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RAS players address talent shortage
(File photo) Survey results indicate the aquaculture sector is losing confidence because of the uncertain business climate
Credit: Liza Mayer
Credit: Hudson Valley Fisheries
Cultural fit and soft skills rank high, but technical training is a game-changer
BY LYNN FANTOM
When Atlantic Sapphire suffered a second salmon die-off at its Denmark facility in March, jitters about land-based aquaculture reignited among investors and insurers. At the core of the concern: there is just not enough talent to safeguard the future of so many new RAS ventures.
The industry needs to grow its pool of competence, leaders agree. Otherwise, companies are just locked in a game of musical chairs.
Yet despite the challenges and the skeptics, RAS
forerunners are steely eyed in their focus on recruiting motivated people and building strong cultures.
From the well-funded Norwegian salmon enterprises to an entrepreneurial pompano start-up in Florida and a steelhead farm in Upstate New York, they are pursuing different approaches, but share a common philosophy.
“Fish welfare always comes first,” says Marianne Naess, commercial director of Nordic Aquafarms.
“I think it is very important to build a culture where people are passionate about what they do.”
continued on page 19
Should fish farmers worry about AI?
hen asked about his view on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Microsoft founder Bill Gates was quoted as saying, “The world hasn’t had that many technologies that are both promising and dangerous.”
Farmers seek relief from pandemic uncertainties
Survey reveals grim picture of US aquaculture
BY LALOU RAMOS
Players in the aquaculture, aquaponics and allied industries in the United States are raising alarm and seeking to identify resources to support their business as 90 percent of farmers say the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) had impacted their operations in Q1 2020.
This was the key finding of a survey jointly conducted by Virginia Tech and the Ohio State University Extension representing 652 companies within the broader aquaculture/aquaponics ecosystem. The year-round survey, with quarterly reports scheduled, seeks to determine the prevailing market conditions and the industry’s overall economic sentiment as it struggles with the unforeseen impact of COVID-19 in the months ahead.
While grim realities of market disruption and loss of business didn’t seem to have hit the 10 percent of the respondents in the study in the first quarter, 20 percent of them expect to be “definitely” impacted by COVID-19 within the year.
in fish feed by feeding these essential compounds to farmed fish at key life stages, a new study suggests Credit: Cole-Munro Fisheries
Aquaculture is a major consumer of EPA and DHA but it could also help fill the supply gap in these fatty acids caused by dwindling fish stocks and a growing population, suggests a new study.
The supply imbalance means 70 percent of the world’s population doesn’t get enough EPA and DHA, nutrients that help reduce inflammation and prevents heart disease, said the study.
Ugly fish fits the bill for sustainable aquaculture
It isn’t much to look at but the monkeyface prickleback (Cebidichthys violaceus) could be a model candidate for sustainable aquaculture.
The fish nourishes itself with only the specialized algae in the tidepools where it lives, according to researchers at University of California Irvine, who studied the fish’s genome.
“That can have far-reaching health consequences,” said Helen Hamilton, lead author of the paper, “Systems approach to quantify the global Omega-3 fatty acid cycle.”
“We can’t take any more fish out of the ocean,” said Hamilton, PhD candidate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. “That means we really need to optimize what we do have or find new, novel sources. We need to look at how EPA and DHA are produced and consumed by humans and in the ocean.”
She and co-authors H.A., Newton and R., Auchterlonie acknowledged that aquaculture’s efforts toward sustainability by replacing fish meal and fish oils with plant-based feed meant diminished levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in farmed fish.
They suggest the industry can make strategic use of fish oils in fish feed by feeding these essential compounds to farmed fish at key life stages, especially right before the fish will be slaughtered for consumption.
A “culture change” in aquaculture may also be in order so that fish by-products, such as innards and heads, can be processed into fish feed and fish oil. Collection of these “wastes” may be straightforward in the West because fish are gutted and processed by industry, unlike in China, specifically, where the culture is to filet and gut the fish at home, the authors said.
“Ihe researchers’ analysis also showed that aquaculture species that don’t depend on fish oils in their diet, such as mollusks and carp, are major producers EPA and DHA.
Cermaq says it will cease its community engagement activities in Nova Scotia now that it is no longer expanding in the province
Cermaq abandons Nova Scotia expansion plans
Cermaq Canada is dropping its plans to expand in Nova Scotia because it was unable to find enough farm sites.
The company had hoped to find between 15 to 20 farm sites to support 20,000 metric tonnes of production in order to make the potential expansion financially viable.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to locate enough sites at this time, and have made the decision to allow all of our Options to Lease to expire,” David Kiemele, managing director for Cermaq Canada, said in a news release.
Sustainable development director for Cermaq Canada, Linda Sams, acknowledged some groups and regions were opposed to the company’s plan, but “a shared path forward is, and always was our goal,” she said.
The company will now cease community engagement activities in the province. Cermaq’s decision comes roughly a year since it made its expansion plans public.
Credit: University of California Irvine
The monkeyface prickleback could be the new white meat, say scientists at University of California Irvine
The fact that it is vegetarian means it can be raised with feed that doesn’t rely on fishmeal and fish oil. “Using plant-based food ingredients reduces pollution and costs less,” said study team member, Joseph Heras.
The fish could grow up to three-feet long and six pounds in weight. It can live on land for up to 37 straight hours, thanks to its ability to breathe above water as well as under.
It is native to the Pacific coast of North America. In the past decade, it has become a culinary delicacy, appearing on plates in a number of high-end restaurants.
While it looks grotesque, “the taste is actually delicate and mild,” said Donovan German, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. He and his team said it could be “the new white meat.”
The team discovered the types of genes that enable the monkeyface prickleback to digest plant material well. This discovery could help scientists find other potential candidates for aquaculture.
“Most aquaculture fish are carnivores and can’t handle plant lipids. Sequencing this genome has provided us a better understanding of what types of genes are necessary for breaking down plant material. If we scan additional fish genomes, we may find omnivorous fish with the right genes that could provide new candidates for sustainable aquaculture,” said Heras.
Americans putting fish at the center of their plates
American consumers ate 16.1 lbs of seafood per capita in 2018, up just slightly from 16 lbs in 2017.
By comparison, in 2017, Americans ate 1.1 lbs more seafood per capita over 2016. “It is so important for a family that wants to eat healthy and be able to prepare food easily to include seafood at supper or for snacks. It is really encouraging to see Americans eating more seafood,” said Jennifer McGuire, registered dietitian at the National Fisheries Institute (NFI). “Yet another year of growth shows Americans are putting fish at the center of their plates.” NFI data also show that shrimp continues to be the most popular seafood in America with a record-high 4.6 lbs eaten per capita.
Additionally, Americans are enjoying a greater variety of seafood, as fish from outside the Top 10 List continues to grow, the non-profit said.
Mowi’s branding efforts could benefit entire salmon industry
Mowi’s launch of its new global brand MOWI Pure in the US in March is a branding exercise for the world’s largest salmon producer but the initiative could benefit the entire salmon industry by making salm on as “approachable” as other proteins.
“We’ve found that many US consumers are far more worried about cooking fish properly than they are when preparing other proteins,” said Diana Dumet, Director of Marketing for Consumer Products at Mowi.
Amidst growing demand for “convenience foods” Mowi wants consumers to see salmon just as convenient to prepare as meat and poultry products. It plans to educate consumers, teach them how to cook and enjoy salmon “so it’s ultimately more approachable,” said Dumet.
“With our long history in the industry, we believe we’re in a position to do more than just bring the best salmon in the world to the supermarket. We can bring it into their kitchens and onto their tables,” she added.
MOWI Pure branded products will also carry QR codes on the packaging which, when scanned, direct consumers to valuable information about origin, freshness and nutrition as well as cooking guides and recipes.
As part of the launch, “edu-tainment” are planned in partnerships with renowned chefs. A video series featuring recipes and tutorials are also in the works.
MOWI Pure products are now available to American consumers on Amazon Fresh, a grocery delivery service currently available in some US states. The products are always fresh and never frozen and come in a variety of cuts.
The global brand rollout follows the company’s rebranding in 2018. Formerly known as Marine Harvest, the company officially reverted back to its original name (Mowi) in November.
The industry can make strategic use of fish oils
Mowi’s branding initiative as part of the MOWI Pure brand rollout could elevate consumer trust in the salmon category Credit: Mowi
Credit: Cermaq Canada
NEWS AND NOTES
Group lays groundwork for commercial lumpfish production in the US
Aconsortium formed to advance the use of cleanerfish in the United States says domestic production of lumpfish is so small that it’s not enough to make it a key component of sea lice management in Atlantic salmon farming.
Dr Elizabeth Fairchild, Research Professor at the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Department of Biological Sciences, says Maine alone needs 300,000 to 400,000 lumpfish annually.
Cooke Aquaculture, sole operator of the oceanbased salmon farms in Maine, is very interested in seeing cleanerfish used in US waters, says Fairchild. Cooke played a major role in efforts to commercialize cleanerfish as biological weapon against sea lice in Atlantic Canada.
Lumpfish are being grown at the Coastal Marine Lab to investigate their use as cleanerfish at cage-reared salmonid
There is a need to educate US federal and state regulators, aquaculture researchers and entrepreneurs about the benefits of lumpfish as cleanerfish for salmonids and how effective it can be if used properly, said Fairchild, who represents the university in the US Lumpfish Consortium.
“Awareness will spark more research that will lead to cleanerfish hatcheries in the US,” she said. “This is a really new tool for the domestic salmonid industry. Lumpfish have only been in use for about five years in Europe, and even less so in Atlantic Canada.”
Building a locally sourced, captive broodfish fish population from scratch is necessary because the US salmonid industry has much to gain from using lumpfish, Fairchild emphasized. It is a species native to the Northwest Atlantic, it is relatively easy to culture, and it has been proven to help reduce and control sea lice infestations naturally with no negative effects on salmonid. This will also reduce reliance on other methods that could be more stressful to salmonids, such as thermal baths, or chemical treatments that become less effective over time, such as hydrogen peroxide.
Maine and New Hampshire have been identified as ideal sites for commercial lumpfish production because of the adequate availability of cold seawater and the number of salmon and steelhead trout farms in those states.
“We are in the throes of this work right now and will have many hatchery studies completed over the next 12 to18 months. Additional lumpfish/salmonid studies will be underway over the next year or two. Our goal is to make our findings available as soon as we have them through demonstration site tours, presentations, workshops and publications,” she said.
The world’s top lumpfish producer is Norway, produced 31.1 million fish in 2018. Canada produced 2 million lumpfish in 2019 but a commercial lumpfish hatchery currently being built in Newfoundland is expected to add 3 to 5 million annually to that number. US lumpfish began production only in 2019 and the producers--UNH, the UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research and the USDA Agricultural Research Service--produced a combined 15,000 that year.
- Ruby Gonzalez
Salmon raised on alternative diets widen retail presence
What was once just a concept is now a product seen in a growing number of stores: salmon nourished by algae-derived feed.
Recent market rollouts of farmed salmon raised on feeds with low fishmeal content suggest these alternative feeds are gaining momentum.
diet that relies less on forage fish are increasing their market presence in North America and Europe Credit: Kvarøy Arctic
Consumers in the US, Canada, Germany and France have gained access to the product over the past year. The fish have either been raised on BioMar feed that incorporates AlgaPrime DHA, an algae-based source of long-chain Omega-3s from Dutch biotech company Corbion, or on Skretting feed that incorporates Veramaris algal oil.
French supermarket Supermarché Match, which last year introduced Veramaris algalfed salmon in its stores, reported a 12-percent growth in the salmon category since the launch. The success prompted the retailer to introduce in March trout fed with a specially formulated feed from Skretting that also incorporates the algal oil.
“In addition to meeting consumer expectations for responsibly produced food, this proven new approach to aquaculture diets is also responsible for generating increased sales,” said Veramaris.
Jill Kauffman Johnson, head of Global Market Development-Algae Ingredients at Corbion noted that many of the feed companies in Norway have been eager to test and incorporate novel ingredients. “Norwegian research institutes including Nofima have affirmed that higher levels of Omega-3s improve fish health and that there is no difference whether Omega-3s come from microalgae or fish oil,” she said.
Love the Wild exits retail
Love the Wild, a frozen farmed fish venture that has Leonardo DiCaprio as investor and advisor, is ending its consumer products operation because it is unable to compete in the market with its prices.
CEO and co-founder Jacqueline Claudia said however that she will maintain the brand in a yet-to-bedisclosed form.
“The magic price point was the same as organic, free-range chicken breasts,” she said. During promotions where the products were sold at discounted prices, sales exploded. “Sadly, that was not at a sustainable margin for us, but that really shows that the market’s there.”
Products were on the shelves at Whole Foods until 1 April, but online sales ended much earlier.
Love the Wild products earned high marks for quality and taste but their prices challenged the family budget Credit: Love the Wild
Love the Wild was ahead of the curve in supplying the market with portable and easy-to-prepare seafood meals. Launched in 2014, the Boulder-based business marketed “kits” of frozen fish, including farm-raised salmon, shrimp, trout, and barramundi. Priced at an average of $7, each kit featured parchment for cooking and a sauce accompaniment frozen in heart shapes, which one investor lauded as suggesting “heart healthy.”
The start-up gained traction not only with high-profile investors, but retailers too. In addition to selling online, it racked up distribution in over 4,000 stores nationwide that included Super Target, Safeway, Whole Foods, and Wegmans. Products like striped bass with roasted red pepper almond sauce and barramundi with mango sriracha earned high marks for quality and taste, building momentum through the earned media of food reviews and cooking shows. In 2019, Love the Wild introduced bowls ideal for lunchtime.
One of the brand’s distinctive traits was identification on the package of the fish’s origin: farm, location, owner, pen, and Monterey Bay Seafood Watch rating. As she built her business, Claudia, whose résumé includes a stint as Chief Strategy Officer at Kampachi Farms, became a dynamic spokesperson for aquaculture.
“I have a deep appreciation for the costs to feed fish the most sustainable feeds possible, to operate with the highest environmental standards possible, to have all of the certifications that the market is telling you that you need to have to sell the product.”
But, in the end, the cost was too much for consumers to swallow.
- Lynn Fantom
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farms in the US Credit: NH Sea Grant
Salmon fed a
Offshore salmon farming is still in its infancy but the potential entry of another player in the field shows interest is growing.
Salmon farmer Scottish Sea Farms is planning to build an offshore farm to add to the production volumes from its existing 42 near-shore farm sites.
The salmon farmer says its search for ideal farming locations over the years has widened to include the potential of more-exposed locations. While farming in such locations is subject to roughest sea conditions in the world, it also avoids many of potential conflicts with other user groups, such as fisheries or tourism.
If approved by Scotland’s regulators, it will be the country’s first offshore salmon farm and the third worldwide.
The world’s first such farm is in Norway and is operated by SalMar’s fish farming subsidiary SalMar Ocean AS. Ocean Farm 1, as the fish farm is called, started operations in November 2017 and is now on its second production cycle.
“We achieved good biologic results on the first production cycle on Ocean Farm 1 and harvested fish of fantastic quality. For us, this was a major milestone and confirm that offshore farming truly is a sustainable production on the terms of the salmon,” said Gustav Magnar Witzøe, co-founder, President & CEO of SalMar ASA.
Norwegian salmon farmer SalMar expects most of the growth in its production volumes in the years to come will be from offshore farming.
Bird’s-eye view of SalMar’s offshore fish farm, Ocean Farm 1 Credit: SalMar
Witzøe further said there was no need for any sea lice treatment on Ocean Farm 1 in nearly 1.5 production cycle.
“There’s a great potential for offshore farming in the open sea, out in the ocean current and outside of the negative implications of the current – of the coastal current. SalMar aimed to lead this development and believe that most of our volume growth will come from this area in the years to come,” he said.
The world’s second salmon ocean farm is in China. Called The Deep Blue No. 1, the farm is in its early stages in the Yellow Sea, where the cold water is believed to be a suitable habitat for the fish.
Scottish Sea Farms’ plan is still on the drawing board and discussions with local regulatory authorities are underway. The company acknowledged it needs “an engaged, robust and forward-thinking regulatory framework” that will enable Scotland’s salmon farmers to continue growing responsibly. This would help the sector reclaim its competitiveness on the world stage, said its managing director, Jim Gallagher.
The world’s oceans cover more than twothirds of the world’s surface but aquatic food for human consumption accounts for only 2 percent. A scientific paper called “The Future of Food from the Sea” says farming seafood in the open ocean could contribute significantly to food production but the right policy support, incentives and feed alternatives are needed to expand the segment sustainably.
US aquaculture bill gets second wind in Congress
The bill reintroduced to lawmakers is expected to advance the development of offshore aquaculture in the US
Credit: NOAA
A bill that seeks to establish national standards for offshore aquaculture in the US was re-introduced in March in the US House of Representatives.
Bipartisan bill H.R. 6191, otherwise known as Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture, or AQUAA Act, is expected to expand US aquaculture and create jobs and economic growth in coastal communities.
An earlier version of the bill was introduced in 2018. The revised bill includes provisions on creating a National Standard for Aquaculture and aquaculture enterprise zones. Aquaculture enterprise zones will be spaces within the ocean to be identified by NOAA as “favorable to development,” which means they will have low impact on the ecosystem and on other ocean-based industries.
The lack of a predictable, affordable and efficient permitting process in federal water (defined as the area between 12 miles offshore and 200 miles offshore) has set back the development US offshore aquaculture. For instance, it has been four years since NOAA opened the federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico to aquaculture but lack of clarity as to who has jurisdiction over it discouraged businesses from applying for permits.
Seafood industry group Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) lauded the bill. It said federal legislation is an important first step and is critical to the competitiveness of the American seafood industry.
PANDEMIC impacts North American AQUACULTURE
BY
Disruptions due to COVID-19 have dragged down seafood sales all over North America and the impact is felt across the supply chain. Restaurant closures have badly affected farmers from Alaska to Washington State to their peers in British Columbia all the way to Atlantic Canada. From the amount of stories shared with Aquaculture North America (ANA), oyster farmers appear to be the hardest hit by the shutdowns. But farmers raising tilapia, trout, catfish and shrimp also have their own stories to tell.
OYSTERS
At Alaska Shellfish Farms in Halibut Cove, AK, business is nil. Owners Greg and Weatherly Bates were forced to lay off their three workers in March. “We are now working our farm with our two children who can’t attend school. Our family is working without pay through this. We’re trying to prepare for when markets re-open,” says Weatherley.
Farm work also has to go on at Cottage City Oysters on Martha’s Vineyard, MA. But without the restaurant orders, co-owners Dan and Greg Martino are leaving the oysters in the waters of the Vineyard Sound, a strategy that’s not without complications. “We expect to receive seed in the spring but it will be difficult to manage the crop as we typically depend on emptying cages (through sales) that we can then utilize for the seed. This year we won’t have those empty cages for the seed,” says Dan.
Retired Louisiana Sea Grant researcher John Supan, who co-owns Navy Cove Oyster Co LLC in Ft Morgan, AL,
faces the same problem. Leaving the oysters in the water until the market demand resumes brings another issue. “We’re selling a brand like everyone else and we don’t want the oysters to become too big. If worse comes to worst, we can sell them to processors who shuck oysters for meat but that brings in 20 cents a piece instead of 50 cents a piece for half shell,” says Supan.
The Martino siblings have shifted to selling online and delivering via UPS or drop-off spots where locals can pick up orders.
At Navy Cove, the idea of offering oysters at a roadside stall came to mind but was quickly ditched. “The farm is isolated so there’s not much traffic. We also would have to get a distribution license first because at the moment we are not licensed distributors. We sell our harvest to Bon Secour Fisheries, which then sells it to restaurants,” says Supan. He adds: “We’ve put together a little blurb that we’ll send out the people saying oysters are very high in zinc so it boosts the immune system: ‘Don’t take zinc, just eat oysters!’ But the challenge is getting the oysters into the consumers’ hands.”
The Martinos say farm tours, which run from May to October, have also suffered. “Martha’s Vineyard is a worldwide destination and our tours attract a global clientele who are eager to see how shellfish farming is done. In a given year we have hundreds of tourists visit our farm and by now we would be almost sold out. This year we have just one tour booked, which is likely not even going to happen,” says Dan.
In Washington State, business has dropped to zero for many of the farms that sell directly to suppliers that cater to restaurants, says David Beugli, executive director of the Willapa Grays Harbor Growers Association. The association represents farmers in the single largest oyster
growing area in the US, which produces nearly 25 percent of all oysters in the entire country.
“Clam sales are at a standstill too. Anything that’s for the half-shell has dropped off completely. Retail outlets on farms have also closed,” says Beugli.
One of the association’s members is Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the United States. The company has left in place a skeleton crew. It has laid off 26 staff, put 215 workers on “standby” and put another 195 in the Shared Work Program as of March.
“The standby category means they too have been laid off but the classification allows them to collect unemployment over a maximum of eight weeks without actively looking for work,” says Bill Dewey, director of public affairs.
“We are hoping the government will extend that as it looks like it will go longer for at least some of our workers. The Shared Work Program is for workers on reduced hours. It allows them to make up some of the lost income on other jobs or from unemployment,” he says.
At Fanny Bay Oysters in British Columbia, an operation owned by Taylor Shellfish, 13 out of the company’s 88 workers in the province were let go as of mid-March. Roughly 15 percent of the company’s production goes to restaurants, including to its own Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market. The Vancouver restaurant has been shut down temporarily.
“Demand from restaurants has gone down to zero. We just harvest less of the product and keep the oysters in the beach until demand comes back,” says Fanny Bay general manager Brian Yip.
L’Étang Ruisseau Bar, a New Brunswick hatchery that accounts for roughly 90 percent of the hatchery business in the province, has not been spared. “Our hatchery is still in production because stopping now would be disastrous and affect the seed supply for all of Atlantic Canada,” says Martin Mallet, hatchery manager.
“Sales have evaporated. We work mostly with shellfish wholesalers that supply the restaurant industry, which has
LIZA MAYER
Production goes on at a New Brunswick hatchery as stopping now would affect the seed supply for all of Atlantic Canada, it said.
Credit: L’Étang Ruisseau Bar
been the hardest hit by the pandemic. Unless we change our model in very short order, we could be looking at essentially zero sales over a period of months,” he continued. He feels fortunate the company is in good financial health. “Government initiatives aimed at helping businesses get through this will also make a difference for us and our staff,” he says.
Back in Washington State, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is reeling from the COVID-19 disruptions. The 575-member indigenous community calls aquaculture the cornerstone of their economy. The tribe has two shellfish hatcheries that grow oysters and geoduck seed for their own use and for sale to other farmers. They grow oysters, geoduck and Manila clams to market size in their tidelands.
Says Kurt Grinnell, CEO of Jamestown Seafood and Aquaculture: “Seafood sales are a revenue generator for the tribe. It pays for our social services and our health care, education, programs for our elders and children, affordable housing and restoration projects. Oysters are mostly consumed at restaurants, which means markets for our oysters have dried up. We aren’t selling any oysters other than shucked oysters right now so unfortunately we’re letting go some workers.”
The geoducks business isn’t any better, he says. “We sell the majority of our geoduck in China and they’re struggling too. This has a cascading effect on our operations as a whole. We’re living the same nightmare that the rest of the Americans and the rest of the world is living.”
BC seafood distributor Blundell Seafood acknowledged the restaurant closures have forced it to cut down on Atlantic salmon orders. “A lot of Japanese restaurants we supply to use Atlantic salmon and there’s not many restaurants open now,” says Stanley Kwok, assistant general manager.
He noted however that orders from retail clients for steelhead are “still going strong, surprisingly.”
BCSFA spokesperson Shawn Hall is not surprised. “Retail demand is increasing as families are looking for healthy meals to cook at home,” he says.
He also said none of the BC farmers are affected by the closures of the US-Canada borders because food is an essential service. Farmers however had to modify their daily operations in according to guidelines from health authorities . In Atlantic Canada, salmon farmers have not required any changes in production plans due to COVID-19, says Susan Farquharson, executive director of the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association. “Getting farmed salmon to local and US markets remains a priority for our members. Today, our companies have not required any changes in production plans due to COVID-19,” she said in March.
TROUT
Katie Mackey Harris, president and general manager at Mt Lassen Trout & Steelhead in Paynes Creek, California, says the stay-at-home order of California Governor Gavin Newsom on 20 March has “effectively put a stop to all of the markets we serve at my farm.”
“As of right now, we have no sales for the foreseeable future and this is traditionally our busiest time. Our other markets are the restaurants, which are also closed. I pray this ends quickly but I am not optimistic given the conditions here in California. My goal is to try to stay in business
with as few layoffs as possible,” says Harris, who is also the president of the US Trout Farmers Association.
“For many trout farmers the summer is the busiest time for the recreational fishing industry. In places like California where the weather is warmer, the winter and spring are the busiest times for recreational stocking. How long these quarantines last and when stocking can resume or begin will probably dictate the fate of many farms.”
The world’s leading producer of eyed trout eggs, Troutlodge, has ensured clients and the industry that it is prepared to continue delivering trout eggs amidst the challenges.
“Troutlodge’s role as largest trout genetic company in the world is critical for global trout production,” said the Washington State company in a statement. “That’s why we’re
Japanese restaurants are big consumers of Atlantic salmon. Restaurant shutdowns have dampened sales of seafood overall Credit: ©pongmoji / Adobe Stock
How long the quarantines last and when stocking can resume will probably dictate the fate of many trout farms, says the president of the US Trout Farmers Association Credit: ©Tobias Arhelger / Adobe Stock
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“We know these turbulent times could require investigating alternate routes or different carriers, but we come prepared. With almost 80 years of experience shipping eggs to more than 60 countries around the world, we are very resourceful in delivering your trout eggs to your doorstep any day, as long as borders are open to goods,” it said.
Alabama produces roughly 130 million pounds of catfish annually, or roughly onethird of America’s catfish.
“Today I don’t know of any and I am not saying that there are, but if processors stop processing fish we would not be able to sell them and that would cause a cash-flow problem. We’re coming into our feeding season so we need to keep everything moving. We need to keep our supply lines of foods, any food, to keep everyone fed.”
He says he is glad to hear “someone in Washington” finally acknowledging aquaculture and the pandemic’s impact on the sector.
Blue Ridge Aquaculture, the world’s largest producer of indoor-raised tilapia, has seen sales drop by an average of 20 percent since the onset of the pandemic. The Virginiabased company sells 90,000 to 100,000 live fish a week to three major markets in the United States.
The closures of restaurants in New York accounted for the bulk of the decline, said Bill Martin, owner and president of Blue Ridge. “In New York, the restaurants have all been ordered to close. And the supermarket business is down because the employees do not want to come to work. I understand that,” he said.
He believes the market disruption was still “not at its pinnacle” as of March.
“It’s going to slow down some more. We anticipate it’s probably going to be down by 40 percent at some point.”
But he is not worried, he said, because tilapia enjoys a niche market in the United States. “It is as much a staple to the Chinese market in the US as rice.”
“We got very good finances so we’re not overly concerned,” he added. “Most farmers in our business don’t have big supply of cash and that’s too bad because when business goes down by 50 percent and you got no cash, that makes it really difficult.”
“I’m not scared to death like everybody else.”
The price and demand for catfish have fallen but there have been no layoffs as of early April, says Townsend Kyser III, who runs the Kyser Family Farms in Greensboro, AL.
“Plants are not running at full capacity due to a drastic drop in orders. Hopefully we can increase some retail sales and get people to buy catfish in grocery stores,” says Kyser, who is also the chairman of the Catfish Farmers of America.
He estimates that sales to the restaurant sector accounts for roughly 70 percent of catfish sales. To shift sales to retail, farmers groups are stepping up marketing efforts to inform people that catfish is easy to cook and a great source of protein. One avenue is www.USCatfish.com. “Besides, it’s got six months of shelf life so people could stock up,” he says.
“I’m kind of upset that they have been lumping all seafood into (the category) agriculture and now they’re finally realizing how much aquaculture might be affected by this. Today’s the first time (since the pandemic’s onset) I’ve heard anyone say that. I’m glad that somebody’s finally acknowledging that. We can go without crew ships, we can go without Disney World, but we can’t go without food,” he said.
SHRIMP
In the farmed shimp sector there have been no layoffs as of yet, says Granvil Treece, Texas Aquaculture Association board member and aquaculture consultant at Treece and Associates.
Shrimp’s position as the most popular seafood among Americans perhaps has something to do with it.
“The two farms with hatcheries in Texas are getting started. They are stocking into nurseries for a month to six weeks until outdoor pond temperatures are high enough to support growth. Then they will be moving the one-month to six-weeks-old juveniles to the ponds and restocking the nurseries for the second summer crop. As far as I know there has been no change in these plans because of the virus,” he says.
Gregory Whitis, an aquaculturist at the Alabama Fish Farming Center who helped build Alabama’s shrimp industry, is more worried about hatchery workers being unavailable as part of health and safety measures. He is not surprised seafood sales are softening. “Seafood is mostly consumed in restaurants,” he says.
MARINE
TILAPIA
CATFISH
The closures of restaurants in New York accounted for the bulk of the decline in sales for the world’s largest producer of indoorraised tilapia, Blue Ridge Aquaculture Credit: ©Cesar Machado / Adobe Stocks
Shrimp’s position as the most popular seafood among Americans perhaps has something to do with the modest impact on shrimp sales Credit: ©weerasreesam /Adobe Stock
Catfish processing plants are not running at full capacity due to a drastic drop in orders
LESSONS FROM A PANDEMIC: We need domestic aquaculture as never before
The restrictions we’re seeing on the movement of people and products across borders bolster the case for a stronger domestic aquaculture. We need to act now, says the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance
Support for aquaculture development at the local, state, and federal level is urgently needed Credit: ©zorandim75 / Adobe Stock
BY JEANNE MCKNIGHT AND JOHN DENTLER
On the eve of the passage of H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, some 200 US companies and trade associations—representing wild and farmed seafood producers, large and small—in a rare show of unity, rallied behind an urgent communiqué to Congress and to the Administration requesting relief for an industry that saw its main market, foodservice (restaurants and institutional operators), disappear almost overnight.
Specifically, the industry requested Congress to:
1 Maintain USDA’s Section 32 Funding Levels and expand these to include “an additional appropriation of at least $2.0 billion for Section 32 activities that directly support the supply chain of domestically produced seafood to end consumers.” (Section 32 provides for the purchase of high-quality food for the National School Lunch Program, the Commodity Food Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and emergency food purchases for victims of natural disasters.)
2 Provide an initial $1.5 billion to the US Department of Commerce to provide direct relief for fishery disasters caused by Federal, State, and Local government responses to COVID-19. In brief, this section asks Congress to trigger the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) as well as sections of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (IJFA) to permit the Secretary of Commerce to make funding available “as soon as practicable” to fishery and seafood businesses uniquely impacted by closure of restaurant and foodservice businesses. Part of this request also included a request to Congress to allow the Secretary of
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Commerce to waive certain requirements under MSA and IJFA so that injured business could quickly receive needed aid.
3
Appropriate a minimum of $500 million for the Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, to purchase surplus commercial seafood that can be shipped overseas or supplied to domestic organizations. This section essentially asks for direct government purchases for assisted living communities, hospitals, and other government programs, for example.
When the dust settled, an earmark of $300 million was inserted into the bill, aimed at fishing and aquaculture-related businesses “not otherwise covered by agricultural disaster assistance programs.” While the $300 million will help many businesses in the short-term, in the longer-term, the seafood industry, wild harvest and farmed producers alike, must strengthen domestic production and processing of seafood, given the emerging challenges of importing seafood when borders are tightening if not closing, and many companies are temporarily halting and/or delaying harvest and production.
Bottom line: If the COVID-19 pandemic is teaching us anything, it is that the United States needs to support seafood production as never before. And with the limited capacity of wild harvest to grow beyond its current yield, this supply— our food security—must come from aquaculture. That means all aquaculture— shellfish, seaweed/sea vegetables, and finfish (including land-based freshwater and marine, whether via net pens flowthrough, RAS or partial-RAS).
As a side note, we find it curious that Senator Maria Cantwell, D-WA, was
originally “ok” with NOT specifying that the $300 million would include all forms of aquaculture, yet in her March 31, 2020 newsletter to constituents, she states that the $300 million is intended to support “shellfish aquaculture” rather than all forms of aquaculture. As of this writing, we are looking for clarity on this issue.
In short, support for aquaculture development at the local, state, and federal level is urgently needed, and needed now.
We at the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) believe it is time for the United States, specifically our West Coast region, to embrace aquaculture for its public health and economic development benefits, and as a food security strategy. We suggest it is time to take inventory of the many hurdles that regional aquaculture producers must leap—some redundant—to succeed.
Farming fish, shellfish, and seaweed also supports community economic development providing jobs in rural areas where they are direly needed.
In the United States, most people do not consume the amount of seafood needed for good health. A significant benefit of aquaculture is that it delivers a nutritious product that consumers can afford. One need only venture into a just about any store these days to see the price jump for farmed salmon (mostly from Norway and Chile) as much as $2/pound from
pre-pandemic pricing. And a quick check of prices of new direct to consumer websites shows Alaska salmon to cost as high as $24/pound. Who in the era of layoffs can afford that?
Bottom line: If we are to continue to eat one of the most nutritionally beneficial and affordable foods available (and we all need the nutrients that seafood provides to keep our immune systems strong), we need to encourage, support, and foster domestic aquaculture—in all of its varieties—to take place in this country (and this state).
There has never been a more important mission.
John Dentler earned his JD from Seattle University, B.S. in Fisheries and M.S. in Ecology from U.C. Davis, and is President of the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance. He is also a senior adviser to Troutlodge, the world’s largest producer of eyed trout eggs. Each year Troutlodge produces and sells about 500 million live trout eggs worldwide.
Jeanne McKnight, Ph.D., has been involved in strategic communications and advocacy for the global seafood industry for more than 25 years, representing both the wild harvest and aquaculture sectors. A former communications director for the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Jeanne currently serves as Executive Director of NWAA.
BC salmon farmers adapt to new reality
British Columbia’s salmon farmers have modified daily procedures to be able to continue to provide food—estimated at roughly 6.5 million meals per week— while keeping employees and consumers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BC Government has identified aquaculture as among the “essential services” during the pandemic, defined as “necessary to preserving life, health, public safety and basic societal functioning.”
BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) Executive Director John Paul Fraser said the designation is a “significant responsibility, and one we take seriously.”
“BC’s salmon farmers and local businesses that support aquaculture are stepping up to do our part to ensure our food supply remains robust during this pandemic. We are taking strong measures to protect the health and safety of our employees, our partners and suppliers, and the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities where we live and work, as well as the wellbeing of our animals,” said Fraser.
“BC salmon farmers are taking action to protect team members and do our part to limit the virus’ spread, while ensuring we can continue to provide food for British Columbians and others during this extraordinary time,” said BCSFA spokesman Shawn Hall.
Mowi Canada West says it has made more than 50 changes to operations and procedures since February 27, the date it rolled out its first policy for managing the threat of COVID-19. “It seems like a long time ago,” said Dean Dobrinsky, HR director. “We take the province’s designation of aquaculture as an essential service during this emergency as a serious responsibility. Our commitment to employees is that we will be innovative and decisive in keeping you safe while you do that essential work, and that we will keep you informed every step of the way.”
Aside from enhanced hygiene and biosecurity measures at sites and enabling staff to maintain physical distancing, the company said it is also providing staff and their families, and contractors with resources and information about maintaining strong mental health and physical hygiene while at home.
At Cermaq Canada, a new “all in, all out” shift change has been implemented, where a crew is kept intact, and all employees are removed, before the next crew comes to site to reduce the chance of virus exposure between shifts.
Trips that shuttle employees to and from sites have increased 120 percent and their occupancy per trip reduced by 70 percent to allow for more personal space between passengers.
Vessel runs have also been changed to ensure that each run is only attending one farm site per trip, rather than dropping off employees at multiple farm sites.
Creative Salmon is limiting the number of people travelling to work together in the company’s vans and crew boat to allow for physical distancing.
“Staff used to move among our four sea sites helping with tasks as workload demanded, but this practice has changed,” says general manager Tim Rundle.
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Farmers seek relief from pandemic uncertainties
Only 5 percent of 652 respondents say their business could survive without sales for a period of more than 10 months Credit: © MIND AND I / Adobe Stock
The survey results indicate the sector’s diminishing confidence in its resiliency amid the uncertain business climate. When asked how confident they are to survive six months without intervention, 32 percent of respondents said “no”; 47 percent said “maybe”; and only 20 percent think they can survive. However, when the time frame was extended to 12 months, half of the respondents said their business would not survive without help.
Respondents think interventions in the form of Federal and State assistance, waiving or delay of state fees and selected loan guarantees will help keep the industry afloat. Measures to flatten the curve in the pandemic--ranging from social distancing and restaurant dining prohibitions to stay-at-home orders--have disrupted aquaculture market channels. Since an estimated 68 percent of all seafood consumed in the US is sold at food service establishments, loss of marketing channels means significant revenue losses for farmed fish suppliers.
Over Q1 2020 period, 84 percent of respondents reported that their business had experienced lost sales due to COVID-19, with approximately a quarter attributing lost sales to the lack of international markets. While most respondents could not quantify the value of lost sales during the quarter, 50 percent of them report to have lost $10,000 to $250,000, while four percent said they lost over $1 million in sales.
The survey also bares the sector’s vulnerability to cash flow disruption. When asked to estimate how many months their business could operate without any sales before suffering longer-term cash flow impact, 43 percent said their business could operate without any sales for between one and three months. Only 5 percent of respondents say their business could survive without sales for a period of more than 10 months.
Layoffs are an inevitable outcome of business instability. So far only 33 percent of respondents said they laid off employees, but 26 percent said they would have to lay off employees “soon.” The number of people that were let go ranges from one to three (57 percent) to four to six (20 percent). Only 7 percent said they laid off more than 20 staff, with one company having to slash 66 staff from its headcount. To avoid layoffs, others implement less extreme measures such as standby layoff, salary reduction for the management, or owners work without pay.
With reduced workforce, production will likely be impacted. The survey says 41 percent of respondents say they experienced issues with labor.
Besides labor issues, the survey shows that business is currently wrestling with challenges in financial services, in production inputs of feed, chemicals and therapeutants and unavailability of services including repair, construction, consultancy and engineering. Farmers think these problems will prevail in the near term.
New dates set for Boston seafood show
The Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America will be held from 22-24 September at the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center, said event organizer, Diversified Communications.
The event was to take place in March but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diversified it will reach out to exhibitors, buyers and other seafood professionals to provide further details about the September event in the coming weeks.
Another critical problem is the holding of market-ready products as some farmers could only keep them for a maximum of three months without interfering with new production. Some farmers also think that holding readyfor-market products during the pandemic would decrease their marketability.
Read the firsthand account of fish farmers struggling to cope with the challenges wrought by the pandemic on page 6.
continued from cover
Should fish farmers worry about AI?
Another tech giant, Elon Musk, refers to AI as “our biggest existential threat.” Yet despite such intimation of dystopian doom and gloom with AI-powered bots subverting humanity, various industry verticals— including aquaculture—continue to herald the benefits of AI and Machine Learning (ML) and the positive ways it disrupts the industry. Does AI pose any risks to aquaculture today? Or should we welcome the technology with open arms? Our in-house techie Lalou Ramos weighs in.
good thing is there are encryption and data protection technologies that address different types of security threats. In addition, regulations on the storage or usage of data are constantly being reviewed and improved to secure data and protect data owners.
A WINNING COMBINATION
Artificial Intelligence or the use of computer algorithms to perform tasks that normally require human understanding isn’t new, but why are people talking about it as if it’s a recent discovery?
That is correct, Artificial Intelligence has been around for nearly 60 years but it’s only recently that we see tangible applications across different industry verticals including aquaculture. Actionable insights generated through Machine Learning are being used extensively to enhance processes and experiences that promise greater efficiency and profitability for fish farmers.
Mechanical and electronic devices such as automatic feeders have been in existence for years, why did it take decades to make such equipment “smarter”?
AI requires massive computing storage and processing speeds to store data, classify and label them, and get them to execute complex tasks quickly. Those were not yet available during the early days of AI. The availability of computers with greater processing power, the option to store data in cloud and the ability to push or access data in mobile devices all help to accelerate the cross-industry adoption of AI. These factors also enable Machine Learning, where computers learn and improve from experience without explicitly being programmed.
If Machine Learning is about collecting data and using it to help computer learn, what kind of data is being collected to create AI-based aquaculture applications? Machine learning algorithms learn models from historical data. In the aquaculture context, data sets could come in the form of farm practices, yields, and environmental data sources. Each data is classified and labeled to ensure that they are accurate enough to reflect real vision of the world or market.
Should we be concerned about such data being compromised?
Data breaches are some of the unfortunate consequences of building a hyper-connected and digitized business environment. The
That said, certain level of openness and sharing of best practices and data among aquaculture industry players are necessary for the industry to move forward. For instance, the development of diagnostic platform for fish diseases using neural networks may require international collaboration and the gathering of data and information from volunteer farms around the world. The more data shared and gathered the more accurate and useful the outcome.
What are some of the promising AI-driven applications available in the market?
We see many new AI-based applications capitalizing on the ubiquity of mobile phones to make aquaculture platforms that are easy to deploy, use and maintain.
For instance, from Japan and Singapore came a smart feeder that can be controlled remotely via smartphones. This helps farmers optimize feeding schedule to reduce waste and increase profitability at the same time help them save time and maintain better work-life balance. In India, a company made a mobile application that helps shrimp farmers predict diseases and enhance water quality.
We see drones and robots that collect many different types of data ranging from water pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen levels, turbidity, pollutants which can help farmers make business decisions more accurately and profitably. There is also a company that deploys robo-fish to detect underwater pollution sources near fish farms.
Those apps are highly beneficial and not sinister at all. But going back to Elon Musk’s warning, how can we be sure that the aquaculture industry will not be run by robo-fish/ autonomous weapons in the near future?
There are AI applications designed automate tasks associated with human tacit knowledge or personal knowledge of behavior and perceptions of people but the world has not turned a blind eye on the threats of AI and how it can potentially impact jobs or human safety. There will be watchdogs for AI. For instance, top universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and MIT have established human-centered AI (HAI) research, which advances the idea that the next frontier of AI is not just technological but also humanistic and ethical. They believe that AI should enhance humans rather than replace them.
Credit: Andrey Suslov / iStock / Getty Images Plus /Getty Images
VIEWPOINT
By Brad Hicks
Dr Brad Hicks has been working in the fish farming industry for over 40 years. He has raised six species on a commercial basis and helped pioneer sablefish aquaculture. He contributed his expertise to various fish farming operations throughout Canada, the US and Chile, and fish feed operations in Canada. Pertinent to this current discussion, Dr Hicks was responsible for the decision to install the first RAS smolt rearing facility in British Columbia in the mid-1990s. Dr Hicks holds degrees in fish and wildlife biology BSc, veterinary pathology MSc and veterinary medicine DVM.
Government report on BC aquaculture ‘pretty much old news’
State of Salmon Aquaculture Technologies Report offers no solutions to long-standing problems of land-based farming, writes seafood industry veteran
In February 2020 the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released a report prepared by Gardner Pinfold Consultants Inc of Nova Scotia, which evaluated four technologies for rearing market-size Atlantic salmon.
Land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), hybrids involving land- and marine-based open pen systems, floating closed-containment systems, and offshore open production systems were evaluated using a variety of criteria based primarily on economic viability, readiness for deployment and environmental performance. Its conclusion: land-based (RAS), and a hybrid approach that combines land-based with open net pen production systems are the technologies ready for deployment in British Columbia. Because closed-containment systems and offshore systems are not considered to be ready for deployment, comments here will be limited to RAS and hybrid systems.
HYBRID SYSTEMS
The hybrid system is ready for commercial application in BC. In fact, hybrid systems with smolt production in land-based RAS systems are already being used successfully in BC and most of the world. Transition to post-smolt production will require only a few relatively minor adjustments. The performance of post-smolts is not guaranteed and is being evaluated. Once evaluation is complete, we will have a better idea of the actual reliability of hybrid systems.
RAS SYSTEMS
I have written several articles on the hope placed in landbased RAS systems versus the reality that contradicts it. My general conclusion was these systems have not proven to be commercially viable for the rearing of market-size Atlantic salmon. The DFO report has done nothing to allay my fears.
There is nothing in the report that evaluates or provides solutions for the complete lack of financial success of RAS systems for rearing market-size Atlantic salmon. Only excuses are provided:
“It must be recognized that while this assessment can only reflect a point in time, aquaculture technologies are developing very rapidly. The relevance of similar assessments completed just five years ago is limited. Much of the information about the performance and capabilities of aquaculture systems quickly becomes outdated.”
The report then lists the current long-standing problems with RAS systems but provides no solutions:
1. Financial. Despite 25 years of efforts and hundreds of millions of dollars in spending there are still no profitable RAS systems producing market-size Atlantic salmon. In contrast, net pens were profitable from the start.
2. Off-flavour remains a major issue.
3. Fish Health. In addition to several viral, bacterial and parasitic problems, RAS systems have also had large fish kills from the toxicities generated in the systems, such as hydrogen sulfide and gas bubble disease.
4. Early maturation has been a chronic problem.
The report has some useful insights. It acknowledges that the hybrid system combining land-based RAS smolt production with open net-pen growout is a viable system.
5. Design limitations, which result in “dead” (low-oxygen) spots in the system. These should eventually be solved.
6. Overcrowding (stocking density). Growing fish at very high densities has been one of the “spreadsheet solutions” to the high capital and high operating costs of these systems. Too bad nobody asked the fish if they could tolerate such high densities.
7. High growing temperatures. Fish in these systems are currently being grown at relatively high temperatures in order to obtain maximum growth rates. This is another “solution” for the higher capital and operating costs RAS systems require. There is significant suspicion that these higher temperatures may be contributing to the problem of early maturation.
8. Capital cost is still too high. The high capital cost of these systems significantly hampers profitability.
9. Lack of clear policy. In British Columbia the lack of clear policy on how access to water and ability to discharge waste will affect RAS. Lack of clear rules will impede access to capital.
LEGAL AND POLICY
A strength of the report is that it articulates the requirements for a legal framework to enable aquaculture to thrive: “Clear and effective legislation and policy has been a pre-cursor in other countries to the development of new technologies. Clarity and stability allows investors to leverage capital, which is essential to profitable businesses and investment in innovation.”
For some elusive reason Canada has been completely impotent when it comes to making any progress on this front despite numerous calls for action going back many years.
For more than 36 years Canada was unable to make any progress in solving this problem. In 1984 Professor Bruce Wildsmith from Dalhousie University, at the request of the DFO, published a report outlining the need for the establishment of an Aquaculture Act for Canada. Although the nuance of his arguments may seem a little dated, the underlying problems of not having an Aquaculture Act remain the same today as they did 36 years ago.
Recently, the current Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has been given a mandate letter from the Prime Minister to draft an Aquaculture Act. Hopefully some progress can be made.
CONCLUSIONS
A careful read of the report, coupled with the knowledge of the current state of the art for rearing market-size Atlantic salmon using RAS has led me to conclude that the report is overreaching with its conclusion that “Land-based RAS … technology [is] ready for commercial development in BC.”
The report has some useful insights. It acknowledges that the hybrid system combining land-based RAS smolt production with open net-pen growout is a viable system.
The report also acknowledges the need for a much-improved governance framework. For any form of farming— including fish farming—to thrive in Canada we need good supportive legislation and policies. For many years Canada has lagged behind our competitors in the arena of policy and legislative development for fish farming. Instead of developing the appropriate standalone legislation for aquaculture it has continued to steadfastly bastardize the Fisheries Act to produce an inconsistent, unworkable regulatory framework for aquaculture in this country. It is time to move forward with a regulatory framework beginning with an Aquaculture Act structured with enabling legislation so that Canada can gainfully participate in the farming of the oceans.
Although in my margin notes I described the report as a superficial blue-sky analysis lacking any critical review of the financial limitations of the proposed technologies, it is worth a read.
Credit: Liza Mayer
Credit: strichfiguren.de
Q & A with an aquaculture recruiter
Having the right staff in aquaculture operations can make all the difference when it comes to growing fish. We speak with CEO and co-founder of AquacultureTalent, Cristian L. Popa Aved, on the nuances of hiring talent for the aquaculture industry. The recruitment agency has been helping the industry search for the best employee since 2016. A spinoff from DB Partner, a seafood industry-focused staffing and recruitment agency founded in 2007 in Norway, AquacultureTalent today has four offices in Norway, the United States and South America.
What are the top 5 qualities that employers are looking for in candidates?
Being the right fit for a job isn’t just about having the right qualifications and background. From our experience employers are also looking for candidates with the right personality traits. The essential part of the recruitment process starts once the candidate gets into the interview process, where the whole picture changes. Employers are looking for qualities in their new hires that are never listed in the job ad. They want to meet people who are self-directed and responsible. Candidates will bring out those qualities through answers to the job interview questions and also through the questions they ask at the interview. We hire people who understand their own path, who can tell their story in such a way that they make it clear how they followed an interest or passions of theirs to the place they
stand in right now. Other qualities our clients and we look for in successful candidates are the energy, confidence, ambition, patience and intellectual curiosity.
What are the top 5 qualities that candidates are looking for in employers?
Employers should have the ability to bring the best out of their employees. They should have a concrete vision of their careers to inspire confidence in new candidates.
Our candidates have pointed out the following top qualities they always look after in pursuit of a better employer: career development and potential for growth; organization’s culture and work environment; strong leadership; sustainability; and work-life balance.
What are the biggest hiring challenges employers in aquaculture are facing today?
Aquaculture is developing very fast. The demand of talent and competence in this industry is on a global scale. With new technologies, and RAS systems coming along the biggest challenge is to find qualified talent who has the expertise, experience and also passion for this industry. Hiring talent from other industries is much harder for aquaculture because of the specific competencies and expertise needed, such as biology, technical and even engineering. There are also challenges in hiring for management and leadership
levels. Aquaculture management and leadership means more than just managing, coordinating, determining requirements and conducting an examination. As recruiters, collaborating with our clients’ HR team is necessary to attract the best talent.
How has the hiring landscape changed in the last five years? If anything is clear, it’s this: the rapid development of technology has fundamentally shifted the way we live and the way we work. In fact, some companies around the world in this industry are finding themselves being disrupted by this change. The recruiting landscape has both changed dramatically and stayed the same is some ways. While we’ve seen a proliferation of tools and technologies, even new processes and philosophies surrounding the craft of recruitment, we have also struggled through changes in markets and tight talent markets and sought the same purple squirrel candidates. We are challenged with the fact that having the largest pile of resumes and profiles doesn’t mean you have even ONE truly qualified candidate. Some of the biggest trends in hiring landscape come with the rise (and fall) of “culture fit” and the hunt for the ONE truly qualified candidate.
What changes do you see in aquaculture in the next five years and what are their important implications for workforce skills?
The inability to extract more seafood from the oceans has, and will, drive the need for increases in aquaculture production on global level. Companies around the world are setting the vision for the future of aquaculture with new technologies and innovations.
Collaboration and partnership, innovation and transparency are some key factors for this industry in helping provide a healthy and sustainable protein source what is in high demand. Talents are the key factor driving this industry, as new technologies and innovations are in place, training and education for the workforce to develop key skills are a must in the future.
UAS Fisheries Technology iPad
/ Adobe Stock
STAYING STRONG TOGETHER
Our community is unified in support of the aquaculture industry as we weather the COVID-19 global pandemic. On behalf of the Aquaculture North America team, thank you for your overwhelming response in sharing some words of solidarity and how your organization is adjusting to this new normal. We are all in this together!
To all of you, your families and businesses suffering from the Coronavirus pandemic, thank you for going the extra distance to continue feeding the world. Without your perseverance to continue operations, the world would be much worse off. Thank you and stay safe. The Adsorptech team, John, Apurva, & Jim James Flaherty • Adsorptech Inc.
AirSep thanks the fish farming community for what they do every day. We know you are intently focused on providing the best resources and working hard to keep those who work in the industry safe while caring for the livestock.
On behalf of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC) 2020 Board of Directors and staff, we thank our aquatic farmers, the service and supply industries and those continuing to support the industry. We especially want to thank the families of farmers who are continuing to produce a sustainable food supply for Canadians.
Entreprises Shippagan Ltd. and our Group of Companies’ main priority is to ensure the safety of our employees and business partners. Furthermore, we want to minimize any potential disruption to our valued customers. With this in mind, we proudly continue to service our partners within the Commercial Seafood and Aquaculture sectors who are working very hard during these exceptional circumstances. This means supporting families and communities, which is important to us. We stand ready to assist and support our industries with our amazing team, products and services. Take care and be safe!
Jonathan Gagné • Entreprises Shippagan Ltd.
Dear readers, As a family company, we understand the effect that COVID-19 is having on the aquaculture industry globally. There is nothing more important to us than the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, customer and communities. We will continue to adapt to the challenges COVID-19 presents, focused foremost on safety and ongoing service. Although COVID-19 has created unprecedented uncertainty, you can have complete confidence in our commitment to you. There is plenty of food to go around, a food shortage is something you will not need to worry about. We thank farmers, producers, processors truck drivers and store personnel and everyone working tirelessly to ensure a stable food supply. Stay well,
Mark Lyons, Ph.D. • Alltech President & CEO
The Aqua Logic Family sends our best to all industry friends and their families during this time of crisis. These are the times that define us all and Aqua Logic is here for you and your business as we ALL adjust to these extraordinary circumstances and continue to look out for one another along this journey. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.
Douglas Russell • Aqua Logic Inc.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, things are going to continue to be very uncertain but we’re all in this together. The way we treat one another in these challenging times will show our true character. Be considerate, be kind, be gentle with one another and be neighborly. We are doing everything we can to help everyone from sending critical parts, listening to our friends’ and colleagues’ challenges and even making masks for our customers in need. We are here for you.
Amy Stone • Aquatic Equipment and Design Inc.
We hope everyone stays safe and makes it safely through this pandemic. We are all in this together, globally. Aquacare continues to support our customers to implement improved aquaculture methods and best construction practices even as we are all working from our homes for the time being. Our supply chain is functioning and shipments of equipment are flowing. We are all available by phone and email to assist our customers. All the best from the team at Aquacare.
Henning Gatz • Aquacare Environment Inc.
The world has changed dramatically this week alone, and we are facing challenging times. Our thoughts are with those impacted directly by Coronavirus, here and around the world. At such a time of uncertainty, we want to reassure you that SED Graders is committed to helping reduce the spread of Coronavirus in an effort to keep all our customers - and community - safe and healthy. We are here to help our customers keep running as smooth as possible in difficult times... and to ensure you are in a position to move forward once things do get back on track. Thank you
Tanita Jacobs • SED Manufacturing Services Administration
Brabender is committed to the Aquaculture community. As we approach a century of providing cutting edge technology in laboratory testing, Brabender realizes that business, as we know it, may change for the foreseeable future. In the coming weeks, we will be implementing a laboratory virtual experience using many of our social media platforms, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. By visiting these sites and providing your feedback, we can enhance the overall experience as we move forward to tailor to our customer’s needs. We look forward to the day we get back to normalcy, but until then, please stay healthy and safe. Brabender CWB
Keith
Nicole Ryan Moe Sheila Philip
Pull out and put on your wall! Stay motivated!
STAYING STRO
Cargill is working hard to nourish the world, and were also working hard to fill the world with gratitude and positivity during a challenging time. In this moment we thank all the farmers who give us nourishment and work tirelessly growing the food we need today and food we’ll need tomorrow. We’re all connected even when we’re all apart.
Colleen C. Crewe • Sales Consultant - EWOS Canada Ltd.
Cargill Aqua Nutrition North America
As we confront the hardships of novel coronavirus, COVID-19, I encourage fellow farmers and industry members to work within your community to meet the challenges we collectively face. We were pleased to assist emergency responders by donating a case of N95 masks used for our fiberglass production. To meet the needs for nutritional local food prepared at home, we’ve lowered prices and increased the availability of our oysters and shucked pints. And we’ve moved forward with hatchery spawns so MidAtlantic farmers will have sufficient seed to grow a new stock of oysters this summer. So stay well, stay informed and stay in touch.
Ricky Fitzhugh• Managing Partner Hoopers Island Oyster Co.
In this crisis, we stand together with the fish farming community and offer you our continued support. Badinotti Net Services Canada offers essential services to the aquaculture industry. Our highest priority continues to be the safety of our employees and clients. We want to thank all aquaculture businesses and employees for their endurance and dedication. We are all in this together. We will conquer this together!
Simon G. Proctor • General Manager Badinotti North America
our
From your friends at The Center for Aquaculture Technologies
For over 60 years, Faivre has worked alongside aquaculturists, developing solutions to improve both their lives, and those of their fish. We share the same passion and, today, the same compassion, for those affected by these troubled times. Please reach out to us. We are here for you. We are with you. And we will stay with you, together for all of the great tomorrows to come.
Jean-Louis Faivre, President Aubert Faivre Commercial Director Emmanuel Briquet, Representative North America
We at Extru-Tech, Inc are hyper-aware of our social responsibility, including the safety and health of our employees, clients, and supply chain partners. As an “essential business” status, Extru-Tech will remain open for business. We are doing all we can to execute orders and projects on time and maintain our supply of spare parts and services for both new machines as well as existing plants. Should a challenge occur, we will be as agile as possible and work together with our clients to find solutions on an individual basis. Our clients are all working well beyond any anticipated levels to fill market demands to provide crucial nutrition for the aquafeed industry. Extru-Tech, Inc. is responding in similar and adaptive ways to keep our clients operational.
We at Global Aquaculture Supply Company salute those of you on the frontlines of fish farming as we all make our way through uncharted waters. Our new sales manager Mike Fudge has been working from home and can help you place an order to get exactly what you need for your operation. Go to our website globalaquaculturesupply.com or email Mike at m.fudge@ globalaquaculturesupply.com to let us know how we can help you. Take care and stay well from your friends at GASC.
Aquaculture supports families, communities, the economy and provides food for all. At DiveSafe International we salute the industry and offer our full support through these uncharted waters. Keep healthy, keep safe, keep farming and keep feeding the world, from your friends at DiveSafe International. Kelly Korol • Director of Training and Operations DiveSafe International
These challenging times will not last forever. To stay strong and positive we must focus on what is truly important: for fish farmers, that means bringing security to the food supply by providing a safe and healthy source of locally-produced, nutritious seafood, ensuring the viability and strength of our companies and our countries. For us, the manufacturers, the equipment suppliers, the service providers, that means bringing you the most efficient tools to help you achieve this core mission. After the turbulence passes, we’ll all be stronger and wiser. Emmanuel, John & Tom • SEAREN
A shout out of support to our friends in the Global Aquaculture Industry who are continuing to work through these difficult times to provide safe, healthy and sustainable seafood products for the people in the world to consume. We appreciate your dedication and hard work along with your personal sacrifices to ensure a steady supply of protein.
Thank you from the Global Team at Cryogenetics!!! www.cryogenetics.com
To
peers, colleagues, and customers in the aquaculture community, we wish you strength and resilience for the days ahead. We are with you.
NG TOGETHER
During this period where we are living with COVID-19, there is no doubt that aquaculture is an essential industry. Hunger knows no boundaries, and we are best served by abandoning hunting and gathering in our lakes and oceans, and leaving the wild fish and shellfish to their own devices, as they support our environment in their ecological niches. We need aquaculture now more than ever.
Bill Manci • President and Certified Fisheries Professional Fisheries Technology Associates, Inc.
These are unprecedented times for the aquaculture industry and the world at large, but many of those involved in the global food supply chain remain on the front lines. With aquaculture producing 53 percent of the planet’s seafood, people are counting on us to continue providing healthy protein. So please stay safe out there and draw strength from the knowledge that you’re helping feed the world in a time of crisis. We will get through this – hopefully soon –and come out the other side stronger than ever.
David Kelly• CEO of Innovasea
In unprecedented times like these, we stand in solidarity with our salmon farming colleagues across Canada. We may be carrying out our administrative work from home, but Anthony and Darren from our Grand Falls-Windsor branch in NL are ready, as always, to support the industry with full backing of our wide resource. We are here to respond to the needs of our customers. Giving every one associated with aquaculture in the area our very best wishes during these challenging times.
Marc Wilson • Group Marketing Manager • Gael Force Group Ltd
MDM Pumps is very grateful to extend this message of encouragement to you all in these difficult times! Stand strong in the fight to flatten the infection curve. If you are lucky enough to work from home, our hope is you invest the extra time with your family and you are surrounded by smiles. If you are an essential field worker and have to face the higher risk of infection by leaving your home to work, we are sending special prayers for you and your safety. May all the crops stay safe and harvests abundant. Thank you for what you do for our industry to keep it operational. We will get through this!
We know these are uncertain times and we are all in this together. The aquaculture industry is made up of dedicated people that have met, and will continue to meet, challenges. We are open for business, working through the chaos that is our new normal for hopefully the short-term, and are here to support you in any way we can.
Barb Ziegelbauer • Fresh-flo Corporation
To our aquatic & aquaculture partners: Hayward Flow Control looks to support our industry during these challenging times. Having been granted Essential business status, all of our US based manufacturing and supply chain operations remain 100% functional and able to support the needs of our global partners. We will continue to provide updates regarding the situation at Hayward. We thank you for your understanding and continued support. Stay safe and healthy.
Hayward Flow Control
We are all in this together. We at Smiths Diesel and Power systems are still working servicing and repairing diesel engines and generators for all our aquaculture customer’s in Atlantic Canada. Please work safe! Kevin Smith • President • Smiths Diesel and Power Systems
The rapid changes that came with the global COVID-19 crisis forced all businesses to adapt quickly and Integrated Aqua Systems has been no different. Our resolve to continue working through the crisis , while keeping our staff safe, remains steadfast. Our production facility is fully operational. Our office and sales team is working remotely and we remain fully staffed to support the aquaculture industry. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected. I fully expect the aquaculture industry will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever!
We at PHARMAQ pay tribute to all the hardworking frontline workers in the Canadian aquaculture industry who are braving these challenging conditions to continue to provide nutritious seafood and support Canada’s economy. The effort the industry has put into enabling these staff stay safe and healthy during this time has been nothing short of amazing and has demonstrates how the industry has learned to act quickly on sound scientific advice. We will continue to do everything we can to provide our fish health products so essential to these operations. We are all in this together!
Sam Courtland• Founder, CEO • Integrated Aqua Systems Inc.
At ScaleAQ we are very grateful to the dedicated farmers who continue to grow fish in these challenging times. Thank you. Gary Knowles
STAYING STRONG TOGETHER
Oceans Design takes very seriously the recommendations from health experts as the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have “social distancing” measures in place to ensure the health of our employees and our customers and allow our warehouse to continue to operate at full capacity. Be assured, we are here to help mitigate any difficulties you may encounter sourcing equipment or services for your facilities during this time. Be safe out there and we will get through this together!
A big shout out to all the other aquaculture professionals out there who continue to work and support this industry during these challenging times. Whether you’re a hatchery technician, fisheries biologist, farm manager, aquaculture engineer, equipment supplier, maintenance contractor, feed mill operator or food processor, (I know I’m missing someone) you guys are the best and are a big part of why we do what we do. Keep up the good work, helping to produce and deliver food to all our families during this crisis. Thank you! The PR Aqua Team Ian Race • Product & Sales Manager • PR Aqua, ULC
Most people would not think that the C-19 virus outbreak would have a significant impact on something like aquaculture and mariculture but that would be wrong. After 48 years in this mariculture industry this is the most significant disruption to our industry we have ever witnessed. The effects will be far reaching for our friends and families of this industry. We at Pompano Farms send our most sincerest wishes and hopes for all that are effected to recover soon so we can get back to our normal challenges of growing sea food for America.
Michael F. McMaster• President Mariculture Technologies International Inc. Pompano Farms LLC
Skretting sends warm wishes to you all in these uncertain times. We wanted to thank all of you for contributing in any way to keeping us all united at a time when we may feel so physically distant. We keep producing high quality feed as a key part of the food value chain and maintaining our commitment to the highest levels of safety for our people and stakeholders. Our thoughts are with you all. Keep safe.
For 40 years, Riverdale Mills has committed to supplying Aquamesh® in the US to keep sustainable fisheries going and growing. We are proud to support and partner with oyster growers and fish farmers who are at the very heart of sustainable seafood production, year-round jobs and business opportunities, and the rebuilding of protected species and habitats. Thank you also to the world class researchers who support the farmers and fisheries. Stay safe and strong….as always. We send wishes of good health to all.
Triskell Seafood is an oyster trader and equipment supplier based in the northwest of Ireland. As traders we have been buying and selling oysters across Europe for over 20 years. But with markets shutting down and transport across borders becoming more problematic every day that part of our business has disappeared overnight. Like so many other companies we have had to adapt quickly to a new way of working in order to survive. Now skype meetings every morning remind us that home working is not ‘alone working’ and keep us focused on supporting our growers with advice and equipment so that when this is over we will be in business to celebrate 30 years!
Over the last 20 years West Coast Reduction has become a huge supporter of aquaculture on the West Coast of Canada. Aquaculture does an amazing job of growing and harvesting nutritious food and protein. With West Coast Reduction recycling by-products into high value proteins and oils it is also a more sustainable, stable resource. We here at West Coast Reduction know that the aquaculture industry is strong and resilient and events like we are experiencing show how essential it is to our economy.
The world is certainly a different place than it was just a few short weeks ago but, everyone at Troutlodge wants you to know that we are here, with the rest of you, to support an industry that feeds the world with high quality protein. We will all overcome this invisible enemy and, together we will make a stronger industry for everyone. Troutlodge wants you to know that we appreciate everyone’s support.
These are unprecedented times we are living in during this COVID-19 pandemic. We are going through this together and we will overcome this together. Wenger Mfg. and our customers have endured many trying times over the past 85 years together, and we want all our customers/ colleagues/friends to know that we will continue to be here for you during these difficult times. From our family to yours, be safe, continue to be kind to each other, after all, we are in this together.
Jesse Mitchell
VEK Environmental would like to send a huge shout out and thank you to all the dedicated individuals in the aquaculture industry for continuing their vital work!Your commitment to producing and supplying food in these unprecedented times is admirable. Thank you! During this difficult time, our manufacturing facility and our product lines have all been deemed an essential service and we will be doing our part to continue to support the industry with their oxygen, ozone and disinfection needs.
Chris Kinasewich • President • VEK Environmental
We thank the many people in the Canadian Aquaculture Industry who are working tirelessly to provide us with safe, fresh and locally grown fish and seafood. You have offered us food security on a whole new level in these turbulent times. We are honored now, more than ever, to be able to serve this incredible community!
Julia Webber Fish Farm Supply Co. Inc
To our friends around the world. Our thoughts are with you, your employees and your families during these challenging times. Now more than ever, you realize how small and interconnected the world really is. The challenges we face are mounting day by day and it can be easy to become disheartened. But in our conversations with you, we have been amazed and energized by the resilience and the pragmatism of our shellfish farming community around the world. The life of a farmer has never been easy but the regular day to day challenges have made shellfish farmers particularly resilient. And that helps us keep our chin up;thank you. Please reach out to us and let us know if there is anything that we can do to assist now or in the future. We hope you and your families stay healthy. Matt Will • Vice President - Sales & Operations
RAS players address talent shortage
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
One reason Geir Myre, global head of aquaculture at insurance giant AXA XL, believes RAS operations face talent challenges is that they resemble “big industrial factories,” having more in common with a major oil platform or a construction project than traditional ocean farming.
People feel more secure with job candidates they can “plug and play,” notes HR generalist Danielle Dorter, who has staffed hard-to-find talent both for start-ups and large organizations in several industries. There’s a preference for people who have done the same job somewhere else, so that they can hit the ground running in the new company.
RAS players say that adjacent fields, such as hatcheries, are among the places where they scout for talent Credit: L’Étang Ruisseau Bar
But that is difficult in RAS. Although fish farming has been around for decades in North America, the new RAS operations are on a different scale and, in key ways, represent an emerging industry—one reliant upon technology and a textbook example of risk concentration. As Atlantic Sapphire knows, a hydrogen sulfide event, or a power outage, can result in massive fish deaths.
This has led Myre to label RAS “very much a loss business for insurers today.”
ADAPTING SKILLS FROM ADJACENT INDUSTRIES
HR professionals often shorthand staffing solutions as “build or buy.” But in RAS, there’s little time to “build” and few places to “buy” people who have held the same roles. An alternative workforce strategy is to look to adjacent industries.
“Candidates might not have the required ‘role experience’ but have the skills that allow them to more quickly upskill toward the skills required for a given role,” says Gartner, a global research and advisory firm.
When Nordic Aquafarms hired a senior vice president of projects in California, Naess chose someone with over 20 years of experience in EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction), a type of construction contracting in which the risk for delivering on time and on budget rests with the contractor.
Naess, who started her career in management consulting, says that staffing from adjacent industries might be right for some positions, but not others. She emphasizes that a broad array of skills will be required for RAS operations. In both Maine and California, the company will need people at different levels in several areas, including fish production, technical, maintenance, and fishing processing.
With two RAS operations up and running in Norway and Denmark, Nordic Aquafarms installed in its Maine project an experienced production director from Europe. But it was able to find Maine natives with strong aquaculture credentials to lead technology and production areas.
Naess is confident there is ample transferrable aquaculture and marine biology knowledge in Maine and points to hatcheries as an adjacent arena with potential. In California, even before it had permits, Nordic Aquafarms began working with a local community college on an aquaculture program. continued from cover
Continued on page 20
AQUACULTURE EDUCATION DIRECTORY
Fleming College www.flemingcollege.ca/ programs/aquaculture
1-866-353-6464 ext. 3215
Jon.carter@flemingcollege.ca
Bellingham Technical College
www.btc.edu
306-752-8325 admissions@btc.edu
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility aquaculture.uwsp.edu 715-779-3461
Atlantic Veterinary College www.upei.ca/avc 902-566-0882 avc@upei.ca
Henry Aquaculture Consult Inc Faculty of Land and Food Systems aqua.landfood.ubc.ca 604-989-0045 lfs.aquaculture@ubc.ca 248 – 2357 Main Mall, H. R. MacMillan Building The University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ ubcLFS Twitter: @ubcLFS
University of Alaska Southeast – Sitka Campus UAS Fisheries Technology Program fishtechalaska.com 1-800-478-6653 ext. 7717 sitka.ssc@alaska.edu 1332 Seward Avenue Sitka, AK 99835 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ fishtechUAS/ Twitter: @UASSitka Instagram: uas_fishtech
Most of the team at steelhead RAS farm Hudson Valley Fisheries in Upstate New York either have fisheries or a marine biology degree, says CEO John Ng. Their background came in handy but the young team—comprised mainly of men and women below 30—learned on the job, he says.
“A number of our staff trained in house. Many were part of our original construction team to help build the tanks. They grew up with us and now they’re part of the actual fish farming operations. That really speaks to how my team is.”
WHAT COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR
Having the right people in the right jobs is one way to mitigate risk. Creating a strong ethical compass within an organization also reduces errors and process breakdowns, say risk
managers. RAS ventures agree that, first and foremost, they want people who share the company’s values.
Earlier this year, Naess terminated an executive in California after a “trophy” photo surfaced of him with a lion he had shot. “Values are not worth anything unless you act on them,” she says.
Similarly, Kirk Havercroft, CEO of Sustainable Blue in Nova Scotia, wants his staff to represent the company’s mission. As he said during RASTech’s RAS Talk podcast, his team sometimes spends evenings together screening conservation documentaries. “This is not 9 to 5. There are times when we might be grading fish until 10 or 11 at night. You can only do that if you’ve bought into the mission,” he says. “It’s a mindset.”
Aquaco, a new RAS farm that starts harvesting pompano this year, created a bond between its mission and functional leaders by bringing them on board a year before their dayto-day work began. Says CEO Joe Cardenas, a former commercial banker, “I wanted them there as part of the build, from literally ordering the equipment and installing it to then managing it.” He also gave them equity in the company.
Clearly, these new RAS players are pioneering a different approach to risk management. Instead of seeing it as a compliance issue solved by creating rules and enforcing them, they are creating cultures of ownership and belonging.
THE FINE ART OF ASSESSING TALENT
Selecting the best people starts with carefully crafted job descriptions. In addition to the competencies or “hard skills” related to each role, HR expert Dorter suggests including three or four “soft skills” or personality traits. “They make or break success,” she adds.
To cultivate these traits in the workplace, those behaviors should then be reinforced at every stage of the employee lifecycle, including performance evaluations and merit planning. Common traits that RAS leaders rank high include
learning agility, personal discipline, and teamwork.
HR head Cristina Espejo told RAS Talk listeners that Atlantic Sapphire values a highly structured mindset and the ability to work under stress, noting that people with those traits are the ones who will find a solution when an alarm goes off.
“What matters is you are prepared with an open mind, you’re curious and willing to learn and accept what is brand new,” says Havercroft. He advises that candidates come in with a degree of humility so that they can learn a new system.
Naess echoes that, saying “There is room for humor and not taking yourself too seriously all the time, although you take your work seriously.”
But how does an HR recruiter find out if a candidate really has these traits? Dorter recommends behavioral interviewing that utilizes questions like “Describe a time when [you had to solve a problem under stress]” or “Give me an example of [how a structured approach governs how you work.]” (See Q&A with an aquaculture recruiter on page 14.)
ONBOARDING TO BOOST PRODUCTIVITY EARLY
To get new employees up to speed as quickly as possible, Sustainable Blue has introduced an internal training syllabus specific to its building, system, and processes. Everyone has to take it and pass an exam afterwards. “We’ve had real success with it,” says CEO Havercroft, adding “It was the piece of the puzzle we were missing.”
Similarly, at Maryland’s Horn Point Hatchery, which deploys state-of-the-art automation, a basic manual backs up what interns learn on the job. Initiation includes a two-week intensive rotation among five divisions so that employees see the big picture. Then they can use the manual for reference. Says Julie Trommater, who oversees the algae lab, Horn Point interns have gone on to start oyster farms, run hatcheries, and work in biofuel. Maybe they will seize opportunities in RAS, too.
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN AQUACULTURE
Shape the future of sustainable aquaculture
At pompano farmer Aquaco, a number of staff were on board a year before the start of operations to create a bond between its mission and the team Credit: Aquaco Farms
Helping Alaska’s mariculture development move forward
The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) in Sitka is helping develop the required manpower for Alaska’s growing aquaculture industry.
The enthusiasm for mariculture development in Alaska that’s been brewing in recent years reached a new high early this year with the state getting—for the first time— its own aquaculture coordinator from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Industry stakeholders in Alaska believe this move will help advance the state’s mariculture development.
“Alaska is currently experiencing a shortage of fisheries technicians and fisheries biologists, a trend predicted to continue into the future. Our classes allow students to study wherever they are—whether in their home or out on a vessel—without disrupting their routines. These studies can lead to careers in aquaculture or fisheries management,” said the University.
The Sitka Campus of UAS has partnered with industry and regulatory agencies to develop programs that can meet the state’s growing need for qualified personnel.
Students can learn in various ways: from classes on university-provided iPads that are pre-loaded (and therefore don’t need Internet connection) with lectures, exams and readings to hands-on classes in Diving and Aquaculture.
LEARNING ON THE GO
Most Fisheries Technology courses can be taken online, at the student’s own pace, either in an online “hybrid” format with the student tuning in locally or from anywhere there is an Internet connection, or on the pre-loaded iPads. The iPads are loaned to the student by UAS. They contain all lectures, videos, readings, FAQs, and even the exams, which
can be taken remotely without proctoring services. “These ‘off-the-grid’ courses allow the student to complete an entire course at his or her own pace,” said the University.
The iPad course offerings include:
• Introduction to Fisheries of Alaska, Alaska Salmon Culture I
• Alaska Salmon Culture II
• Oceanography
• Fish Biology
• Fisheries Management
• Law and Economics
• Fisheries Management Techniques
To see a list of upcoming courses visit: http://www.uas. alaska.edu/career_ed/fisheries/classes.html
UAS programs include the Fisheries Technology Occupational Endorsements, Certificates and the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Fisheries Management and/or Aquaculture. Completion of the programs can lead to employment opportunities in a wide range of potential careers, including fish technicians or culturists, fisheries management assistants, fisheries observers, fish research technicians, fish and wildlife surveyors, habitat restoration technicians, natural resource technicians, stream surveyors, weir technicians or commercial fishers. UAS Fisheries Technology faculty and staff are available to discuss job availability, career paths, or educational next steps. They can be reached at (907) 747-7777 or 1(800)-478-6653.
HANDS-ON, INTENSIVE LEARNING
UAS also offers Semester Intensives for hands-on learning in both diving and aquaculture.
As part of the Dive Semester, students will have the opportunity to work with UAS faculty and become accomplished research divers. They will learn everything from basic dive skills to underwater rescue procedures and underwater data collection techniques. They will become familiar with local fish and invertebrate species while participating in new and ongoing marine-related research projects, as well as develop skills critical to underwater fieldwork such as basic skiff handling and small engine maintenance techniques.
The program offers students the opportunity to earn certifications as open water divers, dry suit divers, advanced open water divers, research divers, AAUS scientific divers, and DAN 1st Aid/ CPR and O2 providers, along with gaining experience in cold-water research and fieldwork.
Visit http://divesemester.alaska.edu/ for more information.
A field-based program called The Alaska Aquaculture Semester is available for students interested in aquaculture.
Sitka has developed a reputation as a stronghold for salmon aquaculture within the state and has many opportunities for mariculture development as well. There are three Pacific Salmon hatcheries in the region: the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery, which works in partnership with the Sitka Sound Science Center; the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association of Sitka, which runs Medvejie Hatchery; and the Sawmill Creek Hatchery.
Students in the Alaska Aquaculture Semester will have the opportunity to work with UAS faculty and with local industry partners to learn in the classroom and in the field about aquaculture. Part of the course work are the ins and outs of Alaskan salmon culture and the associated fisheries, seaweed and shellfish mariculture, skiff handling, small engine maintenance techniques, cold-water survival and everything in between. Students will visit remote sites via floatplane or boat and get to experience a side of Alaskan fisheries few people get to see. Contact Angie Bowers at (907) 747-7742 or abowers4@alaska.edu for more information.
For registration or any question, call (907) 747-7777 or 1(800)-478-6653.
Students at the University of Alaska Southeast receive training for a rewarding career in fisheries
Most Fisheries Technology courses can be taken online, at the student’s own pace
HELP WANTED:
Divers in demand
Having enough divers in aquaculture will reduce the pressure on the current crop of divers and make it safer for everyone. Seafood farmers can do something to help expand the talent pool, writes Kelly Korol.
Ounique set of skills and desire to work in a position most people may not want. As a result, there is a huge demand for divers in the global aquaculture market.
Divers have always been in short supply and the major reason is that it is a skilled trade that doesn’t get much exposure. High-school students leaning towards the trades are exposed to opportunities in electrical, plumbing, mechanics and welding but rarely consider diving as a lucrative career. Prospective divers usually stumble into diving as a career by word of mouth; some were inspired by the occasional television clip; while others are scuba divers who see it as a chance to get paid doing what they love. Then they do their research, find a dive school and if they can afford the gear and tuition, they give it a try.
The other thing that creates demand for new divers is turnover. Many divers graduate from school and go into aquaculture diving only to hang up their fins after a year or two and move on to another career. No doubt, diving as an occupation has a high attrition rate. Some hardy souls stay on and work their way up to supervisory positions, still diving and taking on responsibility for the dive team. Either way, this creates a constant demand for fresh divers to come into the industry and give it a go. With expansion of the aquaculture industry in all sectors, the demand for divers is outpacing the rate dive schools can produce graduates.
The dive industry has pretty well vanquished decompression sickness through education; however, the pressure to get the job done at all costs has caused some divers to push the limits as seen by a couple of recent major decompression sickness incidents on the east coast of Canada. The root cause of these incidents is the shortage of divers and the pressure to push the divers past their limits.
Divers have always been in short supply because diving as a career does not get much exposure
ne of the more specialized jobs on the aquaculture site is the diver. Divers are required on most aquaculture sites for maintenance, repair and inspection on virtually everything under the surface, where the product is. Divers are the “eyes and hands” of the site manager in maintaining the security, health and welfare of the stock from the underwater perspective. Unfortunately, divers are in short supply as they require a
THE ATLANTIC VETERINARY COLLEGE
Although, there has been a concerted effort to reduce the need for divers on the aquaculture site, there will always be a need for a skilled set of eyes and hands in rigging and maintenance work on a water-based site. The solution is to get more divers into the industry. Like it or not, aquaculture will always need divers and should therefore consider cultivating a stronger workforce in this area. Aquaculture companies need to get the word out to the youth coming through our high schools that diving is an exciting, well-paid career and overall very safe. At career fairs and public events aquaculture companies should emphasize the role of divers as part of the site team and recruit for these positions as well as the other site-specific careers. The skills needed to be a diver are one part training, one part work ethic and one part love of the outdoors so it is within the reach of many people. If we all
AQUACULTURE CO-OP
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Fleming College’s Aquaculture program is the only one of its kind at the post-graduate level in Ontario. Learn about cold, cool and warm water aquaculture for food production, and for fisheries recreation and conservation.
• Extensive fish husbandry experience in our on-campus hatcheries
• Field trips and seminars on the business of Aquaculture
• A paid, 8-week co-op at an aquaculture enterprise specific to your career interest
Learn more: flemingcollege.ca/programs/aquaculture
Contact: Jon Carter, Program Coordinator jon.carter@flemingcollege.ca
1.866.353.6464 ext. 3215
There’s more to aquaculture than fish
Mowi’s Dr Diane Morrison discusses how corporate culture impacts employees
“Ilike fish”—or animals, fashion, art, numbers. That’s the way a lot of career discussions start. But, genuine work satisfaction results when employees feel they have a personal impact on a company that is doing something meaningful, experts say.
Dr Diane Morrison believes aquaculture is that kind of workplace today. A veterinarian by profession who has always loved animals, she now leads Mowi Canada West as managing director.
“There is so much opportunity for continual improvement in our industry,” she says. She invokes her teams to keep thinking and reading; “to keep looking for answers that will drive industry change.”
Innovation can occur in many areas within aquaculture, not only fish biology and engineering, but also data science, logistics, business administration, and community relations.
In fact, at Mowi, employees are encouraged to contribute in different roles throughout their careers at the company. That attitude toward both lateral and upward movement does not exist everywhere, but is particularly welcome among millennials who have strong ideas and want to test them out.
Young people also bristle at a “command and control” corporate style and are looking for innovative leadership that’s open to their input. How does a leader make that happen? “Mine is a strategic role, and I have a strong
SPONSORED CONTENT
Dr Diane Morrison, Managing Director, Mowi Canada West
respect for the democratic process,” says Morrison. “With my senior team, I see myself as helping set the path and then letting them go. You really need a full team.” “I love people and thinking about how to motivate them,” she adds.
She herself finds inspiration in a role model, who has since retired. Her teams are likewise inspiring, she says, making special mention of a fish site manager who is “a positive force.” “The joy of working in this industry is the people,” she says. Ultimately, of course, aquaculture gives people the opportunity to contribute to a higher purpose: to feed the future. Morrison calls on younger people to join the Blue Revolution. “They can forge careers here and make a difference,” she says.
– Lynn Fantom
‘Experiential learning’ not just a buzzword at Fleming
Fleming College’s on-campus hatchery makes ‘experiential learning’ more than a buzzword for students of its Aquaculture Co-op program—it ensures the students get a head start on their career through hands-on training.
Compressed into one year of study starting in September, it is the only Aquaculture program offered as a post-graduate certificate in Ontario. The program is located at Fleming’s Frost Campus in Lindsay, Ontario. It includes an eight-week, paid co-op, and has strong industry connections, which enable students to experience first-hand several aspects of the aquaculture industry.
During first semester, students are introduced to aquaculture fundamentals, with much of the program taking place in the campus hatchery facilities. The focus in second semester is on operational and business practices with numerous field trips and seminars to learn more about the business of aquaculture.
With both a salmonid hatchery and an alternate species hatchery located at the campus, students get an opportunity to practice their skills and gain real-world experience at the same time.
“The Aquaculture program at Fleming is very unique because it offers a lot of hands on learning. The students are actually in the hatchery 12 hours a week,” says program coordinator Jon Carter.
As students progress through the program and gain confidence in their skills, they take on a supervisory role and run the hatchery with faculty oversight.
Employers are noticing the high quality of Fleming Aquaculture graduates.
“Industry is looking for our students all the time. In fact, we have multiple employers from British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Maritimes, as well as local producers in Ontario, seeking our graduates. They are keen to recruit our students,” says Carter.
Fleming’s Aquaculture program is currently accepting applications. For more information, visit: flemingcollege.ca/programs/aquaculture. To apply for the program, visit: ontariocolleges.ca. They may be invisible to the naked eye, but the negative effects are hard to miss.
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Aquaculture students at Fleming College spend as many as 12 hours a week at the hatchery on campus
Credit: Fleming College
CAREER TALK
Inspiring women tackle the challenges of feeding the future
BY LYNN FANTOM
The setting was a nondescript conference room at the Courtyard Marriott in suburban Connecticut. The PowerPoint presentations, lively coffee breaks, and inevitable problems running video were typical of many conferences. What was striking at the Milford Aquaculture Seminar last January, however, was that 42 percent of the registrants were women.
Women play many roles in aquaculture. They run family farms, negotiate with regulators, lead research teams, and staff corporate jobs. And while they come from different backgrounds—science, business, and international relations, among them—they share a common passion about aquaculture, though that manifests in different ways.
NOAA Science Communications Specialist Kristen Jabanoski likes the optimism that surrounds shellfish aquaculture. “It’s a win-win for people and the environment,” she says.
Julie Trommater, who oversees the highly automated algae lab at Maryland’s Horn Point Laboratory, says, “I know it’s been a good day when I leave covered in mud.”
One quality many women in aquaculture share: they are not shrinking from challenges. Aquaculture North America (ANA) spoke with three leaders who are using science, new ideas, and partnerships to address some of the toughest ones.
DIANE MORRISON
Managing Director, Mowi Canada West
When Dr Diane Morrison was growing up in Scarborough, Ontario, kids played outside from dawn to dusk. But her mother never worried about her daughter’s whereabouts because she could always hear the little girl’s voice, from the middle of a group, calling out ideas of what game to play next.
Upon that innate leadership talent, Morrison built strong skills as she trained as a veterinarian. She learned how to take a wide view, ask a lot of questions, distill information, and then formulate a decision to communicate with authority to the pet owner or farmer she was helping.
Those skills have stood her in good stead as the managing director of Mowi Canada West, responsible for a salmon farming operation of 600 people. Today, she is as likely to be joining First Nation partners for a meeting with Parliament as sitting in jeans leading employees in an exercise about what salmon farming means to them.
At Mowi Canada West, women occupy positions at all levels across operations. At the center of it all, they manage brood stock production, processing plant operations, and remote grow-out sites. But their impact is felt in many ways. For example, for purchasing
systems, Samatha (Sam) Tomkinson initiated the addition of eco-friendly products for offices and sea sites.
Says Morrison, “There are so many different avenues. For someone motivated and curious, it’s so wide open.”
Diane Morrison (left) and Chief Roxanne Robinson (right) of the Kitasoo/Xai’Xais First Nation flank Minister of Fisheries Bernadette Jordan in a meeting to discuss the future of BC salmon farming Credit: Kitasoo Band Office
CAREER TALK
BRIANA WARNER
CEO, Atlantic Sea Farms
“Delicious” is a word you hear a lot in a conversation with Briana Warner.
When she became chief executive of Atlantic Sea Farms in August 2018, she vaulted forward, quickly taking the Saco, Maine, company in new directions. She multiplied the number of kelp farm suppliers by a factor of eight, ramped up production in the 8,000-foot facility, and developed an array of new products.
One of those, Sea-Chi, a fermented kimchi which recently won a Good Food Award for taste, compelled a New York Times food writer and a friend to finish an entire jar in one sitting. In March, the farm-to-table fastfood chain Sweetgreen sourced kelp from Atlantic Sea Farms to play a starring role in a “Tingly Sweet Potato + Kelp Bowl” created by chef David Chang.
That’s “delicious” in action. Warner’s strategies are also smart. Atlantic Sea Farms guarantees to purchase every blade of kelp grown by the network’s farmers, who tend to be fishermen keen on diversifying their income as waters in the Gulf of Maine warm.
That social mission is what motivates this diplomatturned-entrepreneur, who worked for the US Department of State for six years and later served as economic development director at the Island Institute, a Maine nonprofit.
“Our goal is to help diversify Maine’s coastal economy in the face of climate change. Everything we do is driven toward that goal,” she says.
VALERIE ROBITAILLE
Co-Founder and CEO, XpertSea
Trained in marine biology and geoengineering, Valerie Robitaille saw a problem: shrimp hatcheries were counting larvae by hand. She explored how optics and photonics could help, and driven by that idea, she became a technology entrepreneur.
Co-founded in 2009, Quebec-based XpertSea has today deployed its data platform in more than 400 facilities in 40 countries. Last year in Edinburgh, it won the Aquaculture Award for Technical Innovation.
Robitaille says her creativity comes from her grandmother, who was an artist. But running a company of 50 people has also required perseverance. “It hasn’t always been an easy road,” she says. She attributes her resilience to her mother, who at age 35 left her job as a bank cashier and went back to school to study engineering.
Humility is another of Robitaille’s traits—and this one appears to be genuinely her own. When she describes the culture of caring and respect at XpertSea, she uses “we” to share credit with her three co-founders.
To grow operations, she marshals new team members to work locally, largely in Southeast Asia and South America. The platform they bring to farmers uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to help them save time and make better decisions.
“Around the world, people have dedicated their lives to fish production, but they don’t have enough information,” she says. “We are giving them visibility.”
NOAA names new director for aquaculture
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has appointed Danielle Blacklock as the agency’s new director for the Office of Aquaculture.
She takes over from Michael Rubino, who held the role since 2011. Rubino is now the new senior advisor for seafood strategy at NOAA.
Blacklock will be responsible for providing the strategic vision for developing a strong marine aquaculture industry in the United States. Specifically, she will lead the office’s work on several distinct priority areas including regulation and policy, science, outreach, and international activities in support of US aquaculture, NOAA said in a statement.
Blacklock said her vision for the office is “to help the United States move even more decisively toward becoming a global leader in sustainable seafood production. Wild capture fisheries and farmed seafood are intertwined and both are critical to our nation’s future food supply.”
“I plan to work inclusively and transparently to guide the development of sustainable farms in federal waters, while supporting additional development in state waters and associated land-based facilities,” she said.
Blacklock comes to the position after serving in various roles within NOAA for the past 10 years. Most recently, she was the senior policy advisor for Aquaculture, a role that included a stint at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She also served as the acting deputy in the Office of Aquaculture for several months.
Blacklock holds a Master’s Degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Science from the University of Maine.
Valerie Robitaille (left) gets an update in Vietnam from Chelsea Andrews, General Manager Asia-Pacific Credit: XpertSea
Briana Warner has capitalized on her international relations and economic development experience to grow a seaweed venture in Maine Credit: Atlantic Sea Farms
Danielle Blacklock, newly appointed director, Office of Aquaculture at NOAA Credit: NOAA Fisheries
accuracy, egg counts, safety and versatility.
Training the next generation
As the world’s population grows, it is more imperative than ever to have a safe, healthy and sustainable source of food for people around the globe. Aquatic species—including fish, shellfish, and plants and algae—are essential to feed this growing population.
The Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences program at Bellingham Technical College (BTC) is dedicated to educating students about the immense value of these aquatic resources. Experts teach the science and skills needed to help manage and conserve those resources through sustainable farming and harvesting.
BTC’s Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences program is the only two-year program on the West Coast that provides hands-on training with algae and shellfish. Its multifaceted curriculum teaches algae, finfish and shellfish culturing, and conservation, as well as data collection, entry and analysis. Blending science with hands-on learning in the lab and in the field gives students a strong
foundation for their careers and a deep understanding of aquatic species and their habitats.
Much of this learning takes place at BTC’s Perry Center for Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences. The award-winning facility features specialized classrooms, wet and dry laboratories and an algae laboratory. The Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences program operates two hatcheries, allowing students to apply what they’re learning in the classroom and the lab to the real world.
Graduates of the program are eligible for technical positions in the public, non-profit, and private sectors, including: shellfish and finfish commercial farming, tribal and government stock enhancement hatcheries, fisheries conservation and management agencies, fisheries vessel and port sampling, and in emerging industries such as aquaponics and alternate feed production.
For more information about this one-of-a-kind program, contact BTC at 360.752.8345 or admissions@btc.edu
Breeding tomorrow’s aquaculture workforce
BTC’s Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences program imparts the knowledge needed to help manage and conserve aquatic resources Credit: BTC
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility carries out industry research while providing valuable training and educational opportunities for students Credit: Narayan Mahon
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Mentors, hands-on learning support veterinary students
Veterinary medicine covers all species, including aquatic food animals. The Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) is renowned worldwide for its animal health research. Its experts share their knowledge with AVC students through experiential learning opportunities in this field.
Kendall Wyman, AVC Class of 2022, became interested in aquaculture during the final year of her marine biology degree at the University of New Brunswick-Saint John. After finishing that degree, she earned an advanced diploma in sustainable aquaculture from the Fisheries and Marine Institute in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, in 2017–2018. She was then accepted into the veterinary medicine program at AVC.
In 2019, Wyman participated in the school’s veterinary student research award (VETSRA) program. She worked on a project to evaluate the health and survival of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) that live with Atlantic salmon in marine cage sites owned by Cooke Aquaculture Inc in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Wyman learned about lumpfish at varying levels of production, working alongside provincial veterinarians, academics, and company employees in the land- and sea-based aspects of lumpfish culture. She analyzed data from 2018 company records and collected prospective samples from a lumpfish hatchery and at three marine cage sites. Her project was cosupervised by Dr Larry Hammell, associate dean, AVC Graduate Studies and Research and a professor and researcher in aquatic animal health; and Dr Nicole O’Brien, a veterinary epidemiologist who works with the provincial government and an adjunct professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
The Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point serves as both a center for research and a training facility for the next generation of workers in the sector. Located on land leased by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the facility is a valuable resource to the industry in the region and around the world, and to potential industry employees.
“The mission of the facility is to grow aquaculture in the northern climate and to educate people about aquaculture in the Midwest area,” says assistant director and research program manager, Greg Fischer.
The facility houses a wide variety of aquaculture systems, including indoor semicommercial recirculating systems with over 10,000 gallons of water in tanks of various sizes. Flow-through cold and heated water capability allows for wide variability in the species that they can grow. Outside of the facility are four half-acre drainable clay ponds and raceways with flow-through cold water. There are experimental tank rearing areas where precise controls over environment, lighting, temperature, turbidity and tank colour can be employed.
Wyman says working in aquaculture is a great fit for people like her who are passionate about population medicine and research.
“The aquaculture industry is incredibly diverse—from farming sea plants to shelland finfish—which makes it a great fit for people who enjoy team-based approaches to data collection and analysis, and like to work with a variety of aquatic animal species,” she said.
Now at the halfway mark in her veterinary medicine education, she is looking forward to furthering her knowledge of fish health at AVC.
“AVC has built-in options to deliver fishfocused material to students, taught by some of the most well-known fish veterinarians and researchers in the world.”
This multifaceted system has allowed them to raise Atlantic salmon, walleye, lake sturgeon, lake trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, arctic char, and bait fish species such as fat head minnow.
The facility competes for grants for research projects. However, it also works with private groups interested in specific research and most of these research eventually become public.
Fischer touts the facility’s strong outreach program. They work with schools around the state to attract students who may be interested in pursuing a minor in aquaculture and aquaponics. A regular major program is in the works.
One of the biggest benefits of the facility for students is that the system grows fish at commercial densities, which means their experience is more easily transferable to the workplace. Graduates are often hired to work as technicians at the facility until an appropriate job placement can be found.
“People that work here get that experience, whether it’s a workshop or training or they’re working here as a technician or an intern. It’s really vital, I think, for the industry that they get that training,” says Fischer.
AVC veterinary student Kendall Wyman says aquaculture is a diverse discipline that’s a great fit for people passionate about population medicine and research Credit: AVC
its aquaculture students access to Canada’s largest farmed salmon industry Credit: UBC
Shaping the future of sustainable aquaculture
The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver is launching Western Canada’s only graduate-level aquaculture program in September 2020.
The one-semester (four-month) program will open the door for science graduates to understand the aquaculture industry and related fields, including current trends and emerging technologies.
“The rapid growth of the aquaculture industry continues on a global scale. It is the sustainable and viable source of future increases in seafood production,” said Justin Henry, a 25-year aquaculture veteran who will be teaching the Aquaculture Production Systems course in the program. The course will cover traditional production systems as well as RAS, aquaponics, and organic certification.
British Columbia has more aquaculture production than any other province in Canada, with farmed salmon as
BC’s largest agricultural export. UBC’s location gives its aquaculture students access to the local industry. To enhance student learning, visits to commercial aquaculture production facilities that raise salmon and other finfish are part of the curriculum, as are tours to health and research institutes, feed manufacturing plants, and seafood processing facilities.
Students will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of the aquaculture industry through courses taught by experts in the field. These include Dr Jason Mann, an industry renowned expert in fish feed and nutrition; Dr Barry Milligan, a veterinarian and fish health expert well known in the BC aquaculture industry; and fish geneticist Dr Wendy Vandersteen.
The program includes seven courses:
• Aquaculture Production Systems
• Fish Nutrition, Feeds and Feeding
• Fish Health
• Finfish Genetics and Reproduction in Aquaculture
• Ecological Sustainability of Aquaculture
• Business Concepts in Aquaculture
• Seafood Processing
“The global talent pool of career-oriented aquaculturists is not meeting the needs of the industry today. We plan to help expand this pool by producing tomorrow’s talent whose learning is grounded in science and who are passionate about sustainability and healthy food production,” said Henry. More details about UBC’s Graduate Certificate in Aquaculture can be found at aqua.landfood.ubc.ca or requested by emailing lfs.aquaculture@ubc.ca
UBC’s Vancouver location gives
NEWS AND NOTES
NEWS AND NOTES Community
Pairing community input with innovative technology resulted in a groundbreaking wellboat for Grieg Seafood BC and Canada. The relationships the salmon farmer developed with communities on the west coast of Canada where it farms were invaluable in designing Ronja Islander, said Dean Trethewey, Grieg Seafood BC’s seawater production director.
The 70-metre aquaculture vessel was custom-built to transport smolts from hatcheries to net pens in the sea, and remove sea lice using hydrogen peroxide therapy.
It arrived in Victoria, BC in February after a 58-day day journey from Norway, where it was built last year. It now services 16 of Grieg Seafood’s salmon farms around Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
The vessel’s 1,800-cubic-metre hold space has the capacity to treat
50,000 fish at a time, or transport roughly 250,000 fish weighing 100 grams each.
The $40-million Ronja Islander has a host of other features that make it Canada’s most technologically advanced aquaculture wellboat. One of them is a patented CO2 stripper that enables the vessel to run fully closed, which means no wastewater is pumped out of the ship while in transport. This has always been a challenge on older vessels, said Trethewey, who led the wellboat project. “We can now move from our hatchery to our sea sites with fully contained water and not have to open up and flush with outside ocean water. So we’re never crossing zones and mixing ocean water.”
Ronja Islander is only the second wellboat in BC and Canada. The other vessel is the 77-metre Aqua Tromoy, owned by Mowi Canada West, which arrived in BC last year.
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Credit: Liza Mayer
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