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New beginnings
This issue is indeed a special one, celebrating my first issue as editor of Aquaculture North America. And let me say, the aquaculture industry is also a special industry.
Everyone I have encountered since I started has been greatly generous in terms of welcoming me to the industry, sharing their knowledge, experiences, and pointing me in the right direction.
Which makes me excited to announce that I will be attending my first industry event in August, the WAS North America & Aquaculture Canada 2022, in St John’s, N.L. I can’t wait to meet and connect with industry experts in person.
For that reason, we decided to dedicate part of this issue’s theme to the region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association president, Jamie Baker, writes how this region “rewards those who innovate and preserve.”
The sector definitely seems to be accomplishing the goal of providing critical food security in that region, while increasing economic development and employment opportunities for rural, coastal communities.
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In addition to Jamie’s article, check out our cover story, “Adapt or Die,” where Ron Hill provides an in-depth view about researchers at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, who are among the leaders in the fight against the impacts of climate change on net pen farms on the east coast of Canada.
This issue also features topics about cage culture, including the types of threats that can impact net pen operations, and how to derive value from fish mortalities in cages.
In this issue, we also don’t forget our folks on the west coast, as we backtrack a little bit and talk about the emotional toll that took place on salmon farmers and communities due to the Federal Government of Canada’s mandate to close farms in British Columbia.
Many great topics and conversations are covered, and we hope to cover many more as we go. For that reason, I welcome suggestions, comments, or bringing our attention to innovations and developments happening in the industry. Reach me at mfarag@annexbusinessmedia.com.
From all of us at Aquaculture North America, stay safe and well.
Canadian food producers call on government to focus on food security and supply challenges
Canadian food producers and suppliers, including the Canadian Aquauculture Industry Alliance, delivered a letter to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, calling on the federal government to unleash Canada’s potential for producing sustainable, affordable food for Canadians and the world.
Other signatories included suppliers and producers from the agriculrture, manufacturing and farming industries.
With the war in Ukraine, ongoing challenges from COVID, global supply chain problems and environmental shocks from climate change, Canadians and citizens around the world are facing higher food costs and food shortages.
“The current situation calls for a major renewed policy focus on optimizing Canada’s food production and Canadian food producers and suppliers are calling on the Prime Minster and Cabinet to take critical, immediate action.”
According to the open letter, the Government of Canada “must make food security a key factor in government priorities, actions and decisions, ensuring no regulatory or political obstacles to maintaining current levels of food production, and where possible increasing food production of all types.”
Two immediate actions that were requested are:
• Make secure food production and supply a top consideration in policy and funding decisions: Political, regulatory and funding decisions in the near term such as agriculture’s Next Policy Framework should prioritize food security and productivity in the policy and decision-making process. This must include a focus on supply-chain resiliency to ensure Canada has the ability to get our products to the markets that need them most.
• Focus on an agile, modern regulatory environment that supports production growth: Review the 2019 Agri-Food Aquaculture and Roadmap and the status of all outstanding projects and renew efforts towards their completion.
Public opinion poll on a U.S. offshore aquaculture industry
Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) commissioned a survey from May 20-23, 2022 to gain opinions of 1,020 likely voters about a U.S. aquaculture, or fish farming, industry. Three key takeaways:
• Two-thirds of voters would feel more favorable towards a member of Congress who established pathways for offshore aquaculture.
• Over six-in-10 voters would feel more favorable toward their member of Congress if he or she were to support increased access to offshore opportunities for American businesses.
• Learning that the U.S. is missing opportunities for jobs and creating a strong economy drives even more to consider aquaculture important.
Eighty-seven percent of poll recipients stated it is important to expand American offshore aquaculture after learning that doubling U.S. aquaculture production could create 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, including in states where jobs are often limited and seasonally dependent. Increased production also increases opportunities in rural America through demand for soybeans, corn, and peas to produce fish feed.
Because the U.S. currently lacks a clear regulatory process for establishing offshore aquaculture operations, many American companies currently build their offshore operations in other countries — taking technology, jobs, and revenue overseas. Increasing access to the $230 billion global aquaculture industry could be critical for strengthening the economy. Eightyfour percent of recipients think it is important to expand American seafood production by establishing a clear, predictable pathway for offshore aquaculture in the U.S.
The Canadian Food Innovation Network announces investment of $3 million
The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) announced an investment of over CA$3 million into five projects valued at approximately $7.3 million through the organization’s Food Innovation Challenge and Innovation Booster programs.
The Food Innovation Challenge funding recipients are:
• Gastronomous Technologies Inc., partnering with Recipe Unlimited and Sodexo Canada Limited, will receive $1,919,655 to fund the development of smart/connected kitchen equipment.
• Laboratoire Innodal Inc., partnering with Dempsey Corporation and E. Gagnon et Fils Limitée, will receive $943,592 to increase the shelf life of food with natural and clean label antimicrobials.
The Innovation Booster funding recipients are:
• Ag-Tronic Control Systems Inc. will receive $100,000 to finish the development of globally certified-compostable pressure-sensitive label materials.
• Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds Ltd. will receive $93,304 to scale up the extraction, activation and utilization of vitamin B12 and other water-soluble functional compounds found in Pacific seaweeds.
Groupe Foodarom Inc. will receive $99,834 to develop a solution composed of natural ingredients with antimicrobial properties to eliminate multi-resistant fungal contaminants that are found in concentrated fruit syrups and purees.
“By investing in breakthrough and transformative innovation, CFIN stimulates collaboration across the food sector and enables high-potential Canadian food innovators to advance past technical hurdles that create barriers to commercialization,” said Joseph Lake, CEO. “This first round of investment programming will help Canadian players in the food sector compete and lead on the global stage.”
Saltonstall-Kennedy grant accepts pre-proposals for FY23 projects
NOAA Fisheries’ Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition is accepting pre-proposals for FY23 projects.
The Saltonstall-Kennedy program administers a yearly grant competition, which annually funds approximately 40 projects for US$10 million that lead to the promotion, development and marketing of U.S. fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries seeks applications that demonstrate direct benefits to the U.S. fishing and marine aquaculture industries and applications, which involve:
• Fishing or aquaculture community participation aimed at helping seafood communities to resolve issues that affect their ability to fish or farm.
• Making full use of those species that are currently under federal or state fishery management plans.
• Addressing the socioeconomic impacts of overfishing and overcapacity.
U.S. fisheries include any commercial fishery, recreational fishery, or marine aquaculture operation that is, or may be, engaged in by citizens or nationals of the U.S. or other eligible applicants. The competition is open to applicants from a variety of sectors, including individuals, industry, academia, and state and local governments.
Awards will be up to $300,000 for up to a two-year period. The FY23 solicitation seeks applications that fall into one of two priorities; promotion, development and marketing; or science or technology that promotes sustainable U.S. seafood production and harvesting.
Newcomers, new research energizes Northeastern US Aquaculture Conference
BY LYNN FANTOM
An upbeat mood marked the Northeast Aquaculture Conference and Exposition (NACE), as over 400 producers, researchers, vendors, students, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) representatives came together in Portland, Maine last April.
Following a cancellation and then a postponement due to COVID-19, the gathering celebrated advances in science, an influx of attendees under 30-years-old, and just the plain, old value of meeting face-to-face.
“The thing about this conference is the conversations that go on between people,” said Gef Flimlin, professor emeritus of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, who has taken part in the event since it launched in 1998. “I’m always asking, ‘What’s going on with you? What’s your crop? Did you know that’s the area of research of so-and-so?”
This year the biennial aquaculture conference was held jointly with the 41st Milford Aquaculture Seminar, an annual forum for researchers to exchange findings with the industry. “The level of science has risen incredibly,” noted Dr. Gary Wikfors, who has attended every seminar since 1975 and now serves as chief of the Aquaculture Sustainability Branch at NOAA Fisheries Service in Milford, Conn. He pointed to the “sophistication” of work in
molecular biology, emerging technologies, and new products for growers.
For example, among the 35 sessions on shellfish, seaweed, and finfish, there were panels on selective breeding programs for hard clams and sugar kelp which tapped genomic sequencing. “We have sequenced the whole genome for some 300 parents and tested their crosses,” noted Scott Lindell, as he described three years of kelp investigations conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Technology highlights included a
portable kelp dryer and an artificial intelligence-driven tool to alert shellfish growers of toxins. Concerns about marine mammal entanglement, the leading cause of mortality to large whales in the U.S., were addressed with product initiatives in ropeless technology for bivalves and an on-bottom growing structure for kelp.
Plastics pollution was also on the agenda, with a company called Ocean Farm Supply presenting a biodegradable cellulose bag to replace the plastic mesh, which is standard for shellfish harvesting and distribution. The U.S. is the largest producer of plastic waste in the world, said Abigail Barrows, a marine research scientist who is pioneering non-plastic equipment for her own oyster farm in Maine.
“We can get this solved,” said Matt Will, addressing the challenge of marine plastics later at the exhibition booth of SEAPA Group, a global supplier of shellfish aquaculture systems. “The conference was grounded in useful information, with the community coming together to share.”
Though shellfish production dominated the conference, almost twice as much session time was devoted to seaweed topics compared to 2019. “It’s gained a lot of traction,” said Flimlin, who also serves as treasurer of the East Coast Shellfish Growers (ECSG).
But the “shiny new object” among species this year was sea scallops. Though the US lags China, Japan, Peru, and France in scallop aquaculture, the northeastern states have a high-value wild scallop fishery and a burgeoning interest in farming the species, especially in
PHOTO: CHRIS DAVIS,
Attendees and newcomers networking at the Northeastern US Aquaculture Conference in Portland, Maine.
Maine where an exchange with Japan to learn about its techniques dates back to 1999.
In pursuit of such an opportunity, this year’s NACE showcased research on larval culture techniques, technology that identifies scallop DNA in marine water samples, and a pilot to test different grow-out gear positioned at varying depths in the water column.
A focus on finfish came during a panel on land-based aquaculture, featuring representatives from Cooke Aquaculture, Kingfish Maine, and Nordic Aquafarms, as well as Canopy Farms, a Maine-based aquaponics greenhouse.
Countering arguments that recirculating aquaculture (RAS) taps unproven technology—and calling them “malarkey”—Nordic’s technology chief David Noyes pointed back 150 years to the introductions of the drum filter, biofilter, denitrification reactor, and other advances.
RAS technologies are rapidly evolving. Noyes noted that Nordic Aquafarms’ facilities themselves will be different in Maine and California. The implication for a workforce is that it will be more important to find people willing to learn, rather than trained in a single technology. “Basically, we are looking for intelligent, observant, hard-working, reliable people,” he said.
Controversies around aquaculture spawned sessions on social license and public engagement. Brianna Shaughnessy of the University of Massachusetts presented compelling survey results demonstrating how more familiarity with aquaculture creates more favorability. Public opinion is “surprisingly malleable,” she said. Scientists, aquaria, and seafood farmers are the most trusted messengers, according to one survey.
A new vibrancy also marked who attended NACE. This year, a happy hour for women and minorities topped off the first day of sessions.
“There are a lot of young people getting into aquaculture,” said Chris Davis, who has led the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center since 2004 and serves as the NACE conference manager.
“I’m so overwhelmed in a good way at the level of content and enthusiasm. It brings some optimism back to me,” said Jeannette Watson, an architectural designer who recently moved to Portland, Maine. She is contemplating a career in aquaculture because “it’s relevant to climate action.”
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(Left to right) Dr. Theo Willis of the University of Southern Maine, Megan Sorby of Kingfish Maine, David Noyes of Nordic Aquafarms, and Greg Lambert of Cooke Aquaculture contributed to a session on Maine-based aquaculture and aquaponics.
BACKTRACK
Salmon farmers, communities reflect on how mandate to close farms in British Columbia — now reversed — affected them
BY LYNN FANTOM
By the time a federal judge reversed the government order to close 19 Discovery Islands salmon farms, jobs had already been lost, facilities shuttered, and fish killed. Yet a professionalism marked the reaction to the April decision –despite the ups and downs, loss and uncertainty that aquaculture companies, their teams, and local communities had suffered for over a year.
“I was glad to see the recognition of the importance of procedural fairness,” said Dr. Terra
MacDonald of Mowi Canada West, referring to the 66-page ruling by Justice Elizabeth Heneghan. “Individuals in power should not be allowed to make one-sided decisions and claim there was a process, when that clearly was not the case.”
Some took sharper aim at activists. In a press release, Jim Parsons, president of the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance, interpreted the decision as a rejection of “the outrageous and unproven claims of anti-fish farming, fearmongering activist groups.”
“I am a food production vet. It is my job to ensure these fish have a healthy life where I maintain their welfare and ensure they are advocated for. Then they go to feed people. It’s amazing. It’s good,” said Dr. Terra MacDonald, health manager and veterinarian, Mowi Canada West. “But after the culling of 925,000 fish, “I never felt such defeat. It had a serious impact on my mental health.”
PHOTO: TERRA MACDONALD, MOWI CANADA WEST
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In the background, though, many powerful emotions still linger. In December 2020, when then-minister Bernadette Jordan of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced that farming sites around the Discovery Island archipelago must be free of all fish by June 30, 2022, Mowi Canada West received notice just 15 minutes earlier, recalled Dean Dobrinsky, human resources and communications director at the time. “I was initially shocked, then angered, then highly motivated,” he added.
One haunting event occurred in February 2021, when the mandate left Mowi with no other route than to euthanize 925,000 salmon, which were about a year and a half old. Professionals at the Big Tree Hatchery first sedated them and then added a powdered anesthesia to the tank water.
Said MacDonald, the veterinarian overseeing the work, “I felt defeated. I felt angry. I was sad. I cycled through every possible emotion those three days. My focus there was to ensure that it was done as humanely as possible so that I can sleep at night.”
Veteran hatchery manager, Chris McNeill, was also there. “We’re farmers, so we’re used to culling events that are planned and purposeful. But this directive from the government barred us from following through to produce food for the general public. It felt disappointing and frustrating,” he said.
“We bring in eggs and fertilize them. We raise them right from eggs. We take care of them all the way up,” he added, with a sense of both pride and pain.
In addition to Big Tree, McNeill also oversaw Mowi’s state-of-the-art Dalrymple hatchery near Sayward, which was “mothballed” in May, directly impacting the lives of about 20 people. But McNeill added a broader perspective: “That money is just gone. And that money is spent at grocery stores. It’s spent on sports teams. It’s spent social programs and all the fun things people like to do just enjoying life here. These people they’re laying off are gone.”
Debbie Willis, executive director of Campbell River Food Bank, agrees. In good times and bad, “all of the aquaculture companies support community endeavors,” she said. Mowi continues to contribute 600 pounds of frozen salmon filets each month to the food bank, but that quantity represents a cutback due to their curtailed operations, estimated at 30 percent of total production in B.C.
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“A
lot of people who taught me everything I know about fish farming have either left or been laid off. It’s hard to see people close to retirement now trying to rethink the last five, six years of being employed,” said Kaitlin Guitard, lab manager at Mowi Canada West. “But I still believe at the end of the day that aquaculture is the future of sustainable protein production.”
PHOTO: KAITLIN GUITARD
Mowi also permanently closed its four-year-old processing plant in Surrey, B.C., an employer of 80. The company decided to transfer primary processing of all salmon grown in B.C. to a Port Hardy plant and move value-added seafood processing to the U.S. Surrey Board of Trade head Anita Huberman pointed to the ripple effects on feed, milling, transportation, packaging, and warehousing businesses, emphasizing “We’re going to lose businesses. We’re going to lose jobs.”
Salmon farming in British Columbia has been “an economic lifeline” for the rural coastal Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities for more than three decades, according to the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA). A report calculated that the closure of the 19 farms
could wipe out up to 1,500 jobs and $21.5 million in annual tax revenues.
All spring Mowi teams continued to dismantle sites in the Broughton Archipelago and Campbell River area. Feed pipes, electrical boxes, and stanchions were removed, along with items from the float houses. “I felt like I was taking apart years and years of people’s work,” said Kaitlin Guitard, who now has a new position as a lab manager.
Managing Director Diane Morrison came out to see the work of the “decommissioning” teams.
“She commended us for our efforts and keeping positive, but she didn’t say a whole lot,” said Guitard. “She looked out on the empty farms and was pretty quiet. That’s what stood out to me.”
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Cermaq Canada and Ahousaht Nation move forward with new understanding
BY LYNN FANTOM
Anew empathy for the experience of First Nations emerged for Cermaq Canada Managing Director David Kiemele, and that seems to have set the tone, as Cermaq and Ahousaht Nation worked together to renew a protocol agreement this spring.
“I don’t pretend to understand completely, but it’s given me a bit of insight as to how potentially some Indigenous nations have felt in previous years if they weren’t consulted,” he said. “Historically, that’s happened more times than not.”
The new protocol agreement announced in late May “brings focus to the priorities of the Nation” and provides a “roadmap for how Cermaq will farm in their territory” for the next five years.
With regards to sea lice management for example, “we asked them to share with us what they thought was adequate,” said Kiemele. The resulting protocol cut
the current federal threshold in half. “It is a challenging standard, absolutely. But doing everything we can to achieve it addresses the concern of the nation. And so that’s what we need to do,” he said.
The agreement also calls out the pursuit of further innovation, such as a semi-closed containment system (SCCS).
“It definitely has the interest of the leadership of the nation,” said Kiemele, announcing that Cermaq Canada is going to start a second trial in a few months.
There is also some “exciting preliminary work” on potential electrification of some of these sites, which require more energy for fish life support. With good prospects for federal funding for clean energy production, such a project could also bring hydro power to some remote areas and homes, in addition to the enablement of technology to counter sea lice.
“Just last week the chief was out walking some of the territory with our staff and
consultants to see if we can run hydro-power to the site,” said Kiemele.
And here lies the key contrast: the collaboration. In fact, work on the new protocol took place for close to two and a half years. Hasheukumiss, Richard George, acting Shousaht Tyee Ha’wiih (head chief) for his father Maquinna, was new to this role, and “wanted to take his time, and, thankfully, do his homework as to what exactly he was agreeing to,” said Kiemele.
Moreover, when Cermaq came to the table, it did not automatically assume that the nation would approve an extension. “There’s been a lot of conflict in the industry over the years because there hasn’t been that discussion or that table set.”
The new protocol also stipulates that sampling results are shared with the nation as part of the ongoing process.
Ahousaht representatives come to the Cermaq farms, observing the farmers and the fish and operations like mechanical delousing.
“They see what we do with their own eyes, instead of reading some posts by an activist somewhere,” said Kiemele. “And this is the way of doing business now and in the future,” he said.
FARM AND PROTECT
Protecting cage and pen fisheries from invasive species is a big challenge.
BY JULIA HOLLISTER
According to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), invasive species are considered to be one of the greatest threats to marine and coastal biodiversity worldwide, second only to habitat loss.
NOAA Fisheries recognizes that invasive species have a profound effect on aquatic ecosystems and is working to protect our coasts from these invaders.
In addition to “invaders,” farmers have to deal with adverse, inaccurate publicity like:
“Offshore farms entangle marine animals, farms displace marine animals from important habitants and farmers harm marine mammals.”
When in truth, invasive species can lead to the extinction of native plants and animals, destroy biodiversity, and permanently alter habitats through both direct and indirect effects.
There is a big difference between exotic and invasive species. Exotic species are animal or plant species moved from their original range (location) to a new one, but are not yet reproducing in that new range.
It is considered an invasive species when exotic species establish and begin to reproduce in the new range.
Paul W. Zajicek, executive director of the National Aquaculture Association says the U.S. has marine net pens in state waters (Maine, Hawaii and Washington).
“I have not heard operators speak to nonnative species to the United States or native species moved outside their native range causing damage to physical structure or fish in grow-out. Terminology is a challenge when talking about invasive species,” he said.
Shellfish farmers in U.S. coastal waters, in certain regions, have experienced predation and fouling. Predation by the nonnative European green crab has occurred in Washington, Oregon and northeastern states and nonnative species can contribute to biofouling of production gear or damage to growing shellfish.
Biofouling of shellfish production gear is a significant challenge caused by mostly native and a few non-native species.
The NOAA reports aquatic invasive species are found throughout the world with very few exceptions. They are in wetlands, streams, rivers, bays, and along the coasts, and can be found up to thousands of feet in depth.
Invasive species can be found from Alaska to Louisiana, and from Maine to Texas. In some regions of the United States, the problem is more severe than others. Florida, the Great Lakes, and the southern West Coast are among the most heavily infested regions because of moderate climates and transportation hubs such as ports that allow invasive species to thrive.
The fish most commonly raised on fish farms include: cod, salmon, carp, tilapia, catfish and European seabass.
In recent years, Indo-Pacific lionfish have been found in coral reefs throughout the southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. While scientists are unsure exactly how they got there, they believe that people have been dumping unwanted lionfish from home aquariums into the Atlantic Ocean for more than two decades.
Invasive species may not have natural predators in their new environment, and/or can outcompete native species for resources such as food, light, prey and habitat.
There is only one cage and pen fish farm in Kona, Hawaii. In fact, Blue Ocean Mariculture is the only open ocean aquaculture farm growing fin fish in the entire U.S.
“This status is because of the responsible
practices undertaken by our founders since the start of fishing,” said CEO Dick Jones. “We are the first finfish cultivation facility in the United States to be certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).”
Although the farm is not in federal waters, deep water submersible pens remove their stock from potential near-shore conflicts
while making it easy to monitor and maintain water quality, preserve seafloor health, and limit wildlife interactions.
“Our fish are fed a premium diet of fish meal, fish oil, and non-GMO grain while spawning naturally under observation to ensure that population is controlled to prevent overwhelming the local ecosystem,” he said.
Michael Chambers, research associate professor at University of New Hampshire.
PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
“We filed for our first permit in 2001, and finally got approval in 2004. The first fish went into the water in 2004.”
The farm, only 0.4 miles offshore, but it reaches a depth of 210 feet of water. The water conditions mimic farms that are farther offshore. The operation has a 90-acre concession and it holds a permit for more cages. The entire farm plans to have seven cages in the water by the end of this year.
“We need aquaculture to feed the world into the future,” said Jones. “The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance plays an important role in promoting the many benefits of responsible aquaculture while providing a platform for networking opportunities in the aquaculture sector.”
Predators are not a big problem in Kona; but because there are Hawaiian Monk Seals around the site and they are endangered, scientists do everything in their power to minimize interaction. The farm also hosts several species of sharks, along with dolphins.
Jones states emphatically that nothing at all is being done to eradicate these pests.
“Why would we want to eradicate them?” he asks. “They are living creatures and we are passionate about the ocean ecosystem. We live with them, as they live with us.”
Don Kent, president and CEO of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in San Diego, says the Institute has nine pens in the area: Channel Islands Harbor, Catalina Harbor (backside of Catalina Island), Marina del Rey, Newport Bay, Huntington Harbor, two in Dana Point Harbor, Southwest Yacht Club in San Diego Bay and Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
Size matters: Small pens are used to grow white sea bass, which are tagged at 3-4 inches, put into the pens until they reach nine inches when the fish are tagged and released.
He predicts more fish will be released.
The pens have predator nets extending into the water keeping the pinnipeds away from the fish nets inside. There are also barriers above the surface to keep them from hauling out on the pens.
Sea lice are also a problem. The institute is working to permit a farm in deep ocean water; clean water in the Channel Islands.
“Invasive species are not farmed in U.S. waters,” stated aquaculture experts at NOAA Federal. “As outlined in NOAA’s Marine Aquaculture Policy, aquaculture development in federal waters is compatible with the functioning of healthy, productive, and resilient marine ecosystems and only native or naturalized species are farmed.”
The administration supports cutting-edge science and research as well as federal policy making and regulation to grow sustainable marine aquaculture in the U.S. while supporting commercial and recreational fisheries. It also supports science, policies and regulations that allow communities to reap the social, economic and environmental benefits of aquaculture.
Michael Chambers, University of New Hampshire Research Associate Professor and the Aquaculture Specialist, says the locations of the cage and pens are at a depth of 35 feet.
“The AquaFort is the name of the 2 Bay floating system that produces steelhead trout, blue mussels and sugar kelp that is raised on vertical dropper lines like the mussels.”
“This method of culture is called Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture or IMTA,” he said. “It is located just offshore of New Castle, N., at the mouth of the Piscataqua River.”
The aquaculture industry has radically changed over the years. Chambers said culturing all three species together on a floating platform is novel and there is no industry doing this type of aquaculture. He hopes this will change as the lower trophic seaweed and shellfish species extract nutrients from the fish and provides a cleaner footprint on the environment.
The cautious, albeit, good news is that the operation does not have any invasive species that affect the culture system. On the down side, scientists do see the Gulf of Maine warming each year, which stresses the trout. There is also some incidence of sea lice. There is minimal damage by these invaders due to ongoing awareness.
Handling these “invaders” takes planning and innovation.
“To circumvent these issues, we culture the trout during the colder months of the year,” said Chambers. “This is from OctJune and before temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit in July, August and September.
“Sea lice are not a problem during the cooler times of the year. To reduce sea lice, we add lump fish to the pens to clean the trout and reduce lice counts.”
Chambers is optimistic about the future.
“I believe there is great opportunity for offshore aquaculture in the U.S.,” he said. “You do not need much 3D ocean space to produce millions of pounds of fish per year.”
This should be carried out in a responsible manner and include shellfish and macroalgae farms near or around the fish farm. These lower trophic species bio extract nutrients from the fish to help maintain a cleaner environment.
The biggest problem facing offshore aquaculture in the U.S. is permitting and NGO’s/Nimby’s that are against the concept. The U.S. is a world leader with land agriculture. We could be the same offshore if the U.S. government got behind ocean farming efforts.
“We need to become seafood secure and not import 91 percent of the seafood we eat. It just makes sense.”
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Our vision was to create a floating sea farm that eliminates sea lice challenges, escapes and collect particular sludge.
We have now delivered almost 2 million post smolt with no sea lice treatments since we started in 2019.
you wonder how we do it?
MYKOLAS KAMAITIS
Deriving value from otherwise sunk costs
No matter how well you manage and care for your fish, some degree of mortality is inevitable.
As the old farming adage goes “Where there is livestock, there is deadstock.”
Though we should always strive to optimize fish husbandry, establish and institute biosecurity protocols, and regularly monitor the health of our animals, some fish will not make it to market. These mortalities (commonly called “morts”) add to the cost of production.
Depending on how many fish have died and how much has been invested in them, the cost of mortalities can be significant, and there can be severe impacts on an operation’s ability to achieve production goals and commitments to customers. In most cases, these costs cannot be recouped. However, by tracking and trending mortality numbers and classifying them based on their suspected cause of death, we can gain a better understanding
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of the health of our fish, prevent further loss, and derive some value from them.
At the core of mortality management is regular (daily) monitoring of our livestock. Not only do we need to keep a close eye on the fish swimming in the water, we also need to observe and collect the morts; this is true for all stages of production, from early rearing troughs in a hatchery, to large tanks and cages.
Mortality monitoring and collection has typically been a much greater challenge in cage-culture than in land-based facilities, where tanks are generally smaller and mortalities are more easily observed and collected. Traditionally, utilizing divers and “mort socks” or nets has been the way morts have been monitored and collected in cages, though it is impractical and too expensive to do this daily.
These mort dives result in bringing up fish of varying states of decomposition through the water column and schools of swimming fish to the surface. Most of these morts are far too decomposed to examine and derive much meaningful information from. Although divers still play an important part in many cage operations, an increasing number of tools and technology are available to fish farmers to help better address these challenges with mortality management.
Underwater cameras are an important tool for fish health monitoring, particularly in large tanks and cages. Many cameras can now be easily adjusted to different depths and angles, giving farmers a full view of their cages with the click of a button. Mortality retrieval systems have also enabled aquaculture operations to regularly collect their morts. There are also remote operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) available on the market to help monitor and collect mortalities. Although these technologies can be expensive and contribute to the cost of production, missing early cues to developing fish health problems can cost far more.
The importance of daily mortality collection cannot be overstated. Removing mortalities from your rearing system as soon as possible decreases their negative impacts on fish health, including the possible spread of pathogens and effects on water quality. The timely removal of morts also optimizes their physical condition, allowing for a more informative and valuable post-mortem examination. The daily collection of mortalities is essential for proper fish health management and biosecurity, and the ability to do so should be considered an absolute necessity by fish farmers.
There will of course be situations out of a farmer’s control when mortality retrieval cannot occur, such as bad weather or machine/ generator breakdowns; this is understandable but should be limited as much as possible. To put it bluntly, mortality collection should be
considered as important as feeding your fish, and should not take a back seat. Furthermore, allowing your fish to decompose to the point that they float to the surface or rot through the cage should never be seen as a viable alternative to timely mort collection.
In addition to collecting morts daily, it is critical to record the number of mortalities and to code or classify them based on a post-mortem examination. Even a basic postmortem exam will give you some indication as to what that fish died (or did not die) from. This exam should include an external evaluation of the mort, including overall appearance, size, body condition, gill condition, skin and fin condition, etc. If the fish is large enough to do so (generally over 10-20 grams), cutting them open is recommended. This information can be tracked and trended, and can help inform management decisions and anticipate fish health issues based on previous mortality patterns.
Some common classifications include “fresh” or “silver” for fresh morts with no obvious cause of death or signs of disease, various environmental causes (e.g. low oxygen, plankton, diatoms, pollen, etc.), specific predators (e.g. racoon, mink, heron, sea lion, etc.), “poor-performer” for fish that are smaller than the population, not growing or performing well, “fungus”, “mechanical” (for physical damage), any specific disease which has been previously diagnosed by a veterinarian (e.g. bacterial coldwater disease, Tenacibaculosis, bacterial kidney disease, etc.), and “non-codable” for any mortality too decomposed to assess.
Most, if not all, aquaculture data management systems include a mortality coding option. Specific codes will vary depending on the system and can be adjusted and optimized by producers to best fit their operation. Although you want to have as extensive of a classification list as is practical, having too many classifications can make the process inefficient, confusing, and frustrating for farm staff.
Your veterinarian would be happy to work with you to develop a practical and effective mortality classification system which is relevant to your operation. By performing postmortem examinations, classifying morts and tracking this data, we can derive value from an otherwise sunk cost of production.
Dr Mykolas Kamaitis is a private practice aquaculture veterinarian and owner of Belwood Lake Veterinary Services in Ontario, Canada. He previously worked in the salmon industry in British Columbia as a vet and Fish Health Manager with Mowi Canada West. During his time at Mowi, Mykolas developed a strong background in production medicine and continues to take a preventative and production-focused approach to fish health management. He was named president of the Association of Aquaculture Veterinarians of British Columbia (AAVBC) in 2018 and continues in the role to this day.
ADAPT OR DIE
Memorial University’s roadmap to fight against climate change impacts
BY RON HILL
Dependent on the environment to provide optimal conditions for fish rearing, the industry is at risk from/ at the mercy of climate change. The effects of climate change can, and will, have devastating effects on fish health and the industry if it cannot adapt.
Researchers at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN) are among the leaders in the fight against the impacts of climate change on net pen farms on the east coast of Canada. The MICCSA program; Mitigating the Impact of Climate-Related Challenges on Salmon Aquaculture, a collaborative initiative between academic researchers and industry, was established in 2016 with the goals of providing a roadmap for adaptation of salmon aquaculture production to climate change, and working collaboratively with Canadian industries to reduce disease-related mortalities and loss of production. With the program winding down after seven years, we spoke with Kurt Gamperl of MUN about the research program and its lasting effects on the salmon industry.
Rebeccah Sandrelli (M.SC. student) implanting data loggers at a cage-site. PHOTO: KURT GAMPERL
A collaborative effort
Gamperl and Matt Rise of MUN are among the diverse team of scientists leading research under the MICCSA program. The team brings together researchers from some of Canada’s leading universities: Brian Dixon from the University of Waterloo, Mark Fast from the University of Prince Edward Island, Roy Danzmann from the University of Guelph, with leading researchers from private sector research divisions at the Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada, the Huntsman Marine Sciences Centre, AquaBounty Canada and Somru Bioscience. Each of these primary researchers has a team of scientists, lab technicians and/or students performing research at their own facilities, creating a wide scope of research involving many talented people.
“The research program was designed to be holistic in approach,” said Gamperl. “We are looking at so many levels: at the farm/cage level, organismal level, cellular level (including mitochondrial function), right down to the molecular (genomic and genetic) level. We have been extremely successful identifying challenges under different and changing conditions so we can improve fish production and welfare.”
Beginning research in 2016, the MICCSA program had three goals:
1. To determine the lethal and sub-lethal environmental limits of current Atlantic salmon stocks;
2. Identify Atlantic salmon families that have enhanced capacity to adapt to environmental challenges and mount robust pathogen-specific immune responses;
3. To develop functional and diagnostic assays for assessing fish health and immune function, and the efficacy of vaccine formulations.
Facilities at MUN as research platforms
Research by Gamperl and Rise is being carried out at MUN’s Ocean Science Centre (OSC). The OSC is located in Logy Bay NL and is one of Canada’s leading ocean research facilities. The OSC provides huge opportunities for researchers with multiple specialized facilities onsite.
The Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) has state-of-the-art facilities for cold-water fish culture, including species such as trout, salmon, lumpfish, wolf fish and halibut.
The Laboratory for Atlantic Salmon and Climate Change Research (LASCCR) is a self-contained facility with 10 x 2.2m 3 tanks and 8 x 0.6m3 tanks with full control of photoperiod, temperature, and oxygen levels ideal for physiological studies and immunological challenges.
The Cold-Ocean and Deep-Sea Research Facility houses disease challenge labs and some of MUN’s most sophisticated diagnostic equipment, including confocal and electron microscopes, flow cytometry, deep sea chambers and a full histological lab.
These state-of-the-art facilities have allowed MUN researchers to perform controlled environment research essential to the success of the program.
Results
After seven years of study, the MICCSA program has yielded significant results for the east coast salmon aquaculture community.
“We have made some very important discoveries with the program,” said Gamperl. Gamperl’s lab alone has produced 12 published papers to this point under the MICCSA program, with more in review and more still being authored.
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“The program has provided significant data on how high temperatures (20-23 C) alone, or in combination with other stressors like moderate hypoxia, can impact production, immunology and stress physiology. Several key immune and stress related genomic markers were identified that are responsive to temperature and hypoxia challenges. Researchers also produced antibodies and developed ELISAs (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays) for several biomarkers so that their protein levels can be quantified and monitored.”
The hunt for SNPs
One of the key goals of the program is the hunt for SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that act as chromosomal tags or genetic markers. Finding and identifying SNPs associated with resistance to a pathogen or stressors like high temperature or low oxygen will allow farmers to select broodstock with desired traits using a simple assay. The creation of standardized assays to find these desired SNPs will create diagnostic tools for farmers so they can develop resistance in the genetic line of their stock.
Gamperl reported that “experimentation is complete at this point, but much of the SNP research is still undergoing analysis and evaluation by the researchers. The
next phase is a validation study for some of these potential biomarkers. We know the SNPs to look for, now we need to make sure the SNPs are associated with the traits we studied in the initial research.”
Development of data Loggers
“Through research under the MICCSA program, we validated the use of data loggers produced by Star-Oddi (Iceland) as a significant and accurate tool to monitor the physiology and distribution of free-swimming salmonids in a sea cage,” Gamperl noted. These data loggers are inserted into the abdominal cavity of the fish, and have proven their value by simultaneously recording swimming speed, heart rate, body temperature and activity.
“Our success with these data loggers has initiated a new applied research project with industry partners to improve on this technology,” said Gamperl. “The biggest issue with the data loggers is that they must be recovered from the fish.”
Getting the data logger out of the fish means that the fish must be pulled from the cage, scanned to identify the presence of the data logger, which then must be surgically removed before the data can be read.
“We are working to develop an acoustic data logger that will
Rebeccah Sandrelli implanting data loggers at a cage-site.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KURT GAMPERL
transmit data in real time. An acoustic receiver placed in the cage will collect the data from the data loggers and upload it to an onsite database.”
Expanded research goals and new partners
“We have been very fortunate to extend and expand the MICCSA program and integrate it with other research initiatives at the OSC. Other funding and research partners have come on board to expand on the research being done under the MICCSA program.
The Harris Centre and the Ocean Frontier Institute are two good examples of new partners stepping in to continue valuable research.” These new partners allowed Gamperl and other researchers to expand the scope of their research into other unplanned, but valuable, areas of study related to the effect of climate change on salmon aquaculture.
New climate change research
With their new partners, MICCSA program research has expanded to include new studies that will outlast the MICCSA program. A series of trials to examine if stress phenotype (i.e., cortisol response) or diet play roles in influencing the growth, performance and survival of farmed Atlantic salmon exposed to elevated temperatures have recently been completed. Methods have been developed to explore mitochondrial traits that may be indicators of high or low thermal tolerance in an attempt to establish measurable links and testable assays. The new tools and assays developed in the MICCSA program, notably the physiological data logger, have facilitated the launch of research into “winter kill”–a phenomenon where salmon moralities increase at low water temperatures in sea-cages. This research involving Cooke Aquaculture, and funded by the Canada Centre for Fisheries Innovation and Industry, Energy and Technology – NL.
Industry partners
“We’ve had tremendous support from our various partners. They have helped us face many challenges, including COVID-19 and obtaining the needed fish stocks. Many of our partners found themselves assisting the program in unintended ways. The program has made some big steps forward for research in this field and has stimulated a lot of other work that cannot happen without industry support,” said Gamperl.
A lasting impact
Applied research develops tools, techniques, as well as significant knowledge. Long term, the research and techniques developed under the MICCSA program will create better fish, health monitoring and fish health assays, which will be essential tools for the industry as it faces changing ocean conditions.
As the results are validated, and tests and assays are commercialized and made available to
farmers through test kits or lab services, the ability of farmers to adapt their stocks to meet new conditions will improve.
“Prior to MICCSA there were few tools to evaluate fish health and welfare, and to adapt a stock to changing conditions. What the MICCSA program has done is develop a sophisticated set of tools and tests that can be used by the industry going forward to fight the challenges of climate change.”
Your Choice for Organic Integrity
O RGAN IC
Not for the faint of heart
It takes a special sort of determination to be successful working the cold, clear waters of the Northwest Atlantic.
This region is a unique environment that presents many difficult challenges for various industries, and it’s not for the faint of heart. At the same time, it’s also an environment that greatly rewards those who innovate and persevere.
People in the Newfoundland and Labrador aquaculture sector know this fact only too well.
What started out as a near-cottage industry curiosity in the 1990s (although N.L.’s aquaculture lineage can be traced back to the late 1800s when Norwegian Adolf Nielsen farmed cod and lobster in Trinity Bay) has developed today to become one of the important sectors in the province.
BY JAMIE BAKER
With current production focused on Atlantic salmon, steelhead trout, blue mussels and American oysters, as well as strong potential for alternative species including cleanerfish, wolffish, urchins and kelps, the positive impacts of aquaculture in NL carry some truly incredible positive impacts.
For example, first and foremost, sea farming provides critical food security for the people of the province, many of whom live on an island. The sector accomplishes that goal, while creating a minuscule carbon footprint for protein production, and dramatically increasing world-class economic development and employment opportunities in rural, coastal communities.
There is, quite simply, no other sector in NL that combines all those factors, and carries such incredible growth potential; after all, Newfoundland and Labrador represent one of the last truly great, untapped sea farming opportunities in the world. Wherein, we have the right conditions needed to grow world class product, the physical space available to expand, a wealth of ocean and technical expertise and experience, and all of it right next to the huge U.S. market.
It’s a dream scenario for responsible, sustainable growth.
Of course, it will take a tremendous amount of work to achieve, but it all couldn’t come at a better time.
Building momentum
After a challenging couple of years pressing through the pandemic and some other industry issues, 2022 is showing some early, positive momentum for the sector in the province.
On the production side, the numbers from 2021 show a strong rebound for the NL sector coming out of the pandemic: The province’s production volume came in at 19,635 metric tonnes (up 84.9 percent from 2020), and was worth an estimated $189.3 million (an increase of 96.3 percent).
The focus now for the province is sustainable growth of the sector; the province and industry have a shared goal of reaching 50,000 tonnes of salmon production
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NEWFOUNDLAND SPOTLIGHT
10,750 tonnes of mussel production in the years ahead. The signs of progress towards that shared goal are finally becoming apparent.
After several years of planning, hard work and dedication, Grieg Seafood NL officially opened its multimillion-dollar facility in Marystown, N.L. in April 2022 with fish scheduled to go into Placentia Bay in May. Having toured the facility and met the people, many of them young, dynamic people looking to make a life, not just a living, on the Burin Peninsula, it’s hard not to cheer for their success given the epic levels of commitment invested by the people and the company.
Right on the heels of that announcement, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced in May that Grieg was the proponent selected to explore potential expansion of sea farming into the Bays West region from Bay D’Espoir to Burgeo. Those waters carry with them the potential to produce 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes of salmon and hundreds of jobs in an area that surely will welcome it.
Again, there will be a lot of time and effort required to make it all come together, but everyone involved understands what’s required to succeed in Newfoundland and Labrador. The three primary salmon companies
in the province – Grieg Seafood Newfoundland, Cooke Aquaculture and Mowi Canada East – all bring incredible international-level industry knowledge, resources and expertise to the equation and are well positioned to help the industry achieve its goals.
On the shellfish side of the industry, things are no less exciting. This province is home to the first certified organic blue mussels in North America, and the province is also working to develop several new brands of oysters. The production volume of shellfish in N.L. in 2021 was 3,731 metric tonnes, up 32.4 percent over 2020. The corresponding sector value also increased 33.4 percent to $16.5 million, and really, that’s only scratching the surface of what those species can produce.
The province is also seeing increased interest in alterative species like cleanerfish (lumpfish and cunners), which are showing some impressive results in sea lice mitigation. Wolffish is another potential commercial species being investigated and there is continued interest in cod, urchin farming and potential kelp development.
NAIA at the forefront
It is clear the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) will play a vital
role in achieving overall industry success in its continuing role as the voice of the industry. Using our online platforms, social media, marketing, direct advocacy, and tools like the newly introduced Aquaculture 101
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(an educational resource utilizing virtual reality technology), NAIA is constantly educating the public on the positive impacts of aquaculture.
People in the province are starting to understand how important farmed fish is to their future food security. They are understanding how the sector is constantly advancing and living up to its role as the most environmentally friendly farmed protein on the planet, and they are appreciating all the great opportunities the sector brings to the province and its people.
We also continue to work closely and collaboratively with our municipal, provincial, and federal government colleagues to advocate on behalf of the industry, help the sector advance, and to discuss/support sensible and effective regulation where applicable.
Above all, NAIA effectively brings together all the players in the sector – companies, farmers, scientists, service and supply groups, government and technology firms – to ensure collective responsible development of the sector now and in the future.
At its core, aquaculture is really all about feeding people, and nowhere in the world is there stronger potential than in Newfoundland and Labrador. Indeed, as our recent campaign suggests, N.L. Aquaculture really does bring so much to the table – a table that is growing, and ready to add more chairs.
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Jamie Baker is the executive director of the NL Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He worked in Ottawa, Ontario leading federal programs focused on sustainable use research, development, and wildlife conservation along with spearheading key market access and
initiatives nationally and internationally.
Aquasend selected for Xylem Innovation Incubator Program
Aquasend announced its participation in the Xylem Innovation Incubator Program. Xylem is a global water technology company committed to solving water challenges with innovation. Its incubator program is a one-year initiative, designed to evaluate technology cohesiveness and access the development of a sustainable relationship between Aquasend and Xylem.
Aquasend provides aqua farmers with revolutionary technology, communications and management. Aquasend has set a company goal to help transform the global aqua farming industry within the next five years. To achieve this, Aquasend is providing products that improve water quality through continuous monitoring to the largest and smallest aqua farms around the world.
The Aquasend Beacon measures dissolved oxygen and temperature. It continuously analyzes water quality and sends alerts in real-time if problems are detected. The Beacon’s real-time monitoring technology can close the geographical gap between a farmer or researcher, and the deployment site of their Aquasend product, saving time, labor costs and travel costs.
Marel acquires Wenger Manufacturing
Marel has announced an agreement to acquire Wenger Manufacturing LLC, a global leader in processing solutions, focused on pet food, plant-based proteins and aqua feed.
Marel has agreed to acquire Wenger Manufacturing LLC., including all relevant business activities of the group. The total investment for the acquisition is US$540 million. Thereof, $530 million is the purchase price on a cash and debt-free basis (enterprise value).
The remaining $10 million is a combination of a contribution to a not-for-profit private foundation, “to continue the legacy of Wenger and its meaningful impact on the community, as well as Marel shares for Wenger employees.”
A new business segment, based on the Wenger platform, will constitute Marel’s fourth pillar alongside poultry, meat and fish, and will be focused on the sizeable and attractive growth markets of pet food, plant-based proteins and aqua feed.
11 am (EST) – Keynote: “Lessons learned from Atlantic Sapphire” with Karl Øystein Øyhaug, Atlantic Sapphire
11:50 am – Panel: “RAS is always greener” moderated by Maddi Badiola, HTH Full Spectrum Aquaculture
12:30 pm – Break
12:45 pm – Panel: “Thinking outside the salmon box” moderated by David Kuhn, Virginia Tech 1:30 pm – Presentation: “How to scale landbased salmon” with Yonathan Zohar, RAS-N
Panel: “Investing in RAS around the world” moderated by Jean Ko Din, RAStech Magazine
SAVE THE DATE
APRIL 20 – 21, 2023
JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes I Florida, USA
The international conference and trade fair on Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology
RASTECH 2023 IS THE AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE YOU CANNOT MISS!
