated oxygen distribution has experience as a plumber
before he became an engineer, so he has experience working with compressed air systems,” says Heather. “Another team member is a certified millwright and he actually has farming experience, which helps.”
Matt says there is an apparent lack of engineers in the marine aquaculture industry in North America. He has seen more engineers in hatcheries or in the waste-water treatment side of the industry, but not as much in marine aquaculture. “There’s a serious lack of experience in everything from designing fence systems to understanding the rigging of a net pen,” says Matt. “We train people.”
Poseidon Ocean Systems’ team frequently visit clients’ sites free of charge to ensure that their solutions and devices can be easily adapted into a particular system. It’s what Matt calls “integration,” another focus of the company.
“We’re not a consulting engineering firm,” says Matt. “We don’t charge consulting hours or time. While we’re interacting with farmers, we look for other problems to solve.
continued on page 31
Poseidon Ocean Systems co-founders, Heather Clarke and Matt Clarke posing with the Gen II Aeration system
GSMFC is seeking proposals that will advance commercial aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico
Credit: US Fish & Wildlife Service
A class of its own
Early efforts invested into building natural, organic processes pay off for British Columbia’s Creative Salmon.
BY LIZA MAYER
Success is where preparation and opportunity meet. This adage couldn’t be truer than in the story of Creative Salmon, a Canadian company farming Pacific Chinook salmon in Tofino, British Columbia.
Over 20 years ago, a time when organic food was inextricably tied with wealth and no organic standard for seafood existed in Canada, a group of like-minded seafood farmers banded together to create the Pacific Organic Seafood Association. One of them is Creative Salmon, which at that time was under the leadership of the company’s first general manager, Bill Vernon. Over the next 15 to 18 years, Creative Salmon began shifting its practices to organic methods. By the time the Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard was released in April 2012, the company was ready.
ORGANIC AIN’T EASY
“By then we were well suited to meet all the requirements. We got certified to the standard in December 2013,” says current general manager Tim Rundle.
Rundle is first to admit that organic farming is not easy. Compared to conventional farming, fish raised under organic standards are provided added space in the pen enclosures. The Chinooks, known to be more aggressive than their Atlantic cousins, swim freely because there are fewer of them in the pen, but it also means lower harvest
Creative Salmon crew arrive at the Grice Bay Boat Launch each morning for the short commute to the farms. Total full-time year-round employment is 55, including the hatchery
NO ANTIBIOTICS
Creative Salmon has stopped using antibiotics in market fish since 2011. “In the early days we treated our Chinooks with antibiotics at the hatchery and again upon delivery at the site. It became a standard practice we thought necessary to maintain health. Around 1995 we started to question that practice. We asked ourselves whether it is something that we still needed to be doing,” he says.
In 1996, the company conducted an experiment. It raised 10,000 fish in two pens drug-free. “We got over 90 percent survival in our drug-free trial group. After additional trials we realized we do not need to use antibiotics the way we were using it.”
Rundle says further eradicating the need for antibiotics was the improvement in vaccines, which addressed the biggest issue fish farmers faced back then — vibrio. Husbandry is another factor that helps, he says. “When you have very low density and low stress, that helps the fish remain healthy. If we got more intensive we might have needed to use antibiotics. But, of course, if we had to use antibiotics, if there’s a suggestion from our vet, then we would have to use it although it would mean we would lose our status as an organic farmer. Fish welfare is our priority.” Today, the company uses antibiotics only in its broodstock, which require more handling than market fish and are not sold in the marketplace.
Creative Salmon’s farming practices also involve fallowing its six site tenures alternately — four are stocked with fish at any one time while the other two are left alone to recover.
Farming the niche species is more challenging, notes Rundle. “We can’t handle our Chinooks, we basically put
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‘Chinook salmon is one of the most-sought-after sport fish so there’s definitely very high demand for our product,’ says General Manager Tim Rundle. Credit: CS
GM Tim Rundle with Lisa Stewart, Communications & HR, and Ian Francis, operations manager. Credit: Liza Mayer
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PROFILE
Dustin Visscher, hatchery assistant manager, checking samples. The company operations, from producing its own broodstock and smolts to raising and harvesting the fish and processing them, are audited yearly. Credit: CS
The Tamanawas, Creative Salmon’s harvest boat. The company harvests salmon two to four times a week, depending on the season. Credit: Liza Mayer
them in and give them a lot of space, not sort them, not grade them. We leave them alone until harvest time.”
NICHE PRODUCT, NICHE MARKET
The very first farms started by Canadians (family farms) in the early and mid ‘80s focused on the local domestic salmon — Chinook — and to some extent, Coho, also native to British Columbia. By the mid- to late-’80s some of the early BC farms were bought by Norwegians who saw market opportunities in BC. The Norwegians were familiar with growing their own Atlantic salmon and so imported eggs from Norway and Scotland to grow them in BC. During these pioneer days when family farms started shifting to Atlantics, Creative Salmon remained loyal to Chinooks. Rundle acknowledges that farming the species can also be expensive, more so when the organic aspect is added to the equation. The company’s operations — from pro-
NEWS AND NOTES
Town council rethinks oyster farms expansion
Oyster farming is touted as a growth industry in Edgartown, Massachusetts but a plan that would have advanced it further has been shelved temporarily.
The plan was to open up Cape Pogue Pond located on the outer northeastern edge of Chappaquiddick to oyster farming.
But while the Edgartown Shellfish Committee understands the value of aquaculture, some members aired concerns about the location, impact on the ecosystem, and
Oyster farming is touted as a growth industry in Edgartown, Massachusetts. Credit: Fotolia
cited the need for more planning, reported The Vineyard Gazette. Oyster farms are concentrated at Katama Bay, where leases are maxed out and there is a long waiting list. The new lease area, comprised of eight one-acre lots, will undergo a public hearing process.
ducing its own broodstock and smolts to raising and harvesting the fish and processing them — are audited yearly. “We are required to have an Organic Plan that outlines specifically how our company’s practices meet the organic requirements, then an obligation is to audit to those requirements each year through an independent third party so we are always reviewing our practices, reminding staff of the requirements, and training people new to the company.”
There are cost considerations in maintaining the company’s organic status, but there are obvious rewards.
“Chinook is definitely tougher to grow but we see it definitely a niche in the marketplace. And the organic aspect takes that to another level,” says Rundle.
“Demand is very high,” he adds. “Our fish has a great taste, great flavor. And Chinook salmon is really sought-after; it is one of the most-sought-after sport fish so there’s definitely very high demand for our product. Being organic has really helped out in putting it into more places than a commodity product could get to.”
Creative Salmon distributes its production across Canada, which accounts for roughly 20 percent of its overall market. The majority, 60 percent, goes to the US market, while another 20 percent goes to Japan.
In his roughly 25 years in the industry, Rundle has seen the market for organic produce grow, become more sophisticated and more trusting. “In the early days there were definitely more questions from consumers. When we were marketing ourselves as the natural choice, we had to tell the story about the low density, the feed, but now I find the discussions are shorter because there’s a lot more trust in the organic.”
Consumers will only demand more ethically produced and chemical-free food so Creative Salmon is happy to keep things the way they are. Looking back, Rundle knows it was all worth the effort, as Creative Salmon today is in a class of its own, being the only organic salmon producer in Canada and the rest of North America. “We’re keeping the status quo,” he says. “We’ve got a really great market.”
Processing of harvested Chinook salmon is done by parent company Lion’s Gate Fisheries in Tofino Credit: Liza Mayer
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FLOATERS & SINKERS
Aquaculture research too focused on short term
NOAA Sea Grant recently announced awards of $9.3 million in research grants for 32 projects to advance the development of a sustainable marine and coastal aquaculture industry in the United States.
Approximately 70 percent of the grants will go to projects designed to increase aquaculture production through integrated projects, while the remaining 30 percent of funds will address specific impediments to aquaculture opportunities.
Although aquaculture researchers appreciate this substantial support, these funds do not begin to address the real research needs of American aquaculture. Of the 126 projects that requested funding, only 32 projects, or 25 percent, got funded. The $9.3 million disbursed for the 32 projects represent roughly 15 percent of the nearly $60 million requested for funding the 126 projects. This clearly shows competition for funding is stiff and the Sea Grant research funds reflect a relatively small part of the total funding needed for American fish farmers to effectively compete globally.
I have been involved with aquaculture since 1961 starting with five years as a graduate student. The next 40 years were divided equally between university teaching and research; and 20 years as a bureaucrat dealing with government policy and programs supporting aquaculture. In these capacities, I gave considerable thought to what I perceived is needed to increase efficiency in the production of species being grown in the United States, and which species that have commercial potential could be introduced. I also considered the challenges — both short- and long-term — to realizing the full potential of American aquaculture. In doing so, I would ask myself, “Who should fund aquaculture research and development?” and “Are the responsibilities for research on technological improvements different from the responsibilities for long-range research that does not have an immediate application?”
that received funding is beyond the scope of an op-ed commentary such as this one, so I will focus the remainder of this piece on broad topics that I consider to be long-range impediments to American aquaculture, most of which can be applied to North American aquaculture in general. Readers can conduct an online search at seagrant.noaa.gov/ news to find information about the specific projects funded in the recent competition.
Looking at the big picture, all forms of aquaculture have general issues in common, such as, access to abundant clean water, appropriate feeds, disease control, which species are best for them, gaining acceptance by consumers, and conforming to local, state, and Federal regulations.
If the old adage that ‘spending reflects priorities’ is true for aquaculture research funding, the Sea Grant program is more focused on increasing production now as opposed to removing impediments that have longerrange payoffs, says columnist
In comparison to other nations, relatively little American aquaculture is conducted in public waters; however, pressure to locate net pens and cages in such areas will almost certainly grow. Conducting aquaculture in “the commons” is always going to be controversial and subject to an array of problems that are beyond the control of the producer. Opposition to placing rearing units in open public waters is just the first problem. Offshore locations may avoid conflicts with near-shore water users, but other costs, such as, transportation, labor, and security issues increase.
As climate disruption and degradation (aka, climate change) leads to changes in water temperatures and water chemistry, the need for research to develop efficient land-based systems using, and re-using, water from open sources will become imperative. Efficient, predictable production is easier to maintain in land-based systems.
If the old adage that “spending reflects priorities” is true for aquaculture research funding, the Sea Grant program is more focused on increasing production now as opposed to removing impediments that have longer-range payoffs. Although 21 “impediment projects” (those that address specific impediments to aquaculture opportunities) were funded, compared to 11 “integration projects,” (those designed to increase aquaculture production) the size of each integration project was much larger; several of them approach the million-dollar level. Examining each of the 32 projects
The cost and quality of nutritionally balanced feeds can make or break an aquaculture operation. Even mollusks that derive their food from the waters surrounding them are vulnerable to the quality and quantity of the items they filter from surrounding waters. In the cases of finfish and crustaceans, a fundamental impediment to future large-scale growth is the fact that formulated feeds have been based on fishmeal and fish oils. In the future, perhaps the near future, the supplies of these key ingredients will be inadequate, or too expensive, to meet the demands. Formulated feeds for early life stages, as well as, efficient, nutritionally balanced growout feeds based on ingredients other than fishmeal and fish oils will be essential.
Although impediments related to water supplies and appropriate feeds are the most immediate concerns for American aquaculture development, several other factors are potential impediments that should be addressed by research programs. Given the
BY JOHN G. NICKUM
There are long-term challenges to realizing the full potential of American aquaculture that need to be addressed
huge numbers of aquatic/marine species that could be reared for aquaculture species, relatively few are in production. Research to determine the potential of additional species for aquaculture is needed. Rearing animals in the high-density conditions required for economically feasible production will always increase the potential for proliferation of disease agents and deterioration of water quality. In addition to these fundamental operational impediments, the socio-economic issue of consumer perceptions about the quality and safety of aquaculture products must be addressed. “If consumers won’t buy it, why rear it?” Finally, regulations that may have been based on the best of intentions, or misdirected inten-
tions, can prevent profitable operations. As fish farmers often state, “If you can’t move it, you can’t sell it.”
Funding to address these larger scale impediments — impediments that are common to all forms of aquaculture, must come from federal sources. Private funding for broad scale projects that do not carry a potential for financial return in the relatively near future are highly unlikely. Programs, such as the Sea Grant research initiatives are a “good start,” but much more is needed. The potential return to our nation is enormous, but our elected officials must recognize this research as a national priority if it is to become reality.
Local trumps organic
BY RUBY GONZALEZ
Astudy translated into dollars and cents the economic gains from various seafood labels, including “certified organic” and locally grown.
Results showed consumers in the study were willing to pay a premium of as much as 30 percent for specific certified organic seafood products. It also showed that the price premium they are willing to pay could be as much as 35 percent for seafood labelled as coming from the consumers’ home state, compared to those labelled as “imported” or from the “US.”
“We would like for this study to be able to aid in exploring the potential benefits for aquaculture of gaining organic certification or labelling the state of origin of products and selling those products within that state,” Christian Brayden, project manager at the Maine Aquaculture Association, told Aquaculture North America (ANA). He has recently completed his master’s degree in Resource Economics and Policy at the University of Maine.
A portion of Brayden’s thesis examined the consumer preferences for organically produced aquaculture products, specifically oysters, clams, mussels, scallops and seaweed salad, which still do not all have certified organic standards.
While working on the thesis, he was a research assistant at the University of Maine. The research was funded by the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET) grant. His thesis advisers were Dr Caroline Noblet and committee members, Dr Keith Evans and Dr Laura Rickard.
WHY PRANGER?
ASSESSING POTENTIAL GAINS
“On an individual level, we hope that farmers could use the results to assess the potential gains of becoming certified organic, when possible, or labeling the state of production while weighing the associated costs.
“On a larger scale, we hope that this study provides social science data that meets the needs of those interested in aquaculture,” said Brayden.
Seafood consumers from coastal US states and the Great Lakes were invited to participate in the online choice experiment and survey.
“We wanted to explore consumer preferences for aquaculture products labelled as certified organic or as produced in a consumer’s home state.
“We had a particular interest in certified organic because we read that USDA standards for organic aquaculture would be released soon, and we wanted to see if consumers had a preference for certified organic aquaculture goods like they do for certified organic terrestrial agriculture goods,” he said.
Since not all aquaculture products from the US list the state where they were produced, the study included a “home state” attribute.
The consumers in the study typically purchased seafood from grocery stores, local fish markets, harvesters and “others.” While labels could be considered important in all these locations, Brayden said grocery stores and local fish markets are likely to have detailed labels similar to those used in his study.
“Labels are considered especially important in these
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Study says consumers willing to pay more for seafood labelled “organic” but even more for seafood grown in their home state
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Based on the prices used in the study, seafood farmers could receive an additional $2.13 per lb for scallops if they were certified organic. Credit: Nanette Gonzalez
Over 90 percent of the consumers in the study were willing to pay a price premium for
two locations because they are often the sole source of information for the products we are interested in purchasing. Grocery stores, the location where seafood is most frequently purchased, are most likely to highlight the importance of labels as fish markets tend to have employees with extensive knowledge and experience with seafood,” he said.
PRICE PREMIUMS
Consumers in the study were willing to pay price premiums ranging from 9 percent to 29 percent for certified organic shellfish and seaweed salad. “For example, based on the prices used in the study, seafood farmers could receive an additional $2.13 per lb for scallops and an additional $0.52 per oyster if they were certified organic,” he said.
Certified organic clams garnered a $0.69 price premium per lb (13 percent more over non-organic), certified organic mussels received a $0.63 price premium per lb (18 percent more), and certified organic seaweed salad produced a $0.83 price premium per salad (24 percent more).
Overall results indicated that 84 percent of the consumers in the study were willing to pay a price premium for a product that is certified organic.
The consumers said they were willing to pay between 12 percent and 35 percent more for aquaculture products that were from their home state when compared to those labelled as “imported” or from the “US.”
Over 90 percent of the consumers in the study were willing to pay a price premium for products from their home state. Oysters from a participant’s home state garnered a $0.61 price premium per oyster (35 percent more over non-organic), clams
There was a “negative willingness to pay” for imported aquaculture products.
Seafood produced in Canada was perceived differently though. “Several participants commented that they would consider Canada to be an exception, although this preference has not been tested for statistical significance,” he said.
Labels communicate product characteristics from the producer to the consumer.
“How consumers respond to labels can also help to inform producers about what consumers like to see, or do not like to see, on product labels. In many instances, before we purchase a product our only source of information about the product is through the product’s label.”
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aquaculture products from their home state. Credit: Getty
hope that farmers could use the results to assess the potential gains of becoming certified organic,’ says Christian Brayden
Breakthrough in mahi mahi farming
Researchers at the University of Miami’s aquaculture program and hatchery have succeeded in spawning and raising large amounts of juvenile mahi mahi but they say raising them to commercial size remains a challenge.
“We have reached the technological level of easily producing mahi mahi within the span of three months. However, the next phase, which would be considered the commercial phase, is not quite there yet,” Daniel Benetti, professor and director of Aquaculture at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, told Miami Today.
Credit: Getty
Researchers report success in growing the species by the ‘tens of thousands’ but a hurdle remains
For now, the researchers are focused on growing mahi-mahi at smaller sizes because “the larger the fish grows, the higher the mortality rates.”
“We have found a lot of success in growing the fish to canning and plate sizes instead of growing them to full size, which ranges between 6 to 8 pounds,” said Benetti.
New York-based company Aqquua LLC is helping bring UM’s technology to commercialization, he added.
Study finds low risk of pathogen transfer from farmed to wild salmon
New research released by the federal government says the risks of viral disease transferring from Atlantic salmon farms located in the Discovery Islands area of British Columbia to wild sockeye making their way to the Fraser River is low.
The study looked specifically at Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV), which commonly affects salmon and trout. Fish infected with the virus show abdominal distension, bulging of the eyes, skin darkening, abnormal behavior, anemia, and fading of the gills.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said that current fish health management practices such as vaccination and eradication of infected fish, help to minimize the risk.
The report is the first in a series that will assess the risk of pathogen transfer associated with aquaculture activities to wild fish and the environment in the Discovery Islands, added the DFO. Meanwhile, last month’s discovery of bloody fish processing waste being discharged from a plant near Campbell River, BC into the ocean has prompted the BC government to review fishprocessing plants to ensure waste materials from the operations do not affect wild salmon stocks.
The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) said it will participate in the government review. The association also formed a technical committee to review current practices in facilities processing farm-raised salmon.
Credit: Getty
Risks of IHNV disease transferring from farmed salmon to wild sockeye is low, says report
Salmon producers unite to battle sea lice
Scotland’s leading salmon and trout producers are collaborating on a research project that’s aimed at solving one of the industry’s biggest problems — sea lice.
The 12-month study is hoped to result in enhanced sea lice treatments, reduced use of medicines and shorter treatment times – all of which will further enhance fish health and welfare and help deliver higher production volumes not just for Scotland’s fish farmers but for the salmon industry at large.
Currently, the most common ways of treating farmed Atlantic salmon against sea lice are to bathe the fish either in freshwater or hydrogen peroxide, which quickly breaks down into water and oxygen. What happens when freshwater and hydogen peroxide-based treatment Paramove are combined? That is what the project seeks to determine.
Project co-sponsors— the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), Marine Harvest Scotland and Dawnfresh Seafoods — have teamed up with Solvay Interox, Aqua Pharma and academics at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture in the $323,145-study (£242,985).
“This is early stage, investigative work being conducted within controlled tanks at the Marine Environmental Research Laboratory, part of the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture. There, we hope to confirm the efficacy of using freshwater and Paramove in conjunction with one another, and, in doing so, contribute to the ongoing efforts of the industry in sea lice control,” says Richard Hopewell, Fish Health Manager for Dawnfresh Seafoods and lead industry partner.
Project to ‘transform’ aquaculture underway
A$2-million project that aims to reduce obstacles in farming fish in the ocean is underway in New Zealand.
Scientists at Cawthron Institute in New Zealand said results of the research project could enable fish farmers to manage their farm and stock remotely.
“There are unique challenges to farming in the ocean. Farms must be physically accessed by boat, with stock health and condition manually recorded. High costs and delicate equipment are barriers to implementing new technology.” The research project hopes to address these obstacles, according to Dr Cornelisen, Cawthron Institute Coastal and Freshwater group manager.
The two-year Precision Farming Technology for Aquaculture project “will combine cutting-edge research in sensing technologies, lasers, and artificial intelligence with practical, applied research to provide solutions to the aquaculture industry.” Research into efficient and cost-effective underwater communications also aims to unlock the future potential of untethered sensors, drones and robotics.
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Credit: Marine Harvest Scotland
The 12-month study is hoped to result in enhanced treatment for sea lice
The research project aims to address the unique challenges in farming in the ocean. Credit: NOAA
NEWS AND NOTES
Lobster farming initiative gets nod
Sea-based container culture system results in bigger, healthier animals
Thousands of juvenile European lobsters (Homarus gammarus) grown using the sea-based container culture (SBCC) system are slated for release in the waters of Padstow, Cornwall when the Lobster Grower 2 project ends in February 2019.
The project, led by the National Lobster Hatchery (NLH), won the Cornwall Sustainability Award in December.
NLH researchers said SBCC is showing a lot of promise in growing lobsters and could potentially open up new opportunities in aquaculture.
The project grows lobsters at sea in containers where they could grow bigger and healthier than those grown in hatcheries.
Until recently, NLH grew lobsters in hatchery culture systems — hatching the larvae from egg-bearing females, raising them to a juvenile stage of development, and then releasing them back into the wild.
But under the project, the lobsters are transferred from the hatchery to the sea in cages so they grow bigger and healthier, giving them a better chance to survive in the wild, while getting acclimatized to their natural habitat.
“This approach to growing lobsters mimics their natural habitat, provid-
ing them with natural food sources and ecological conditions that allow them to grow larger, fitter and healthier,” said Dr Carly Daniels of NLH.
She said growing lobsters in SBCC systems boosts their chances of survival because they are exposed to the kind of natural conditions that they will encounter upon release. The lower levels of energy required to grow lobsters at sea
potentially reduces the carbon footprint of the process, and their feeding on natural food sources instead of an artificial diet of fishmeal has less negative impact on global fish stocks.
NLH General Manager, Dom Boothroyd said the technology and expertise generated by Lobster Grower 2 could help develop a sustainable lowcarbon form of aquaculture.
STUDY: Canola safe to use in salmon feed
Canola oil could someday become a common ingredient for salmon feed. At the moment, raising fish rich in Omega-3s means supplementing their feed with fish oil.
Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima) said preliminary results of their study show Omega-3 oil derived from canola is safe to use as ingredient in salmon feed.
Canola is a vegetable oil derived from rapeseed, which is rich in the marine fatty acid DHA.
Results of the Nofima study show salmon given feed containing Omega-3 Canola had the same Omega-3 levels as salmon fed with fish oil. Gene expression analyses showed that effects depended on the amount of oil, not the type of oil, the study says.
Feed producer Cargill is developing a new type of canola oil for use in fish feed.
Juvenile lobsters. The awardwinning sea-based container culture (SBCC) system has so far shown to result in bigger and healthier lobsters
Credit: NLH
Canola bloom. The vegetable oil derived from rapeseed is rich in the marine fatty acid DHA
Project focused on aquaculture workforce underway
The study’s findings will help aquaculture farmers when introducing or improving occupational health and safety measures in their farms
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is funding a project that will look at improving the wellbeing of the most valuable asset in aquaculture — the workforce.
A research team from the University of Stirling in Scotland is focusing on global aquaculture and fish farming occupational health and safety (OSH) issues that affect the world’s 18 million aquaculture workers.
The study’s findings will help aquacul-
Tackling disease in land-based fish farms
warning system that will alert fish farmers about bacteria in the process of blooming in land-based farms is being developed in Norway.
AHaving an early detection system will enable hatcheries to take the necessary measures to prevent bacteria from blooming. It could also provide hatcheries with important information regarding the water quality that produces more robust and healthy fish.
“Disease is the greatest challenge facing this industry, both in financial terms and where its reputation with the public is concerned. Analyzing and improving our knowledge of the salmon’s environment will have significant economic potential. If this project enables us to produce knowledge and techniques that can be used to prevent disease, we will have taken several steps in the right direction,” says lead scientist Sven Martin Jørgensen at the Nor-
Fish tanks contain both good and bad bacteria. Norwegian researchers are studying the microbial environment to help them develop a warning system
wegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF).
The researchers are focusing their efforts on land-based aquaculture systems. Three land-based farms are providing the research team with water samples from their operations.
“The development of water recirculating systems has exploded in recent years, so we think that it is time to develop tools that will enable us to understand and optimise the health of fish in hatcheries by monitoring the bacterial community in the water,” Jørgensen.
ture farmers when introducing or improving OSH riskmanagement measures in their farms.
The study team says occupational diseases are generally under-reported across the world and aquaculture presents many threats to health.
The study is global in scope. It follows a decision by the FAO Committee on Fisheries to prioritize OSH issues in aquaculture.
“Our report aims to set out what works, and what does not… and focus on how to improve standards and reduce risks,” stresses project lead, Professor Andrew Watterson.
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Credit: SINTEF
Credit: Rhode Island Sea Grant
Swiss Alpine Fish, Switzerland
- 22, 2018
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Issue around salmon tenures in BC remains muddy
continued from cover
Jeremy Dunn. “We are hopeful that the route does not significantly impair or collapse an industry that is worth over $1.5 billion to the province and results in 6,600 jobs.”
SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT?
Popham’s letter to MHC went on: “Whatever operational decisions you should chose to make, the province maintains all of its rights under the current tenure agreements including potentially the requirement that you return possession of tenured sites a the end of the current terms. My colleagues from the Ministry of Forests Lands Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development will be in touch with you to describe the process for you to initiate applications for replacement tenures.”
Most salmon farming tenures in BC are for 20 years but after a lengthy consultation process culminating in 2013, the government reduced that term to five years for farms in the Broughton area. Licenses with Fisheries Oceans Canada (DFO) are typically nine years. MHC has nine sites that are up for renewal this year. Other companies operating in the area, Grieg and Cermaq, are also subject to five-year terms in the area.
The Popham letter appeared to warn salmon farmers and indeed, all who hold tenures with the government, about the importance of collaboration with the First Nations.
“Our government has committed to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Right of Indigenous People (UNDRIP),” Popham wrote in the October 13 letter. “Practically that means that companies should make every effort to develop and maintain healthy relationships with First Nations in whose territories they are doing business.”
The letter could be taken to imply that the BC salmon farming industry is not following due process in their agreements, when in fact that is simply not the case. The BC Aquaculture Land Use Policy lays out how that consultation will take place. “Currently there is a required First Nations involvement in the tenure process,” explains Dunn. “There are a number of consultation requirements that the Crown undertakes and requirements for the companies to participate in those consultations, which our members are more than happy to do.”
If the rules are changing, BC salmon farmers haven’t been told yet.
“We are trying to find out what our future pathway looks like,” says Dunn.
“This new relationship and changes in the way things are done has not presented itself in a policy directive change as to how the consultative process around a tender
Salmon farmers’ tenure agreement with the government gives them the right to operate on BC Crown land and water but local First Nations want the right to control what activities go on in their traditional territories
would take place,” says Dunn. “The premier is on record as saying that how BC engages with First Nations will change. But what does that look like?”
Dunn says salmon farmers have 20 working agreements with First Nations in whose territories they operate, something that is not required by legislation. “I think our members go beyond what the rules are around consultation,” he says. “In many cases our members have developed First Nation partnerships that include benefit agreements for a majority of their farm sites.”
“The farm sites in the Broughton are the only areas where we have a dispute and don’t have a good working relationship,” says Dunn. “There have been a great number
of attempts at consultation and the First Nations there have been less than willing to engage in constructive dialogue.”
Businesses of BCSFA members, both on the farming and the supply side, are planning some $300 million in new investment over the next four years, Dunn says. “It wouldn’t be a surprise to me if some of those decisions are being delayed.”
“We have many First Nations businesses contracted to the sector wondering what the future looks like,” Dunn says. “Right now, unfortunately, we can’t give them a very solid answer. That is something we are hoping to change soon.”
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Egg-to-plate model works for Arctic char farmer
As one of only two farms to produce the species in Quebec, Raymer Aquaculture has a strong foothold in the local market.
BY TOM WALKER
Raynald Mercier has always been in the fish business. A degree in biology landed him a job as an inspector in a fish plant once out of university and he has worked in a fish market and for a fish distributor.
“I noticed the popularity of char and trout in the distribution business,” says Mercier from his home in New Richmond, on the southern shore of Quebec’s Gaspe peninsula. He knew several people in the fish farming industry and saw a good opportunity. “I started the farm in 2011,” recalls Mercier. “But I didn’t know at the time that it was such a big challenge.”
The Merciers have built a vertically integrated business — from egg to plate. They hatch eggs, nurse and grow out the fish, process them in their own federally inspected plant, sell directly to distributors in Quebec and Ontario and run their own fish store at the farm, selling an array of local products to their community. Mercier’s daughter Sabrina uses her human resources degree to work in management at the farm. Depending on the season, they employ up to15 people.
“Arctic char is a very interesting fish for the chefs in restaurants,” says Mercier. “We are one of only two farms to produce char in Quebec and for that reason we have no problems selling the fish at this time.”
Rainbow trout cannot be farmed in the Gaspe region so the Merciers produce brook trout, a species native to the area. “We’re the only fish farm to grow brook trout for the table in Quebec,” Sabrina points out. “Its not very well known but we are growing the market. People are very interested in brook trout.”
Current yearly production is around 50 tonnes, with 90 percent of that being arctic char and the remaining 10 percent brook trout.
Char eggs come once a year in the fall from Icy Waters in the Yukon Territory and the brook trout are from a local Gaspe hatchery. “We hatch between 100,000 to 250,000 eggs a year,” Sabrina explains. “Our survival rate is roughly 75 percent.”
The newly hatched fry start off in six, two-cubic-meter tanks and are then moved to four, five-cubic-meter tanks. The grow-out area has 15 tanks, some at 30 cubic meters and others 80 cubic meters.
SUSTAINABILITY
The sustainability of the indoor recirculating farm helps with customer acceptance, the Merciers maintain. “We are
working in very sustainable aquaculture,” says Sabrina. “We use sustainable feed, a RAS system with indoor tanks so we have good biosecurity and no risk for the fish to escape. In the ocean there are less fish so this is a way to support what is left of wild stocks.”
An underground well provides plenty of water at 7-8˚C that is pre-filtered with a drum filter. “We use geothermal heating in the hatchery for the smallest fish from January to August,” says Sabrina. “We need around 12˚C to ensure good early growth.”
A generator and compressor provide oxygen and they have a backup electrical generator for when the power goes down.
Skretting is the choice for feed says Sabrina. “They have a very good program for sustainability,” she says. “That is very important for us and the feed seems to be good for the fish.”
“The color of the meat is very important for the customer,” Mercier adds. “That is why we use the Skretting feed with the astaxanthin for natural color.” He adds that they target 1:1 feed conversion ratio.
They process the fish on site, in a plant that is inspected by the federal Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). “The CFIA plant is important for us,” Sabrina explains. “We sell to a distributor in Quebec City and Montreal, but the CFIA inspection allows us to sell into other provinces (currently Ontario) and we are looking to sell into the US in the future.”
FISH MARKET
Raymer Aquaculture has a fish market on site that began as a means to sell their own product, but has since expanded to include other local fish, crustaceans and shellfish.
“The integration between the plant and the store is important for us,” says Sabrina. “We can see the final product that the customer will receive.” She adds that growers who ship their fish to a processor sometimes do not see the final product.
“We can give feedback to the aquaculture technicians,” says Mercier. “When we process the fish in our plant we have full control of the quality and of the shelf life. When we ship the arctic char we are very strict with the temperature so they have longer shelf life.”
“When we spend maybe two years growing the fish, we want to make sure they are in the best condition when they get to the customer,” he says.
Father-daughter team Raynald Mercier and Sabrina Mercier in their char and brook trout growout facility in Quebec’s Gaspe region
Norway to revise GMO classification regs
Norway is updating the way it classifies GMO organisms, a move that could impact the country’s farmed salmon industry.
The proposal is open for public comment until May 5, 2018 and the result could impact which organisms will be regulated by the 24-year-old Gene Technology Act and how these organisms will be regulated. It will also dictate what appropriate requirements are for labelling and traceability.
The Biotechnology Advisory Board is proposing to regulate GMO by differentiating products into different levels based on genetic change.
“For example, relevant criteria can be whether or not the change is permanent and heritable, whether or not the change can also be made using conventional breeding techniques, and whether or not the change crosses species boundaries.
“At the lowest level, a notification to
the authorities (receipt required before the organism can be released) may be sufficient. At higher levels, organisms would require approval before release is authorized, but may be subject to different risk assessment and approval requirements.”
The world’s first GMO salmon was engineered in Norway in the 1980s. In December, Nofima scientists announced they were able to produce sterile farmed salmon (see story on page X).
The need to classify GMOs is important at a time when the technology has become very accessible. “New techniques are easier and cheaper to use than first generation genetic engineering technology, and give many more opportunities for changing DNA than ever before,” said the advisory board.
The report also shows the average American ate 14.9 lbs of seafood per capita in 2016, down 0.6 lb from 2015.
BC salmon farmer admits blame for debris
O mega Pacific Sea Farms, a salmon farmer in Port Alberni, British Columbia, has admitted responsibility for the thousands of plastic feed bags that polluted beaches in Pacific Rim National Park in November.
Owner Bruce Kenny in a statement said the bags spilled into the water after a series of storms battered the barge connected to its Jane Bay farm in Barkley Sound.
“This is an unfortunate event and we want to thank the efforts of those who have helped retrieve additional aquaculture bags from beaches and the environment we all care about,” Kenny said.
The fish farm, which has been operating in the area for the last 30 years, could face a fine. Parks Canada and volunteers have recovered well over 2,000 feed bags since the debris was first spotted on November 10. An investigation is underway.
Nowegians are asked to weigh in on the proposed changes to GMO regulations
A series of storms caused a barge to spill out its cargo of empty feed bags
Credit: Surfrider Foundation
Credit: Fotolia
Sea Grant funds to support aquaculture research
he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is allocating $9.3 million in funding to support aquaculture research.
TThe funding will support 32 aquaculture research projects that will further develop the nation’s marine and coastal aquaculture industry.
The grants were awarded through two competitions
to help spur the development and growth of shellfish, finfish, and seaweed aquaculture businesses. The projects include basic and applied research to improve efficient production of seafood, permitting of new businesses, management of environmental health issues, and economic success of aquaculture businesses.
All projects include public-private partnerships and will be led by university-based NOAA Sea Grant programs. With each project, every two dollars of federal funding is matched by one dollar of non-federal funds, bringing the total investment in these research projects to more than $13.9 million.
NOAA received 126 proposals requesting nearly $58 million in federal funds.
Incentive for US aquaculture
BY LIZA MAYER
The decline in US fisheries landings and rise in seafood imports into the United States highlight “untapped” potential opportunities in the nation’s aquaculture industry, according to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
US commercial fisheries landed 9.6 billion lbs of seafood in 2016, down 1.5 percent from 2015, while seafood imports rose 1 percent to 5.8 billion lbs, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) annual Fisheries of the United States report show.
“With the United States importing billions of pounds of seafood annually, and with so much of that seafood foreign farm-raised, the numbers in this report underscore the untapped potential of aquaculture here at home,” said Ross, who oversees NOAA. “Expanding our nation’s aquaculture capacity presents an opportunity to reduce America’s reliance on imports while creating thousands of new jobs.”
The report also shows the average American ate 14.9 lbs of seafood per capita in 2016, down 0.6 lb from 2015.
US fishermen examine their catch. The decline in US fisheries landings and rise in seafood imports should be an incentive to grow US aquaculture, says Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
Credit: NOAA
Calls to ban opennet-pen aquaculture gather steam
W ashington State
Senator Kevin Ranker has filed a bill that calls for a ban on any new leases for net-pen aquaculture in the state and a total phase-out by 2025.
Ranker, who represents the Orcas Islands is urging neighboring British Columbia in Canada to move in tandem with his proposal for a successful management of the ecosystem on both sides of the border.
His proposal stems from the salmon escape incident at a Cooke Aquaculture farm in Washington State in August. Major concerns over such incidents include the spread of parasites and pathogens to wild stocks.
Cooke Aquaculture’s damaged open-net pens in Washington State. Lawmakers are urging the ban of opennet-pen aquaculture
Two more lawmakers, Rep Jim Walsh and Rep Drew MacEwren, are also pushing a similar agenda. They, however, see it as an “emergency” and have introduced legislation to immediately ban Atlantic salmon net pens in Puget Sound.
– Ruby Gonzalez
$1.2M in grants for US aquaculture
Credit: Getty
The National Institute of Agriculture (NIFA) has announced over a million dollars in grants to support further food security and job growth in the United States.
“By 2030, it’s estimated that nearly two-thirds of fish consumed globally will be produced through aquaculture,” said NIFA Director, Sonny Ramaswamy. “It is important to foster a sustainable aquaculture industry in the United States to support nutritional security and job creation in rural America.”
Auburn University and the University of Maryland Baltimore County are recommended to share the grants totaling
NIFA is allocating $1.2 million in grants to fund aquaculture research
$1.2 million. One of the projects at Auburn University will develop a cost-effective vaccine for the US catfish industry to fight columnaris disease, which kills catfish and other cultured and ornamental freshwater fish worldwide. A project at the University of Maryland Baltimore County will develop an oral vaccine to help combat infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), a disease that affects trout and salmon.
More information on these projects is available on the NIFA Website.
– Erich Luening
Credit: Dept of Natural Resources
Cermaq takes fish pens to a new level
Salmon and trout producer Cermaq says it is developing a new floating closed-containment system that prevents infection in fish by treating water before it enters the fish pen.
Called FlexiFarm, the technology’s goal is to reduce losses in sea production, protect the environment against undesired impacts, increase productivity, and at the same time reduce production costs, says the company.
It says it is striving to make FlexiFarm affordable and cost-effective for fish farmers. “The anticipated effect will ensure that production cost per kg salmon is reduced,” says Magnus Stendal, general manager at Botngaard System AS.
FlexiFarm will be compatible for use at more than 80 percent of the existing sites in Norway, says Cermaq.
100-percent farmed bluefin tuna reaches market
Japanese company Kyokuyo shipped on November 22 its first batch of 100-percent farmed Pacific Bluefin tuna to highend stores and restaurants in Japan.
Sixty tons of shipment has been projected for the remainder of fiscal year 2017, and 200 tons in the following year, Nikkei Asia Review reported.
They are likewise considering the export market. While the company’s premium farm-raised tuna is not first in the market, it will compete in terms of its physical appearance and long-lasting freshness, says the fKyokuyo.
The complete-cycle tuna production starts with developing broodstoock for the fry. The fry were successfully produced in August and September 2014.
The stock is fed with company-developed specialized and eco-friendly feed.
Mature tuna is shipped at 40 kg.
The Tuna Bluefin Project was launched against the backdrop of increasing demand in Japan and overseas while fishing regulations were getting more stringent.
Kyokuyo tuna will compete on ‘physical appearance and long-lasting freshness’
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FlexiFarm is a floating closed containment system based on flow-through technology. Credit: Cermaq
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Lease cancellation due to ‘miscommunication’
BY LIZA MAYER
Cooke Aquaculture’s Atlantic salmon farm in Port Angeles, Washington has been ordered to shut down after government inspections revealed “risks to the public and the environment,” but Cooke says “it is likely a result of miscommunication” with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The farm, which comprises one large site with 14 cages and a smaller site with six cages, is outside the boundaries of its lease with the department and causing a navigation hazard, Hilary Franz, state commissioner of public lands, who terminated Cooke’s lease, was quoted as saying by The Seattle Times. Cooke says the cancellation of the lease on the farm, which holds nearly 700,000 Atlantic salmon, came as a surprise.
MISCOMMUNICATION
The company said it received the termination notice from the DNR on December 15 but prior to that Cooke Aquaculture “had already addressed and completed –or was addressing – each of the inspection items” the department cited as the basis for its decision to terminate the lease.
“We do not believe DNR understood that we were aware of and in the process of addressing these items and we do not
believe the facts support DNR’s decision to terminate the lease,” Cooke Aquaculture said.
In a statement, it itemized the issues that it has already addressed. “We look forward to discussing the notice of default with DNR officials to ensure that they are fully aware of all the work completed prior to their notice, as well as the enhancements we have scheduled. DNR has acted punitively without fully understanding the facts or reaching out to us for constructive dialogue,” said the company.
Joel Richardson, vice president public relations, told Aquaculture North America (ANA) that Cooke plans to “spend significant amounts of capital over the next few years” to upgrade all Cooke’s facilities in Washington.
Cooke Aquaculture purchased in June 2016 the salmon farm facilities in Washington State from Icicle Seafoods and said it is in the process of upgrading them to meet the company’s high standards.
“Cooke Aquaculture Pacific is continuing to collaborate with Washington state and federal agencies and our tribal partners, and we’ll also be sharing concepts from our experience in other regulatory environments throughout the world with lawmakers and regulators to enhance and strengthen the state’s regulatory framework for net-pen aquaculture,” added Richardson.
Cooke to ‘spend significant amounts of capital over the next few years’ to upgrade all of its facilities in Washington.
File photo of Cooke’s Clam Bay site facility in Washington State, one of the farms it acquired from Icicle Seafoods in 2016. Credit: Cooke Aquaculture
BC Supreme Court grants injunction against activists
The BC Supreme Court has granted an injunction against a number of anti-fish farm activists who trespassed on Marine Harvest Canada (MHC)’s property in recent months.
MHC filed a request for injunction against the protesters who have been occupying the company’s Midsummer aquaculture site located near Port McNeill, BC after requests for them not to enter the farms were ignored and efforts for constructive dialogue failed.
Justice Peter Voith ruled the injunction was warranted because the protesters’ actions interfered with MHC’s operations, prevented the harvest and removal of salmon from the facility, and included threatening behavior toward staff.
“As a result of these incidents Marine Harvest decided to defer the delivery of additional fish to the site with the result that for some months the site only operated at about 40 percent of its capacity,” Voith wrote.
“The unnamed defendants have made
no effort to explain or justify the legality of their conduct. The fact that they feel strongly about the underlying issues that they wish to address cannot justify their conduct.”
Under the ruling, the police can also remove people from the site if they ignore the injunction.
Cermaq has also filed for an injunction after its Burdwood salmon farm was again boarded by a group of activists. The company said the group “harassed” Cermaq employees and “entered a farm pen, again stressing our fish.”
Salmon farms have a tenure agreement with the Ministry of Forest Lands Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development that gives them the right to operate on BC Crown land and water. However, some local First Nations want the right to control what activities go on in their traditional territories. They believe open-net salmon farms affect wild salmon populations.
Anti-salmon-farm activists outside the BC Supreme Court
Credit: RobSmith/APTN
Then we’ll take those problems back to the shop and we’ll work on solving them. If you resolve one person’s problem there’s three or four others who have the same problem and they’d love to have it solved too.”
“We don’t want the customer to fear calling us when they have a problem for fear of getting a big consulting invoice,” adds Heather. “We’d rather take that phone call and try to help them with their problem and develop a solution for them rather than to nickel and dime them.”
EXPANSION
One of the key challenges is the company’s small size. Heather says it is difficult to know when to scale up opera-
tions. She and Matt were the company’s only staff during their first year of operations. They began putting together their engineering team in preparation for contracts in the spring of 2017.
“The difference between last year and where we are right now is very dramatic,” says Heather. “We brought on, I think, a pretty incredible team but from an owners’ perspective there’s so much risk. We brought on this team to support an industry that we believe in and support customers that we believe in. We’ll see if our gamble pays off. Scaling up a family business to this size is not without risks.”
But being small also has benefits, notes Matt.
“Because we’re small, we’re very nimble,” says Matt. “We go out, we see a problem and a couple of weeks later,
Conference and Tradeshow / Conférence et salons professionnel
May/mai 27 - 30 | 2018
Québec City | Ville de Québec
there’s a solution on the table.”
The company recently opened an East Coast office. If all goes well, eastern Canada will be a gateway to the international industry for salmon and other aquaculture species. Amidst the company’s expansion, Matt says they make sure customer service remains the focus.
“That’s what we’ve started with,” says Matt. “Last spring a customer with an issue phoned us. We were on a chartered plane in an hour-and-a-half from the first phone call. We had two engineers on-site within three hours of the original phone call, dealing with their issue, working until after dark to make sure everything was running as necessary.”
Aquaculture Innovation for a Sustainable Future | L'innovation pour un développement aquacole durable
Sessions Being Planned (subject to change) / Sessions prévues (sous réserve de modifications)
1. Genomics and Epi-Genetics in Aquaculture / Génomique et épi-génétique en aquaculture
2. Aquatic Animal Health / Santé des animaux aquatiques
3. Aquaculture Environmental Management / Gestion environnementale de l’aquaculture
4. Algae / Algues
5. Fish Nutrition and Feeds / Alimentation et nutrition des poissons
6. Integrated Pest Management / Gestion intégrée des pestes
7. Marine and Freshwater Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture / Aquaponiques et aquaculture multi-trophique intégrée
8. Aquaculture Public Perceptions /Perception publique de l’aquaculture
9. Fish Physiology / Physiologie des poissons
10. Landbased and RAS Aquaculture / Pisciculture en systèmes ouvertes et fermées
11. Alternative Species Development (Urchins, Sea cucumbers, etc) / Développements des nouvelles espèces (oursins, concombres de mer, etc.)
12. Research, Development and Innovations in Aquaculture / Recherche, développement, et l’innovation en aquaculture
Hôtel Le Concorde Québec
CONTACT:
Conference Manager - Gestionnaire de conférence Joanne Burry
Email : jmburry@nl.rogers.com
Tel : 506-529-4766
For more information / Pour plus d’informations www.aquaculturecanada.ca
A Poseidon Ocean Systems net pen system in use at a Grieg Seafood site
continued from page 9
AQUAVENTURES
Ontario teachers get feet wet in aquaculture
Teachers in the Canadian province of Ontario now own North America’s largest mussel farm.
In November, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Ontario Teachers) announced it acquired Atlantic Aqua Farms from San Francisco-based Encore Consumer Capital. Atlantic Aqua Farms is based in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
The purchase of the company marks Ontario Teachers’ first venture into aquaculture. The acquisition “falls under its natural resources mandate to invest in the global food basket, with an eye on sustainable sources of food production,” said the organization, which administers the teachers’ retirement funds.
“Demand for protein is increasing, and in the context of land constraints and environmental considerations, aquaculture is among the most sustainable sources to meet this demand,” said Andrew Claerhout, senior managing director of the Ontario Teachers’ Infrastructure & Natural Resources Group.
Atlantic Aqua Farms has been supplying North American consumers with its Canadian Cove brand mussels for over 25 years.
Canadian seafood firms tap Chinese opportunities
A trade mission to China led by Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay has seen several new deals signed in the economic centres of Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The centerpiece of the trip was Shanghai’s Food and Hospitality China, the nation’s largest trade show that showcases international food and beverage suppliers. Eightytwo Canadian companies, including several seafood-related companies exhibited at the event where industry representatives reported roughly $10.3 million on-site sales and $42.7 million in anticipated sales over the next year.
In 2016, Canada was China’s fourth-largest supplier of total agri-food and seafood products with those exports valued at $6.8 billion. The trade mission was intended to
Cargill to acquire Diamond V
Feed producer Cargill said it is acquiring Diamond V of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a specialist in boosting digestive health and immunity in animals.
Cargill said Diamond V’s “unique, research-proven immune support technologies” work naturally with the biology of the animal to strengthen its immune and digestive systems.
“Natural immune support products in animal feed — like natural health supplements for people — are increasingly being used to improve immunity and digestive health,” said the company.
“This acquisition strengthens Cargill’s and Diamond V’s shared vision to be a leader in creating new solutions for evolving consumer preferences for sustainable and wholesome food production,” said David MacLennan, Cargill’s chairman and CEO.
The acquisition is expected to close in January 2018, subject to regulatory approvals.
help Canada reach its goals of doubling bilateral trade with China and growing global agri-food exports to $75 billion by 2025.
Record Q3 for Marine Harvest
Cost reduction was a factor in the profit growth of roughly 8 percent in the third quarter (Q3) for Norwegian salmon producer Marine Harvest.
“It is encouraging to see that costs decreased for our farming operations in Norway, Chile and Canada in the quarter. Marine Harvest continues to have the utmost focus on cost reduction throughout the organization,” says CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog.
The company said it achieved an operational EBIT of $225.5 million (€194 million) in the third quarter of 2017, up 7.7 percent compared to $209.3 million (€180 million) in the corresponding quarter in 2016.
Strong demand and high salmon prices were also behind the company’s strongest Q3 ever. However, harvest volume went down by almost 2 percent due to biological issues in Norway.
RAS specialist acquires hydroponics firm
Indiana-based Pranger Enterprises has acquired Hydronov, a Canadian hydroponics designer and builder.
“Hydronov is a perfect fit for us as we continue to grow our aquaponics services,” Nick Pranger, CEO of Pranger Enterprises, said. “Pranger specializes in aquaculture and Hydronov is a world leader in hydroponics. Our specialties are a perfect complement to each other.”
Pranger is a consultant and construction manager specializing in the development of commercial recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) projects in the US. It works with project owners and investors from evaluating the feasibility of their aquaculture or aquaponics project to coordinating the site, scope, budget, design and construction.
The acquisition will combine Hydronov’s hydroponics design and build experience with Pranger’s experitise, says Luc Desrochers, founder of Hydronov.
The acquisition of Atlantic Aqua Farms marks the Ontario Teachers’ first investment in aquaculture
Minister Lawrence MacAulay promotes Canadian agricultural products at CitySuper in Shanghai, a specialty grocery retail chain, with CitySuper general manager Yano Takaki
Credit: Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance
Credit: MHC Facebook page
Pranger, a RAS specialist, says the acquisition will help it grow its aquaponics services
Microalgae shows potential as part of salmon diet
Credit: Adib Fadhil
Price and availability could prevent the aquaculture industry from using microalgae in feeds
Microalgae are promising alternatives to fishmeal but their limited availability and high price prevent the feed industry from using them, according to a Norwegian study.
A research team led by Professors Kiron Viswanath and Mette Sørensen of Biosciences and Aquaculture at Nord University in Bodø, Norway conducted a number of studies to investigate the potential of microalgae in diets for salmon.
One of the studies found that defatted biomass from Nannochloropsis sp, a genus of microalga, can be included at modest volume in Atlantic salmon feed without negative effects on fish performance.
Growth and feed conversion ratio of fish fed 10-percent algae was not significantly different from those fed with control feed. Whole body and fillet proximate composition were not affected by dietary treatments. Alga feeding did not cause any inflammation in the distal intestine. But the fish fed 20 percent algae had a tendency of reduced specific growth rate compared with control fish.
“Microalgae are promising alternates to fishmeal. However, limited availability and high price prevent feed industry from using these ingredients.
“In the future, defatted biomass from biorefinery of microalgae will be made available for use in animal feeds, including aqua and poultry feeds,” the team told Aquaculture North America (ANA).
OECD: Aquaculture set for long-term growth
Aquaculture production has been growing over 2 percent per year since 2006 in OECD countries
Aquaculture production is on track for long-term growth, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Aquaculture production in OECD countries has been increasing annually at 2.1 percent and its value at 6 percent since 2006.
For the period 2015-2016, China is the run-away global leader with $132 billion in aquaculture production.
Chile and Norway are second and
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third with $7 billion and $6 billion, respectively. The US and the UK are ranked seventh with $1billion each.
Harvests in capture fisheries are declining. This is a result of declining stocks and more restrictive fishing policies aimed at sustainable fishing, said the report, OECD Review of Fisheries 2017.
OECD is an intergovernmental economic organization with 35 member countries, founded to stimulate economic progress and world trade.
BC land-based salmon now cash-positive
Technology upgrades transformative for Kuterra, says CEO
BY LIZA MAYER AND RUBY GONZALEZ
Fine-tuning its operations has brought Kuterra their maiden “cash-positive” stage, four years after starting operations.
CEO Garry Ullstrom told Aquaculture North America (ANA) that the company is now in “exclusive” talks with a potential investor to further develop the farm.
“After many years of sharing our challenges with you, I
am delighted to report that we have reached our steady state of operations. Kuterra’s technology is now working as it should and we are delivering excellent quality of fish,” Ullstrom told the audience at the 2017 Aquaculture Innovation Workshop in Vancouver, BC in November.
The company, North America’s first land-based Atlantic salmon farm, was conceived in 2010. Construction began in
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North Vancouver Island two years later and the first batch of smolts was delivered in March 2013.
Additional funding is being sought for the installation of a saltwater in-tank, an onsite hatchery and a cooling system.
In terms of production, they are trying to expand “to produce 300 tons and expand to 1,500 tons in order to get the economies of scale and improve profitability.” Firstyear anniversary harvest in 2015 yielded 180,000 kg. It has sold 1.5 million salmon so far.
The installation of in-tank aeration system, modification of a new growout tank and two additional harvest tanks turned things around for Kuterra by November 2016 and transformed operations. These improvements provided “excellent” water quality, which significantly reduced mortality rate caused by fungal infection. Early maturation was also reduced as were staffing requirements, which went down by 40 percent. The two new harvest tanks facilitated weekly harvests and increased the efficiency for purging flavor-changing compounds in the fish.
“The percentage of premium quality we produce has significantly improved,” Ullstrom said. The percentage of visibly maturing fish harvested is about 2.5 percent. In terms of fish size, they are now harvesting 4.5-kg fish. Over the last two months, fish that are less than 4 lbs have averaged 1percent. “That increased the percentage of the premium product that we sell,” he said.
Kuterra was conceptualized at a time when there were major concerns about RAS. None of these, he said, were experienced at Kuterra.
“We learned that there is strong demand for sustainably produced salmon. This system uses very little water; it produces a high volume of product per cubic meter of water. Fish welfare is very good and with the Kuterra facility, there is no marine impact.”
Main: Technology upgrades turned things around for Kuterra, says Garry Ullstrom, Kuterra CEO
Below: Salmon harvested at Kuterra now average 4.5 kgs
Cooke VP for communications retires
After 13 years of service to Cooke Aquaculture, vice president of communications Nell Halse retired at the end of 2017.
“Nell helped build this industry. She had a big role in working with government officials and engaging with people in the communities where we operate to help educate and inform them about our mission to grow responsibly and sustainably,” said Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Aquaculture.
Halse served as spokesperson for Cooke Aquaculture and its various divisions, and has also represented the industry through the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association, the International Salmon Farmers Association, the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, and other regional associations.
Halse’s role will be filled by Joel Richardson, who has experience in senior government relations. He previously served Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and the Metal Working Association of New Brunswick.
New app for vaccination audit
Merck Animal Health says it has created a mobile solution for recording data from vaccination controls in the field. The AquaVac Audit app allows customers to audit the vaccination event in a format that’s easily analyzed and provides greater insight on areas for improvement, says Merck. The company’s Animal Health’s aquaculture team developed it specifically for its customers.
“As the app becomes more popular, we are confident that customers will save time and money as the information is automatically uploaded with reports produced at the touch of a button,” said Camilla MacDonald, Technical Manager.
“All data will be saved on a cloud based server, which is maintained by our app partners and where site managers or fish health managers can access the information when they want.”
Merck Animal Health is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.
Hoopers Island named distributor for Hexcyl oyster baskets
Hoopers Island Oyster Co of Maryland has been named as distributor for Australia’s Hexcyl Systems. The Hexcyl system is designed for the Australian long-line method of oyster growing and was awarded a 2017 Australian Good Design Award.
“We were looking to change methods of growing oysters from the bottom-cage method we were using to transition to a better quality oyster,” says Hoopers Island managing partner Ricky Fitzhugh. “We thought the Hexcyl was a better quality product. We started to order some
of the equipment and through a representative coming here to see us and seeing what we were about and how we were involved in the equipment side of it, they thought it would be a good fit for us to distribute them as well.”
Hoopers Island manager of equipment and product sales Sean Grizzell says the Hexcyl system’s simplicity is one of its best features. It takes very little time to assemble the system. “Each product in the market
has some sort of assembly required. No jigs nor other tools needed. It allows you to be efficient putting it together.”
At 25 liters, the larger basket size of the Hexcyl system also allows flexibility to producers, says Grizzell. “You can change the stocking density to the level of quality of oyster you want. You can stock them heavy or you can stock them light, depending on what kind of market you’re in.”
Nell Halse
The AquaVac Audit app records data from vaccination controls in the field
A worker pulls up a long line full of Hexcyl Systems cages on an oyster farm. Maryland’s Hoopers Island Oyster Co will distribute the product
SHOWCASE
Aquaculture waste treatment
BY MATT JONES
Awater-treatment product used in the oil and gas industry may soon find its way into the aquaculture industry.
Sorbwater Technology and Blue Ocean Technology, both of Norway, have partnered on a new project that seeks to explore the potential of using the former’s Sorbfloc flocculent product in aquaculture.
“We work mostly within the oil and gas industry, but the last half year we’ve also been targeting the aquaculture industry,” said Sorbwater Technology CEO Svein Egil Steen.
After signing the partnership deal with Blue Ocean Technology, testing was soon underway to see how well Sorbfloc would work in tests on water in Blue Ocean’s facilities.
The flocculent product is applied to waste from aquaculture processes and is able to separate leftover feed, feces and other contaminants from the water, which can then be safely discharged, says Steen. Further testing of the product will be conducted in another facility.
If experiments prove successful, the product will add to the green and cost-efficient water-treatment options currently in use in the aquaculture industry.
The challenge, from Sorbwater’s perspective, is adapting their products and scaling up the volume to meet the needs of the industry’s needs.
“We have mostly worked on oil and gas, so our chemistry has been aimed at that,” says Svein. “So we have changed the chemistry to adapt to different contents – instead of hydrocarbons, it is now feces and
feed leftovers and things like that, so it’s reengineering the flocculent to fit into this market. The biggest challenge is finding the right chemistry, or engineering the chemistry to fit the system.”
New distributor for plastic corrugated seafood boxes
Seafood and produce packaging manufacturer
Seaca Packing and A.A. Childs Brokerage have teamed up with Packaging Products Corporation (PPC) in New Bedford and Miami to further expand the market reach of their plastic corrugated boxes for seafood along the entire East Coast and beyond.
SeaCa partnered with A.A. Childs Brokerage in 2016 to introduce their 100-percent recyclable alternative line to the northeast seafood markets.
The latest union comes at a time when plastic corrugated boxes are gaining support in the seafood industry as both a 100-percent recyclable alternative to wax and offering cost savings
abilities along the entire shipping chain with its lightweight yet durable construction, said the companies in a statement.
“The industry is now asking questions about plastic corrugated, which is good,” said Ted Heidenreich, President of PPC. “Our reach and experience in packaging for the seafood industry allows us to introduce the many advantages of plastic corrugated when compared to wax and foam boxes so seafood shippers can make informed decisions.”
Sorbwater Technology CEO Svein Egil Steen says the joint project with Blue Ocean will develop new, cost-efficient lowfootprint waste treatment options for aquaculture
Aquaculture award honors industry veteran
BY DEBORAH IRVINE ANDERSON
An aquaculture veteran was honoured with the first Atlantic Canada Aquaculture Award at a gala event in St Andrews, New Brunswick in October. Skretting International’s Gary Taylor was recognized for his contribution to the success and growth of salmon farming on Canada’s east coast. Taylor, a resident of St Stephen, praised the salmon farming industry when he accepted the award.
“I tell young people, ‘Boy you’ve picked a good industry,” he told the crowd of more than 100 industry representatives from around the world who attended the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association’s 30th anniversary gala. “It’s something to be proud of. Everyone in this room deserves a hand for the great industry we have developed.”
Taylor graduated from the Aquaculture Technician Program at the New Brunswick Community College in St. Andrews in 1981. He immediately began his career in Dark Harbour Grand Manan, where he became the first site manager in New Brunswick. In 1988 he joined feed company Skretting International.
“We have such a great industry here. It’s a story to tell. We’ve got the best protein in the world that’s the least intrusive on the environment,” he said.
Larry Ingalls, ACFFA Chair, said Taylor’s professionalism, commitment, hard work and passion for the industry deserved to be recognized. “Gary has been involved with many innovations as the industry has evolved to what it is today, one of the most significant economic drivers in Atlantic Canada…. We’re proud that he is the inaugural recipient of this award.”
Keeping it fresh
Keeping fish and ice chilled at the proper temperature will ensure top quality
Sæplast is introducing its DXS335 PUR transport container for seafood.
Its polyurethane insulation will help keep fish and ice chilled at the proper temperature to ensure top quality, said the company.
“Improperly stored fish will spoil and can become unsafe for consumption. Quality starts at the point of harvest, as soon as the fish is taken out of the water. The benefits and savings are enormous using Sæplast PUR boxes with slurry ice,” it added.
The DXS335 can be ordered in a custom color with colored logos and can be outfitted with a variety of tracking options including barcodes, QR codes and RFID tags.
(L to R) NB Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet, ACFFA Executive Director Susan Farquharson, Gary Taylor, David Seeley and Trevor Stanley from Skretting
Aquaculture America 2018
EVENTS
JANUARY
January 24-26, Sea Farmers Conference, Halifax, NS, Canada, www.seafarmers.ca
January 26-27, Ohio Aquaculture Association Conference, Columbus, OH, www.ohioaquaculture.org
January 28-31, Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, www.midwestfw.org
FEBRUARY 2018
February 5-7, Mid-Continent Warm Water Fish Culture Workshop, Paris, Arkansas
February 9-10, North Central Aquaculture Conference, Kansas City, MO, USA, www.ncrac.org
February 15-16, AquaFarm, Venice, Italy, www.aquafarm.show
February 19-22, Aquaculture America 2018, Las Vegas, Nevada, Includes annual meetings of numerous national and international associations. www.was.org
MARCH
March 6-8, AgraME, Dubai, UAE, www.agramiddleeast.com
March 9-10, North Carolina Aquaculture Development Conference, New Bern, NC, www.ncaquaculture.org
March 11-13, Seafood Expo North America, Boston, MA, www.seafoodexpo.com
March 18-22, National Shellfisheries Association Meeting, Seattle, WA, www.shellfish.org
APRIL
April 11-14, Salmonid Restoration Conference, Fortuna, CA, www.calsalmon.org
April 23-26, Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2018, Taipei, Taiwan, www.was.org
April 24-26, Seafood Expo Global, Brussels, Belgium, www.seafoodexpo.com
February 25-27, Fish International, Bremen, Germany, www.fishinternational.com
ADVERTISERS INDEX
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