November, December 2019

BC farmed salmon industry becomes a political pawn

Credit: Cermaq Canada

2019 began full of promise for British Columbia’s salmon farmers until they found themselves at the center of Canadian politics

BY LIZA MAYER

“Jovial” summed up the mood of John Paul Fraser as he took the call for this interview.

Stepping away from the noisy crowd at the annual conference of municipal leaders in BC in September, the executive director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) was happy the industry was not on the agenda this time. “Last year we were on the agenda. is year we have a booth in the exhibition

hall where we’re serving our farmed salmon. We brought tons of it but I don’t know if we brought enough,” he says. One could hear the pride in the voice of a leader who helped see the industry through a difficult year. But just four days later, Fraser would have more to worry about than having enough salmon to serve guests.

Going old-school

Data seen boosting industry’s battle against high costs of regulations

BY LIZA MAYER

American trout farmers are making some progress in their fight against inefficient, and costly, regulations.

At the annual conference of trout farmers in the United States in Seattle, WA in September, results of a major survey that measured the farm-level costs of regulations were unveiled. is gives regulatory agencies, policy makers and the trout industry itself a clearer picture of the costs of regulatory compliance.

“We’re finally getting some numbers on this beast that we have complained about,” Paul Zajicek, executive director of the National Aquaculture Association (NAA) told participants at the United States Trout Farmers Association (USTFA) Fall Conference.

continued on page 10

BY ANDY WALKER

When Jacob Dockendorff began working in the family shellfish business as a youngster, one of his first jobs was loading and unloading the wooden boxes used to package oysters.

ose wooden boxes are making a comeback at Atlantic Shellfish Products Inc, the family oyster farm Dockendorff now runs. “It is a bit of a ‘back to the future’ moment to be honest with you,” he says as he looks around the farm’s storage area.

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PEI oyster farmer reduces plastics use in its quest for sustainability

Study team member Gary Fornshell of the University of Idaho shows a fact sheet highlighting the costs of US trout farming to attendees at the United States Trout Farmers Association Fall Conference in Seattle, WA Credit: Liza Mayer

Jacob Dockendorff displays the recyclable plastic and wooden boxes Atlantic Shellfish Products uses as part of its commitment to sustainability Credit: Andy Walker

Cooke in hot water over animal cruelty

Cooke Aquaculture is under investigation by Maine authorities after an undercover video surfaced showing cruelty to fish at its hatchery in Maine.

Compassion Over Killing, a non-profit animal protection organization based in Washington, DC, took the video.

“I am very sorry that this has happened,” Glenn Cooke, CEO of the Cooke family of companies, said in a statement. “We are thoroughly reviewing the footage and we are working closely with the Maine Department of Agriculture to review and ensure all our practices are within compliance.”

He said the company will institute a “rigorous re-training program” at the Maine facility and will apply that across its operations globally.

Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA) executive director Sebastian Belle said the association would re-examine its code of conduct for its members.

“ e ethical care of animals is taken very seriously by MAA. MAA does not endorse or approve of any farm practices that result in the

abuse or neglect of any animals. Animal care and responsible animal husbandry are critical to successful and safe aquatic farming,” the statement said.

e US National Aquaculture Association said farms should re-examine or adopt policies specific to insuring animal care.

Cooke waiting for final ok to farm trout

Cooke Aquaculture has received a tentative five-year permit to farm all-female triploid rainbow trout (steelhead) in Washington state.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) was waiting for public input into Cooke’s plan as of press time. In addition to agreeing to farm only sterile fish in existing net-pens in Puget Sound, Cooke will also need to pre-screen any fish destined for net pens in Washington waters to ensure that they are free of disease.

Revised bill to push for national standard for aquaculture

Alegislation that aims to streamline the permitting process in aquaculture in US federal waters will be reintroduced to include provisions on creating a National Standard for Aquaculture.

“A primary change from last Congress will be the inclusion of National Standard for Aquaculture, which is very important for long-term growth in the industry and responsible growth of the industry here in the United States,” said Margaret Henderson, campaign manager for the seafood industry group Stronger America rough Seafood (SATS).

Known as the AQUAA Act (Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture), the bill was introduced by US Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in July 2018.

Neil Anthony Sims, co-founder of offshore fish farm, e Kampachi Company, believes the legislation is needed to clarify the “convoluted” regulatory process for offshore aquaculture in US federal waters. “ is lack of clarity is a huge disincentive to investment, and without investment or secure tenure, then growth in US offshore aquaculture will continue to be stifled.”

“We have a moral responsibility to expand offshore aquaculture in the US,” he added.

“ e US continues to import most of the seafood that we eat. But we need to accept responsibility for our own food, and grow it locally, here, in our own waters, so that we can be sure that it meets our own rigorous environmental health and food safety standards,” Sims told Aquaculture North America (ANA).

Innovasea CEO David Kelly, a SATS member, said the legislation will provide a “deterministic, clear process for permitting aquaculture in federal waters.”

“Several open ocean aquaculture projects have attempted to navigate the federal permitting process and to date no marine finfish project has successfully completed the process.  is is constraining aquaculture investment in the United States and leading investors to look at other countries and regions of the world for these projects,” he said

A screen grab from the undercover video shows worker smashing fish against a post Credit: Compassion Over Killing/Youtube

Clarifying the permitting process in aquaculture in US federal waters will attract investments into this fledgling segment, say industry players Credit:Blue Ocean Mariculture

of shallow tanks are stacked to the rafters in Berezan Shrimp Co’s production area. The farm ceased operations in September due to high production costs

Credit: Berezan Shrimp Co

High production costs sink RAS shrimp farm

Aland-based shrimp farm in Langley, British Columbia has buckled under the weight of high production costs.

Berezan Shrimp Co shut down its 20,000-square-foot farm in September after 22 months of operation.

“ e farm was not paying its own bills,” said general manager Warren Douglas. “It’s a business decision at this point, certainly, because we’ve cracked the code—we know how to acclimate the post-larvae, grow them to market size and they have fantastic quality. But there’s just too much overhead for the pilot. Our number one cost is labor; our number one cost should be feed.”

e farm was also under quarantine in August and remained so until its closure in September because it failed to eradicate the Hypodermal and Haematopoietic Necrosis virus (IHHNV) detected in its Litopenaeus vannamei (whiteleg shrimp) imports from Texas.

Observers say the failure of the farm despite having an excellent technical team speaks to the complicated nature of RAS farming. e high costs of development and production is one of the greatest challenges faced by RAS operators. Whether Berezan Shrimp will return, perhaps by adapting another technology, remains to be seen.

Study to look into role of RAS

in addressing US seafood deficit

Could Atlantic salmon farmed in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) help narrow down the United States’ growing seafood trade deficit? is is one of the many questions that an initiative launched in September aims to address.

Called the National Coordinated Recirculating Aquaculture System Network, the initiative has received $1.2 million in funding from NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office. It aims to develop a “roadmap” for policymakers and federal agencies in promoting an economically feasible and environmentally sustainable land-based domestic aquaculture industry.

Maryland Sea Grant and University of Maryland, Baltimore County, are lead partners in the initiative. Industry collaborators, which matched the fund from NOAA, include Superior Fresh in Wisconsin, Whole Oceans and Nordic Aquafarms in Maine, and American Salmon in Maryland.

The US has launched an initiative that will explore the potential of land-based aquaculture in addressing the nation’s seafood trade deficit Credit: Liza Mayer

Scottish researchers look for early CMS detection in salmon

Sconsortium

to identify early

cottish researchers are developing an early warning system to fight one of the biggest issues in the salmon farming industry, called cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), which causes inflammation of the heart in fish.

Researchers from the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) are collaborating with local aquaculture companies to identify specific cardiac markers in the blood of the fish in hopes of identifying early warning signs of the disease.

While the triggers of CMS are not fully understood, it is known to be caused by piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV) and can lead to heart failure in seemingly healthy fish. e researchers said that simple, cost effective and non-lethal diagnostic methods that will help reduce the impact of disease are crucial.

In Norway, CMS is considered to be the biggest cause of economic losses to the salmon industry. After sea lice and handling, the cost of CMS outbreaks cost the industry about €145 million (U$160 million) in 2018.

Aquatic animal health ‘bible’ to be updated

Aguidebook for fish health will soon be updated to include standardized practices or procedures for a number of emerging fish pathogens.

Nicknamed “Blue Book,” the document is an essential handbook for fish health professionals in inspecting and diagnosing aquatic animal diseases. It is published by the American Fisheries Society Fish Health Section and was last updated in 2016. e upcoming revision will also address the gaps related to shellfish pathogens as well methodology in pooling of samples to allow for the flexibility needed to get rigorous scientific information, said Jesse Trushenski, director of animal health and welfare at Riverence.

The inspection manual will be revised to include new pathogens in aquaculture Credit: Adobe Stock

While it is a resource primarily for the use of aquatic diagnostic laboratories—and required by law in some US states—the works of those labs have very wide-ranging implications on farmers and the aquaculture industry at large, said Trushenski. Manpower and funding resources are still being put together but Trushenski is hopeful the project will commence in 2020.

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Dozens

The project

hopes

warning signs of CMS in salmon Credit: Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre

How a deadly pig virus in China could affect global aquaculture

BY LIZA MAYER

When China sneezes, the world catches a cold. In the middle of the African swine fever crisis that’s wiping out China’s pork output, the adage could prove true. e emergence of the deadly virus in China in August 2018 has so far removed 13 million metric tons, or 25 percent, of the country’s pork production, according to Bloomberg, citing a Rabobank analyst.

Although the crisis is affecting pigs, its impact is being felt by the fishmeal industry, said Dr Ronald Hardy, director of the Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) at the University of Idaho.

“China uses about 30 percent of global fishmeal; its use is split between aquaculture feeds and early-weaned pigs. ey use fishmeal in early-weaned pigs for about a week or two until their digestive system matures enough so that they can transition to cornsoy diets.”

But the swine virus has killed an unprecedented number of pigs, drastically reducing the market for fishmeal, Hardy told delegates at the US Trout Farmers Association conference in Seattle, WA recently.

“If each little piglet consumes a kilogram of feed—that’s somewhere in the 400-plus metric tons of feed—that’s a pretty big number, and fishmeal importers, I learned, are going bankrupt in China. ey bought fishmeal ahead, prices collapsed, and now there’s less of a market for fishmeal targeted for early-weaned pigs,” Hardy said. e crisis could boost aquaculture as the Chinese population looks for alternative proteins, suggested Hardy. “What this means in a nutshell is that their domestic demand for fish is going to increase. ey’re looking to move offshore and increase marine production, but this is going to take awhile; it’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. ere may be good news for fish farmers in the US. “China is not going to increase exports of farmed fish to the US. eir production of trout, for example, is 50,000 metric tons—twice roughly what we produce here in this country—but that’s all going to be used for domestic consumption. at means our trout prices will not get hammered the way the catfish prices were by imports.”

He does not see the reduced demand for fishmeal in China affecting global fish feed prices. “I don’t think you’re going to see any major changes in fish feed prices over the short term and maybe even the long-term just because of these market changes and market disruptions and lower demand.”

Dr Hardy and his team at ARI are studying plant-protein feeds and their performance relative to fishmeal feeds.

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There’s one pig for every two people in China. The African swine fever crisis that’s wiping out China’s pork supply will boost local demand for fish, says US scientist Credit: Adobe Stock

COLD HARVEST 2019 REVIEW

Infrastructure providers touch down in Newfoundland

BY ERIC IGNATZ

Cold Harvest 2019 conference and trade show organized by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) drew several hundred attendees to St John’s, Newfoundland in September. Service providers that will help support the growing industry were in town. ey joined industry members, academics and researchers from around the globe, including Norway, the UK, Ireland, and the Faroe Islands. e conference highlighted the province’s growing role in salmon aquaculture, with discussions focused on the industry’s expected economic benefits for coastal communities, but also the challenges that need to be addressed. Here are some highlights.

Aquaculture hub moves forward

Dwight

e transformation of a former shipyard into an aquaculture hub should happen soon with the sale now a done deal.

Developer Marbase Marystown Inc purchased the idled facility for $1 million (CAD) from Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc after months of complex negotiations.

Marbase plans to convert it to a service hub catering to fish farms in the Atlantic region. It is expected to employ between 150 and 300 workers and offer a range of services such as net cleaning, cage construction, waste management, feed systems, boat repair and robotics when it becomes operational in two to three years.

“We will be spending tens of millions ourselves on infrastructure at Marbase, which will benefit the industry itself, as they will be given access to a cluster of companies that have come together to service the farmers. ere will be an increase in quality. ere will be a reduction in cost. e logistics alone will be massive savings to the industry, and of course, it will be more secure and more environmentally friendly,” said Paul Antle, CEO of Marbase.

Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, said the provincial government has agreed to complete remediation on the shipyard site. at work is estimated to cost $1.5 million (CAD). “Our government has always wanted to see the shipyard returned to the hub of economic activity and to generate new opportunities for the Burin peninsula,” Ball said.

Canada to have its first commercial lumpfish hatchery

CEO Paul Antle of Marbase Marystown Inc announced that Marbase intends to construct the first cleanerfish hatchery in Canada.

Marbase will collaborate with Norwegian firm New Marine and Memorial University’s Department of Ocean Sciences to help produce 3 to 5 million lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) annually at the planned aquaculture hub.

Canada lags behind Norway in the commercialization of cleaner fish as biological weapon against sea lice. Memorial University in Newfoundland, which leads the cleanerfish program in the region, recently announced its innovations in cleaner-fish technology are ready for commercialization (ANA Sept/Oct 2019, page 1).

“We will look at possibly starting construction in early to mid-2020 and our goal is to have our first shipment of lumpfish delivered by 2021,” said Antle.

Marbase hopes to develop local research partnerships, as Antle admits many challenges regarding lumpfish nutrition and genetics remain unsolved. Development of tailored feeds, broodstock programs and vaccines are all top priorities as the company expands, he said.

New regulations aim to raise the bar

Minister of Land Resources Gerry Bryne unveiled an updated aquaculture policy and procedures manual at Cold Harvest.

“ ese policies focus on industry accountability, environmental stewardship and best practices that adhere or exceed industry standards, and are laudable to the world,” said Bryne.

He said the manual covers areas such as the buying and selling of licenses, security bonding for environmental remediation resulting from aquaculture activity, requirements for detailed fish health management plans, finfish and shellfish surveillance measures and biosecurity auditing of aquaculture facilities.

Bryne emphasized that the new standards are meant to help the industry sustainably expand. “Never shall I retreat from the fact that our code of containment, our environmental requirements, are among the most robust and effective of any jurisdiction that I am aware of. But the point is this, we can do even better to make our product even more marketable, even more accepted, even more trusted and even more valuable by constantly raising the bar to a point where we can balance the true needs of industry with the realities of environmental sustainability.”

Research and development at the forefront

From studying novel feeds used to reduce sea lice infection to research investigating how to mitigate the impacts of global climate change. Cold Harvest highlighted that the local industry, academia and government are discovering ways to enhance aquaculture production.

Representatives from Norway shared how technology across the Atlantic is helping sustainably advance their industry. Nils-Johan Tufte, CEO of ØPD Service AS presented new closed and semi-closed containment systems for ocean rearing. Tufte was eager to promote his company’s designs (e.g. the Marine Donut, pictured) and welcomed interest from Canadian investors and manufacturers.

Welcoming the next generation

Approximately 30 students from Memorial University were able to attend this year, thanks to a new initiative. “ is year for the very first time, as far as I’m aware, all student registration for this conference was complimentary. ey are the future leaders of our industry,” said Mark Lane, Executive Director of NAIA. Lane said Cold Harvest 2020 is already being planned. “We are already planning for next year’s event when we are hosting the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) and the Aquaculture Association of Canada. I hope that it will not only be the largest aquaculture conference in the history of Newfoundland, but the largest industry-focused event ever hosted in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

WAS North America is from 30 August to 2 September 2020.

Premier

Ball of Newfoundland and Labrador announces the conclusion of the sale of a former shipyard to developer Marbase Marystown Inc Credit: Eric Ignatz

Newfoundland will host Canada’s first lumpfish hatchery Credit: Memorial University

The new regulations aim to help the province’s aquaculture industry to expand sustainably

NEWS AND NOTES

Rethinking the approach to fish health

What does success look like in fish health management? e answer to the question varies depending on whom you ask and, in aquaculture, competing camps argue over whose science is right.

A tool to help assess the wellbeing of BC Atlantic salmon farming has been developed by Canadian researchers to reduce that conflict and hopefully help bolster the farmed salmon industry’s social license to operate.

Dr Craig Stephen of University of Saskatchewan and Joy Wade of Fundy Aqua Services have drafted an index of wellbeing based on agro-ecosystem health and socio-ecological health principles.

Health research is currently focused on pathogens and parasites as opposed to a socio-ecological approach to health management. Stephen said a wellbeing approach provides an opportunity for different stakeholders to develop a shared vision of what success looks like in health management and, therefore, have clarity of what health programs aim to achieve other than disease control.

“To date, much of the fish health issues in aquaculture have devolved into competing camps arguing over whose science is right. A wellbeing approach requires negotiation and collaboration to set a common agenda to make incremental improvements on situations and outcomes,” Stephen said.

e researchers acknowledged that adoption of a wellbeing approach represents a paradigm shift; thus it will take time and will be a collaborative process. e culture of conflict in much of aquaculture will make it difficult to adopt this approach but past experiences in other sectors show that it can work with the support of people adept at community-based approaches, they said.

It will require “one or two key players willing to take a lead in supporting this evolution,” Stephen said. “ is situation is similar to where terrestrial agriculture was 30-40 years ago, when they transitioned from diseases as a focus to herd health as an emphasis.”

Stephen said a trial of the wellbeing index is needed to determine feasibility, applicability and cost of the implementation. ey have yet to attract the necessary funding to support it.

– Ruby Gonzalez

Texas could be farming oysters sooner than expected

exas’

Tfirst-ever commercial oyster farmers may well have gear in the water by late 2020, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

e Austin-based agency is carrying out the mandate of a law enacted September 1 authorizing off-bottom oyster mariculture. “ ough the legislation stipulated that rules must be in place by September 1, 2020, we hope to have everything completed so that interested individuals can begin the application process in late spring or early summer 2020,” says Lance Robinson, coordinator of the agency’s effort to draft rules governing the state’s new aquaculture program.

e 25-year TPWD veteran’s optimism reflects the extensive legwork that began about a year ago in anticipation of the new legislation. Teams reached out to every state in the US with a shellfish aquaculture program, as well as maritime provinces of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some European Union countries.

“We have a lot more legwork to do, but right now we are on schedule to provide an official proposal to the Parks and Wildlife Commission in January,” Robinson says. at will be followed by a period of public comment, then final action by the commission in March.

e launch of the oyster mariculture program in Texas comes after a steep decline in the wild oyster harvest— some 43 percent since 2000, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)— due to both natural disasters and bay closures resulting from destructive fishing practices.

A key hurdle the TPWD faces now is identifying the

A farm project conducted through the Harte Research Institute for

Studies explores various cage types suitable for the shallow bays of

locations of the aquaculture zones. A site planning team is using a marine spatial planning tool to exclude areas with oil and gas pipelines, sea grass beds, natural oyster reefs, and bird rookery islands. e commission is also making note of recreational sailing and fishing areas.

“We are going to have conflict,” notes Robinson. “But the goal is to try to get as much information on the front end to help guide this process so that when we come out on the other side, we have a program that is close to operational, with minimal problems.”

To extract fair market value for the use of public resources, the TPWD is also grappling with pricing oyster leases: flat fee or via bidding? Various constituencies, including potential growers, have weighed in; Robinson is looking forward to input from the commission itself in November. Right now, no hatcheries operate in Texas—another obstacle (see ANA Sept/Oct 2019, page 6). However, Robinson points to several hatcheries along the Gulf Coast, even some on the East Coast. “ e challenge we face in Texas is that there are genetic differences in the oysters within the state,” he says. “Biosecurity of brood stock is going to be major.”

Robinson anticipates being able to work through some other minor administrative tangles unique to Texas. For example, one statute requires a discharge permit from an operation with “contained animals.” “It has nothing to do with oysters,” he says, “I think it references feedlot operations for livestock and cattle.”

– Lynn Fantom

A wellbeing approach to health management is a chance for stakeholders to develop a shared vision of what success looks like in health management, says Dr Craig Stephen

Gulf of Mexico

Texas Credit: Joe Fox

By Timothy Kennedy

Timothy Kennedy is President & CEO of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance. With a background in environment & resources policy consulting and as an executive in the energy sector, he is a passionate advocate for Canada’s farmed seafood sector and has a vision for the potential sustainable growth for the sector in the global seafood marketplace.

Backwards environment and economic policy

Election promises undermine sector confidence and compromise future innovation

Canada’s governing Liberal Party announced during a federal election that it wants to see British Columbia’s salmon farming move to closed containment by 2025. e commitment is terrible environmental, economic and social policy. It’s simply a call to shut down the industry. It’s bad environment policy because there is no science behind the decision, and today’s production, even with challenges such as sea lice management, is the most sustainable global animal protein. Further, governments choosing technology “winners” never have sufficient information to understand the unintended negative consequences of their decisions. Recent history is littered with good government intentions to choose environmental technologies that fail or create new problems. From an economic and social policy angle, should closed containment work, the remote and indigenous communities resurrected in Canada because of the sector will once again face steep decline as facilities move closer to major markets.

e Canadian seafood farming sector is young, vibrant and its seafood is among the most sustainable and healthiest in the world. We employ 26,000 Canadians, mostly in rural and remote communities where there are otherwise few job opportunities. In 2017, the sector generated a total of $7.7 billion in economic activity throughout the economy and $3.9 billion in GDP. Farmed seafood represents 36 percent of the value of all Canadian fish and seafood. But the opportunity is greater still.

Canada has the most bio-physical capacity for seafood farming in the world: nearly 80,000 kms of viable aquaculture ocean area is available. A comparison is Norway, which produces ten times the amount of farmed seafood, but has about one-third of the coastal capacity.

Readers recognize both the growing global demand for farmed product and the sustainability of the product. With an eye towards realizing Canada’s great opportunity, the work of our organization has been focused on advocating to our federal government for a federal departmental advocate for sustainable growth, a national sustainable growth target, a federal Aquaculture Act, and an integrated program for support.

ese requests were closely aligned with the much-lauded recommendations of the government’s Economic Advisory Council, led by senior international business management advisor (and now Canada’s Ambassador to China) Dominic Barton. Barton identified aquaculture as a major area of economic opportunity for Canada. He indicated we could double in growth by 2028. Following this, the Agri-Food Economic Table, following Barton, repeated its praise of the sector and suggested ways that Canada could realize strong sustainable growth.

Much forward motion was brought to a brutal halt: in the final leg of the Canadian federal election, we now find the future of our marine production in the crosshairs of three political parties: the governing Liberal Party of Canada was the most recent to join the Green Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party in calling to move our innovative ocean-based farming in British Columbia to “closed containment systems by 2025.” Only the Conservative Party refrained from such a reckless and ill-founded platform commitment.

2020 MEDIA KIT

Responsible full grow-out closed containment will happen, but needs partnership and time to develop.

We can and must develop this sector that promises to grow incredibly healthy, sustainable food for Canada – and the planet’s – future, writes Timothy Kennedy, President & CEO of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance Credit: BCSFA

British Columbia is a well-known target for activists wanting to preserve the province from development. Canada’s energy sector is the most notorious target, but so is salmon farming: money flows across the border from large US foundations to fund activism against our sector. Joining them are an elite and well-connected group of Canadians who, convinced by protest science and wanting to preserve their fishing lodges, erroneously target the sustainable practices of our farmers as the reason for wild salmon decline.

Marine salmon farmers around the world are already moving towards the next generation system of extended life on land (i.e. “super smolts”) and less time in the ocean. Multi-stakeholder discussions, instituted by the Liberal government, were pointing clearly to this system as the realistic option in the near term and that full closed containment needed time to be proven out. Challenges such as land use, energy use, water use, waste removal, fish welfare and, most importantly, profitable operations, still need to be adequately addressed.

Canadian producers were on the cusp of major investments in hatcheries, technology improvements, and yes, considering marine closed containment pilot projects. eir intention was to continue to invest to constantly improve performance. Companies want to continue to invest in technology development in Canada, but here’s the catch: they can do this only if they have confidence in the support of governments for long-term investment. e party commitments requiring closed containment within a certain period of time break trust and seriously undermine confidence.

Responsible full grow-out closed containment will happen, but needs partnership and time to develop. We plan on working with whatever political party that is in power to move forward in a reasonable way to protect Canada’s marine environment while at the same time supporting marine farming, its sustainable practices and promise for good jobs in rural, coastal and Indigenous communities. We can and must develop this sector that promises to grow incredibly healthy, sustainable food for Canada – and the planet’s – future.

COVER REGULATIONS

continued from cover

Survey reveals extent of financial burden on US trout farmers

“ ese numbers are about to really show the difference. ese are the facts we need to change how farms are treated in the United States and how aquaculture is viewed on the animal welfare activists issues,” Zajicek said.

e survey showed that annual regulatory costs per farm averaged $150,506 and $1.23 per pound of production, and the total national on-farm regulatory cost burden was $16.1 million per year. Funded by the Western Regional Aquaculture Center (WRAC), the survey was conducted in 2017-2018 among salmonid producers of all sizes in the 17 top-producing states. It received a response rate of 63 percent, capturing 94 percent of national production.

Small farmers are hurt by the costs the most, around 16 to 18 times more than large farms, according to University of Idaho extension educator and study team member Gary Fornshell. He said increase on-farm costs, and lost farm revenue— whether it was from lost markets, reduced production or foregone sales from regulatory barriers—are the two major economic impacts of the regulations.

NEW VIDEO TO SPREAD MESSAGE

John Mollison, VP of Communications at animal health and nutrition specialist Prairie AquaTech, said he was “astounded” when he learned that $1.23 per pound is assessed on every bit of fish that trout farmers raised.

“When I would tell other people about this, they would say really that doesn’t sound fair.”

Mollison launched at the conference the world premier of “Encouraging American Aquaculture,” a video produced by Prairie AquaTech. e video communicates the importance of aquaculture and how regulatory costs affect fish farmers and, by extension, American consumers.

“ e video was created for each of you to use,” Mollison told conference attendees. “Just convey the facts; the facts are enough to speak for themselves.”

HISTORIC BURDEN

e farmed trout industry has long maintained that proper oversight of the industry is necessary, but inefficient regulations drive costs up and stem growth.

7%

Unexpected changes in farms to comply with regs

68%

Direct costs to comply with regulations

23%

US trout farm spending per year

Regulations substantially increased on-farm cost and constrained the industry’s ability to meet market demand.

Respondents reported that the most problematic regulations were those associated with fish health certificates for interstate transport; EPA discharge permits; FDA Veterinary Feed Directive; transportation; the Lacey Act and bird depredation permits (both enforced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service); county and local regulations; water access; federal regulations; and employment-related regulations.

“What was key is that these regulations function mostly as fixed costs. So a small producer that was prevented from increasing production is caught between a rock and a hard place because he couldn’t expand his production to cover those increased fixed costs,” Fornshell said.

Katie Mackey Harris, who was elected USTFA president during the conference, said the survey results are a “great tool” but “it’s just one tool and we need a whole toolbox.”

Harris noted that regulatory costs have long been a burden for US trout farmers. Her father, Phil Mackey, fought the same fight during his tenure as USTFA president from 1983-84, she said. “It was regulations back then; those were the fights they were fighting then as well.”

“I’m really proud of the contributions that we made to help that along,” she added. “It’s a great step but it’s all so new so I’m cautiously optimistic.”

e association is encouraging its members and member associations to share and post the survey results to on social media to inform national, state and local decision-makers and agencies.

IMPACTS SO FAR

e NAA has already used the findings to request the EPA to reduce testing frequency for effluent discharge, said Zajicek, adding that NAA has been arguing about reducing frequency of testing since its founding in 1991.

He said NAA has also used the data in voicing aquaculture’s concerns at its “Walk on the Hill” meeting with House and Senate officials.

Other aquaculture sectors across the US have seen value in the trout industry survey such that five sectors: shellfish, catfish, tilapia, hybrid striped bass and Florida tropicals now want to have an analysis done on their particular species. Carole Engle, who led the study team in the farmed trout industry survey, Fornshell and Jonathan van Senten, will also conduct the new studies.

REFORMS PROPOSED TO REDUCE REGULATORY COSTS

Reduce regulatory redundancy

Reduce frequency of effluent testing*

Reduce frequency of fish health testing*

Adopt fish health testing standards

Adopt clear appeal procedures for farmers

Adopt risk-based approaches to environmental management

* For farms with history of good performance

COVER SUSTAINABILITY

continued from cover

Going old-school

‘For us, it is not specifically getting rid of plastic but rather being more mindful of how we interact with plastics.’

– Jacob Dockendorff

e company is moving away from using plastics as much as the possible as part of a company-wide effort to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Jacob and his sister Cindy now manage the company started by their father, Russell Jr, in 1997. Located in Red Head about a half hour drive from Prince Edward Island’s capital city of Charlottetown, the company has 500 leases, mostly in South Lake, Savage Harbour, Red Head and East Point areas. It has a sister company called PEI Mussel King, which is one of the oldest mussel farming companies in Canada, dating back to 1978.

“For us, it is not specifically getting rid of plastic but rather being more mindful of how we interact with plastics,” Dockendorff explains. “Plastics are very useful in aquaculture and food packaging and when used mindfully and recycled properly they are both environmentally and economically sound.”

Atlantic Shellfish was the first oyster company in PEI to transition from waxcoated cardboard to recyclable plastic packaging almost a decade ago. Dockendorff says the colorful packaging (a different color for each of their brands) remains their primary vehicle for shipping their oysters because wooden boxes are not leak-proof and therefore not accepted by airlines.

are making a comeback at Atlantic Shellfish Products Inc

He maintains the plastic packaging is environmentally friendly since it is recyclable. “ e plastic boxes are also more sanitary in regard to food safety. e better insulation they provide eliminates the need for styrofoam inserts and their being leakproof also eliminates the need for a plastic liner. Airlines prefer them,” he says.

e company has also replaced styrofoam floatation devices with buoys made of hard plastic. Unlike styrofoam, which tends to break apart, plastic buoys remain attached to the line even if they malfunction, he says.

“We are mindful to take our waste back to facilities on land rather than cutting knots and bits of rope and letting them fall into the water,” he said. “We use knots that can be loosened so that the same rope can be used repeatedly and replaced when they show signs of wear. ey typically have a 20-year lifespan.”

He noted that back in the 70s and the 80s styrofoam buoys were the main method of floatation and ropes were also not typically UV-treated in those days. “Early pioneers of the aquaculture industry in PEI just didn’t know the long-term impacts of practices such as cutting the knots off ropes and letting them stray.”

He says the company follows the code of practice of the PEI Aquaculture Alliance, which encourages its members to use materials with a long lifespan or are recyclable. “More and more the marketplace is demanding that our product be produced in an environmentally sustainable manner and we are just trying to stay ahead of the curve,” he says.

Recyclable plastic packaging.

continued from cover

FARMED SALMON REVIEW

BC farmed salmon industry becomes a political pawn

Credit: Cermaq Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced three weeks before the polls that if he is given a second mandate, he would end net-pen salmon farming in British Columbia and transition it to closed containment systems by 2025. (Trudeau won a second term in office as this issue went to press.)

His Liberal Party’s platform is “destructive, careless and flies in the face of making decisions about aquaculture based on science and facts,” Fraser would later say in an official statement. e entire Canadian aquaculture industry condemned the Liberals’ plan (see commentary on page 8).

BACK

LOOKING

Mowi Canada West and Cermaq Canada, interviewed prior to the Liberal Party announcement, felt accomplished when looking back at 2019.

“Exciting,” was how David Kiemele, managing director of Cermaq Canada, described the year. “We’ve started

The Liberals’ aquaculture platform will have repercussions for the families of 7,000 middleclass workers in BC, says the BC Salmon Farmers Association

on a path that’s long overdue. We’ve strengthened existing relationships. We’ve renewed our focus and commitment to responsible farming. We continue to focus efforts in supporting the health and wellbeing of wild salmon, continue to focus and build on our employees and the

culture in the business. We continue to look for avenues for growth whether it be here in BC through new relationships or other provinces, and we continue to enjoy farming a very climate-responsible protein in a beautiful part of the world.”

For Mowi, “2019 has been certainly one where we’re finding a good demand for our product,” said Jeremy Dunn, director of public affairs at Mowi Canada West. “One that has seen us spend a considerable amount of time building relationships with First Nations, improving our dialogue in many areas and obviously the conversations and progress in the Broughton has been well publicized and that’s been important for our company as well.”

Kiemele and Dunn were talking about the government-to-government negotiations in 2018 that resulted in a historic agreement on salmon aquaculture in First Nations territories.

e agreement entails the shutting down of 17 Atlantic salmon farms in BC’s Broughton Archipelago by 2023 because they are in the migration route of wild salmon. First Nations also wanted a role in governing activities on their traditional lands, thus a monitoring program was installed to give them oversight over the transition process in the Broughton over the next four years. is includes monitoring fish health, sea lice and pathogens and diseases before and after fish are introduced into the fish farms.

Five of the 17 farms designated for closure have already been shut down as of September. Mowi, which owns 12 of the 17, viewed the deal as “a positive step toward building mutual goodwill, trust, and respect” between industry and First Nations.

Cermaq, which owns the five, also embraced the deal saying it would “help to protect and enhance wild salmon populations and ensure the continued sustainable and responsible production of farmed salmon.”

MOVING FORWARD

With a road map now laid out between the industry and the federal, provincial and First Nations’ governments, 2020 is supposed to be the year when the industry moves forward.

For Mowi and Cermaq, that includes continued negotiations with First Nations to reach agreements that would allow them to continue operating the rest of the 17 farms in the Broughton beyond 2023.

“ ere’s an opportunity within the recommendations and in the process over the next number of years that we may see four of our operating farms in the Broughton continue under further agreement with First Nations,” said Dunn of Mowi, which has operated farms in the Broughton over the past 30 years.

Kiemele of Cermaq Canada sees the next four years “as an opportunity to put ourselves in the best place possible for extending operations and relationships in the area.”

“And now we can actually see that agreement on paper put into action in practical terms. is will involve multiple visits to the site, developing thresholds for key criteria like sea lice and fish health with and in collaboration with the nations and then move that forward,” Kiemele said.

In the meantime, both companies aim to keep their annual harvest numbers steady despite the closure of some of their farms in the Broughton.

For Mowi to maintain production numbers averaging 45,000 tons of salmon annually, Dunn said Mowi is able to amend tenure agreements in other areas that allow for “modest increases” in production where it is environmentally responsible to do so.

“ is might mean that a farm is increasing its maximum allowable biomass by 8 to 12 percent depending on the farm site and the area that we’re in. So you might see a farm that has eight pens becoming a farm that has 10 pens, for instance, and it would have a few more salmon stocked on that site. ese are incremental growth that are allowed and are possible through detailed environmental assessment and monitoring, ensuring that the biophysical capabilities of that particular site can handle more fish with no real increase in the footprint of the operation,” he says. (Dunn left Mowi days after this interview; see page 28.)

Cermaq produces around 21,500 GWE annually in BC. It is looking at multiple options within its existing sites “to make sure that we don’t see a drop in annual production and that’s something that’s been our mandate all throughout this process and continues to be so today,” Kiemele said.

“Now we are in a position to start to be a little more forward-looking,” said John Paul Fraser. “Not that we’re not forward-looking already—our companies spend a lot of time thinking of the next thing, the next competitive edge, the next innovation in fish health, in gear, equipment, new markets, the next value-added to a product—that’s always happening but as an industry, in partnership with government community, what does the future look like collectively? What does growth look like? What do we see 10 years from now? How do we get there?” ese questions would be discussed at the association’s Annual General Meeting scheduled in November, Fraser said. But the Liberal Party’s plan to move the industry to closed containment systems by 2025 could change those conversations.

WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE

e politicians’ pledge may not even happen, but for now it is a threat that looms over the industry. If the past year was any indication however, BC’s farmed salmon industry is resilient.

“ e progress made in the Broughton area in the last year has been remarkable and shows what can happen when people work together in British Columbia,” BC Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said in an email to Aquaculture North America (ANA)

Fraser of BCSFA paid tribute to the salmon farming community. “I haven’t been in this industry for very long, but long enough to see that the people who have dedicated their professional lives to it are up for that conversation and they’re up for that engagement with communities to build that life that’s going to make you proud. I cease to be amazed at the level of skill that exists in aquaculture both on science, economic, technology and leadership and also the emotional intelligence that exists in aquaculture.”

FARMED SALMON REVIEW

Cermaq puts East Coast expansion plans on hold

Decision delayed to better gauge public support

Cermaq is delaying a decision on whether to expand its operations into Nova Scotia, Canada, citing stakeholder support as a primary consideration.

“We will not go forward unless we feel we are wanted,” said David Kiemele, managing director of Cermaq Canada, told Aquaculture North America (ANA) e company said it is taking an additional six months to better understand whether there is public support for a Cermaq expansion to the Canadian east coast. Cermaq Canada is headquartered in British Columbia.

Cermaq staff engage Nova Scotians at a popup information center to hear their concerns or answer their questions Credit: Cermaq

“ e extension for the six months was something that we always knew we could potentially request. As we’ve come out and said multiple times, we are doing this in a process that allows us to engage with as many rights holders and stakeholders, communities, governments, and groups, from the start. And that takes time,” Kiemele said.

e company is going into overdrive in its community engagement efforts, appointing in July a sustainable development director for the East Coast who will be based in the Nova Scotia full time, and it is in the process of setting up community information and advocacy committees.

“ is allows the engagement process to continue. It allows us to make sure that we cover as many bases as we can and at the same time to capture more data from the areas that we believe have potential, and then have the discussions with the rights holders and the stakeholders in the province as to where they believe the farms could be located without intruding on important lobster fishing grounds and the like,” the Cermaq executive said.

Cermaq began investigating the opportunity to expand its business operations to the East Coast earlier this year

Kiemele of Cermaq addded: “People talk a lot about equipment and feed and technology, but we’re farmers and a huge element of this business are the people.

“We as an industry continue to focus and work on growing our membership and our people because I may be able to implement the best possible technology in the best possible site with the best possible conditions and the fish are being fed the best possible diet, but if I don’t have the right people with the right focus and the right culture on those sites, it’s not going to work.”

after the province of Nova Scotia granted the company four Options to Lease last spring. e company plans to invest $500 million in the province and produce around 20,000 metric tonnes of farmed Atlantic salmon annually. is is roughly the same amount it produces in British Columbia. “We employ approximately 285 full-time employees in BC in our offices, in our sales offices, processing plants, hatcheries, and on our sea sites. So one could extrapolate that similar levels of employment would be required for the initiative in Nova Scotia,” said Kiemele. If all go according to plan, Cermaq’s Nova Scotia operations will serve markets on the East Coast, which are currently being served by its West Coast operations.

“Nova Scotia has a coastline that is favorable to ocean aquaculture. ere isn’t a lot of production in the province at the moment. It is very close to markets that we service from the West Coast so it would be a lot more attractive if we could send fish growing on the East Coast to the East Coast,” Kiemele said.

He added that Nova Scotia’s “clear and progressive regulatory framework around salmon aquaculture builds confidence in companies that come out and investigate if it’s prudent for them to look for ways to grow in the province.”

John Paul Fraser, BCSFA executive director, paid tribute to the salmon farming community

FARMED SALMON REVIEW

Setback mars Mowi’s first year in Atlantic Canada

Province suspends producer’s license following massive fish deaths

BY LIZA MAYER

More than half of Mowi Canada East’s salmon in Newfoundland and Labrador have now died as a result of a climate event in early September, prompting the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to suspend the company’s farming licenses until further notice.

Around 2.6 million salmon, or roughly 5,000 tonnes, have since died. e number includes around 600,000 fish that later died after “being weakened by the temperature event,” said Jamie Gaskill, managing director of Mowi Canada East.

“ e salmon mortalities comprise approximately half of all Northern Harvest fish in the water. is is approximately 2.6 million fish out of 5.4 million fish in the water,” he said.

2019 marks the first year of operations for Mowi Canada East in Atlantic Canada since acquiring the assets of Northern Harvest Sea Farms. e company was busy streamlining those assets when it found itself at the centre of a media storm.

Alarm bells were sounded in September about the massive mortalities among the company’s salmon in the Coast of Bays region in Newfoundland. But the negative press was less about the die-offs but more about the company’s failure to notify the broader public.

“I want to state for the record that we should have advised earlier of these additional mortalities as they occurred over time. I take responsibility for this personally as the managing director of the company. We were too focused on clean-up efforts, and we have learned from this experience,” said Gaskill.

Mowi blamed the massive mortalities to prolonged warm water temperatures of 17 to 21C that lasted about 11 to 13 days in the area. In the past, such temperature spike would only last three to four days. But because it was a “climate issue” rather than a “disease issue” and there were no escapes, the company followed its usual protocol of informing the provincial regulator, mayors, community leaders, indigenous leaders, the Fish Food & Allied Workers, and local plant workers about the incident, said Jason Card, director of communications at Mowi Canada East.

“A learning that I’ve had from that is it is fair enough that we talk to the public broadly so no one can say that they didn’t know what was happening and no one will panic because they lack information,” he told Aquaculture North America (ANA).

Newfoundland’s Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources Gerry Byrne has since said he will tighten regulations around disclosure.

In total, 72 cages were impacted by the mass mortality event, of which 63 have been fully cleaned up as of end of September.

FORGING AHEAD

Mowi Canada East managing director Jamie Gaskill took responsibility for failing to inform the public as events occurred. ‘We were too focused on clean-up efforts, and we have learned from this experience,’ he said

“Having a great start is important, but continued breeding for excellence is what has taken Mowi to where it is today,” says Mowi in its 2018 Annual Report. While the statement describes the company’s very first broodstock caught in Norway’s rivers in the 1960s, it could also very well be referring to its goal when setting foot in a new territory.

Mowi Canada East has every plan to move forward from the climate incident. It says it is committed to grow in the region and share the fruits of that growth with the community.

“ e vision for Mowi in the east coast is a company that will have the same effect that we’ve had anywhere else we set up globally. ere will a positive economic impact in the rural regions and in the maritime areas. We will be employing people to have a product that they’re proud of,” Card said.

Mowi set foot in the east coast of Canada in 2017 when it purchased the assets of the Gray Aqua Group, a family-owned Canadian company with operations in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. In July 218, it continued its expansion in the region with the acquisition of Northern Harvest Sea Farms, which like Gray Aqua has salmon farming licenses

in those two Canadian provinces. us was born Mowi Canada East, which operates in three Atlantic Canada provinces–Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. e significance of Mowi Canada East to the farming giant’s overall business is obvious. e phrases “key achievement” and “of strategic importance” were used by the Norwegian parent company in its 2018 Annual Report in reference to its entry into this new territory.

Gaskill, who was brought in from Mowi Norway to lead the unit, said in the same report: “While Northern Harvest has provided broodstock, egg, smolt supply, operating sea sites, processing, and sales, the former Gray territory in Newfoundland offers the future growth potential. Add the strength of Mowi’s global expertise in human resources, research and development, communications, branding, feed and nutrition, and you’ve got a single entity ready to deliver strong results to our markets and to our shareholders.”

Mowi’s presence in the east coast puts it closer to a market of 80 million people across the northeast region of North America. “Mowi Canada East was established to serve key markets on the North American east coast, most specifically Boston and New York. We haven’t been established that close to market before so that’s the real value of this new business unit,” said Card.

STREAMLINING EFFORTS

e unit has for the past year been busy standardizing operations within Northern Harvest Sea Farms so that they’re up to Mowi specifications. While Northern Harvest was successful in its own right (it is the world’s first salmon company

The climate event affected 72 cages, killed 2.6 million fish or half of Mowi Canada East’s fish in Newfoundland

share the fruits of that growth with the community

to achieve 4-Star Best Aquaculture Practice Certification), instilling in all staff and overall operations “ e Mowi Way” is crucial for Mowi.

“ at would include a lot of things; all of our staff–from New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island to Newfoundland and Labrador–they’re all receiving ‘BrainSafe’ training, a program that was specially designed for Mowi that encourages staff to embrace and promote a strong safety culture. It builds an understanding that every person, every policy, every process, and piece of equipment contributes to the overall safety of the organization so that at end of the day everyone goes home safely,” said Card.

Another change being brought in is in terms of equipment and infrastructure. Mowi Canada East has just finished building a model farm in Wallace Cove on Newfoundland’s Facheux Bay. It put the first fish in the water this summer. ose fish were spared from the climate event, Card said. “ is would be the model for what future development would look like in Newfoundland. e fish are doing extremely well,” he said, adding that more information would be available over the next several months.

It also has recently upgraded equipment, fish culture techniques and safety standards at its hatchery in Northampton, New Brunswick, one of the assets that Mowi acquired from Gray Aqua. A huge refurbishment of a processing plant in St George, NB is likewise in the works and completion is expected by yearend.

IN HINDSIGHT

But growing pains are inevitable, the climate event being one of them. “It told us about the environment that we’re operating in Newfoundland and, if there’s a silver lining in what happened, it was the fact that it happened to us in the first year of operating Northern Sea Farms assets. We knew right away that we could adapt, we can make changes,” said Card.

“We may never see temperatures like this again for another 10-15 years, but once you’ve had the experience, you have to build as though you’re going to have this experience all the time so you need to protect your fish,” he said.

Part of the efforts to protect the fish will be to change the gear with deeper cages and aeration systems, said Card. e company said it has asked a third party to monitor “the extent of the effect of the event and the recovery of the surrounding environment.” It has engaged an indigenous marine stewardship organization to do the monitoring and report their findings publicly.

“We will enhance our overall operations and our interactions with regulators so that, with time, everyone understands our commitment to operating at the high standard our stakeholders expect,” said Gaskill.

Mowi has over 400 employees in the region and it is hiring more. “We’re growing everywhere we are,” said Card. “We’re committed to employment and the provinces where we operate. When you have strong aquaculture, you’ve got consistent throughput through the processing sector and that supports jobs, protects people and communities.”

FARMED SALMON REVIEW

AQUACULTURE NEEDS A ‘HOME’ IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Atlantic provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have the political will to grow aquaculture, making them attractive destination for world-leading companies like Mowi. However, aquaculture’s lack of a “home” in the federal government remains a sore point for the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA).

The proposed Federal Aquaculture Act is expected to address that. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), which manages Canada’s fisheries, oceans and freshwater resources, is leading the development of the Aquaculture Act. But the aquaculture industry is concerned about the Act being regulated by a department with a constitutional mandate to support the wild fishery.

“We need an Act that defines fish farming in Canada as ocean farming, similar to the FAO definition, and gives our farmers a federal supporter like the Fisheries Act does for fishermen,” says Susan Farquharson, executive director of ACFFA.

She adds that ACFFA and other associations requested the Prime Minister’s office to address this conflict of interest but received “no constructive response.” In spite the lack of federal guidance, Farquharson says she was impressed by technological advancements in the industry as it continues to invest millions of dollars into research.

“One example is the advancements in farm management structures throughout the region,” says Farquharson. “Due to these ongoing advancements in technology and the implementation of a code of containment, escapes have been dramatically reduced over the past 25 years, now estimated at well below one percent.”

Farquharson anticipates that tech advancements in post-smolt systems will take off in the region in the coming year, which would allow farmers to grow their fish longer and larger on land and reduce the fish’s time in the marine environment by 50 percent.

– Matt Jones

Mowi Canada East has every plan to move forward from the climate incident. It says it is committed to grow in the region and

FARMED SALMON REVIEW

Nova Scotia’s progressive regulations boost aquaculture

Regulations provide investors with clarity and confidence when venturing into the province

BY MATT JONES

Government and industry representatives say 2019 was about growth in Nova Scotia, with players inside and outside the province looking at opening new salmon farming operations.

“2019 was a watershed year for aquaculture development in Nova Scotia primarily because of renewed interest by existing operators here to expand their businesses as well as major international companies looking for opportunities to develop,” says Tom Smith, executive director of the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia (AANS).

Keith Colwell, the province’s Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, says that responsible development of the industry is a priority for the province. It is well positioned for growth in both land-based and marine farming, he said.

“ e past year has seen strong growth in aquaculture, bolstered by the new regulatory framework the province implemented in 2015. It provides greater clarity, transparency and accountability in the rules and procedures that govern the industry,” says Colwell.

ENHANCED REGULATIONS

In August, the province introduced stronger regulations as part of its commitment to the industry’s sustainable development. e new regulations covered Fish Health, Environmental Monitoring, Farm Management Plans, and Containment Management.

“Nova Scotia is committed to the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry. We are also committed to supporting research and development and have dedicated funding to better understand aquaculture’s relationship with the environment and other users,” said Chrissy Matheson, communications executive at the Ministry of Agriculture.

“We have the strongest and most modern regulatory framework in Canada,” she added. “Our new regulations are based in the best science and practice available. Updates to the regulations will further strengthen oversight in the aquaculture industry in Nova Scotia.”

Smith believes that the regulations, both the 2015 version and the 2019 amendments, have played a part in making Nova Scotia a more attractive destination for salmon farming.

“ e regulations are focused around operational excellence and transparency to Nova Scotia communities,” says Smith. “ e process that is in place, although it is new, is certainly providing a road map for aquaculture operators that want to come to Nova Scotia and open new businesses with a confidence that there is a future in development here in the province.”

ere are only a handful of salmon producers in the province currently. 2017 figures from the Department of

‘watershed year’

Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) put Nova Scotia’s farmed salmon output at 11,078 tonnes, less than half of New Brunswick and well below British Columbia, which produces the lion’s share (roughly 60 percent) of Canada’s farmed salmon production.

Smith notes Nova Scotia’s small output at the moment is a plus; it means there’s room to grow, he said.

CERMAQ DELAYED

One of the most talked about stories of the year in Nova Scotia aquaculture was Cermaq Canada’s interest in beginning salmon farming operations in the province. Headquartered in British Columbia, Cermaq Canada announced in April that its goal was to obtain 20 salmon farm licenses and build two hatcheries and a processing plant, potentially creating more than 300 jobs and contributing up to $500 million to the local economy. In order for the move to make financial sense, Cermaq says it would need to produce 20,000 metric tonnes of salmon annually in the province.

“ e province has a coastline that is favorable to ocean aquaculture. ere isn’t a lot of production in the province at the moment. It is very close to markets that we service from the West Coast so it would be a lot more attractive if we could send fish growing on the east coast to the east coast. at’s the attractive piece for us,” said David Kiemele, managing director of Cermaq Canada, in an interview with Aquaculture North America (ANA).

He added: “ e government of Nova Scotia has also been quite clear and progressive in their regulatory framework around salmon aquaculture. It is set out in a way that builds confidence that companies can come out and investigate if it’s prudent for them to look for ways to grow in the province.”

Cermaq is a great example of the companies that are seeing the opportunities in Nova Scotia, says Smith. e company was granted four Options to Lease sites in Digby, Guysborough and Richmond with six months to develop business plans and strategies for marketing and community engagement. However in September, Cermaq announced it is delaying its decision on whether it will expand into Nova Scotia, because it needed more time to consult with the public. “We will not go forward unless we feel we are wanted,” said Kiemele. (See story on page 13.)

Smith says Cermaq’s options are part of the 12 options for new operations granted in the province. “We’re finally turning the corner from all of the regulatory work that’s been done over the last five to six to seven years,” says Smith. “And that’s now manifesting itself in new opportunities for expansion and developments.”

PUBLIC SUPPORT

Aquaculture in Nova Scotia has been the subject of heated public debate much like in other parts of the world. In local papers, it is not uncommon to see arguments made back and forth, with op-eds and letters to the editor sniping at each other about the pros and cons of the industry. Much like his counterparts in other salmon farming locales, Smith keeps a positive outlook, observing that there is positive change in Nova Scotian attitude towards aquaculture. Most communities he interacts with simply want more information, Smith said. Still, he admits that the industry’s biggest challenge is to build public trust.

“I think it’s something that we’ll continually try to improve,” says Smith. “One of the things we’re trying to communicate is that the operational standards and best practices that aquaculture farmers use in 2019 are so much advanced from 10 and 20 years ago.”

Tom Smith, head of the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia (right) and Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Keith Colwell (second from right), with AANS’ community outreach team. Nova Scotian attitude towards aquaculture is improving, says Smith

Salmon aquaculture cages in St Marys Bay in Digby, Nova Scotia. 2019 was a

for aquaculture development in Nova Scotia, says ANNS Credit: Adobe Stock

FARMED SALMON REVIEW

All eyes on Maine as future RAS hub

Investors are intrigued, but will Maine residents buy in?

BY LYNN FANTOM

The prospects for land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to raise salmon in Maine have intrigued investors and enticed political leaders eager for new jobs in the state.

But some skeptics question their financial projections. Others in this New England state, known for its lobsters, quaint villages, and scenic national park, are breeding a general distrust of aquaculture that goes back decades. To move forward, aquaculture leaders are honing key skills in both investor and community relations.

ree RAS companies—Aquabanq, Nordic Aquafarms, and Whole Oceans—are navigating the complex process of obtaining permits and preparing for construction of mega facilities that could quadruple US salmon production in just a few years.

ey join Cooke Aquaculture, the only net-pen farmer currently operating in Maine, which is also interested in expanding. However, after local lobstermen pushed back, Cooke has has yet to file its application for a new 40-acre lease, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

ese dynamics raise the specter of entrenched, competing interests. “ e US has had a challenging relationship with aquaculture,” acknowledged Erik Heim, Nordic Aquafarms president.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

e CEO of Aquabanq, AJ Shapiro, is a former investment banker. It’s no wonder the company’s US website would increase the pulse rate of any investor.

Its proposition is: e market in the US for salmon is growing, but reliant on imports, and RAS occupies a “pole position” to compete against traditional producers who use hormones, vaccines, and antibiotics. By locating nearer major US markets, land-based growers can reduce transportation costs and capitalize on anti-carbon consumer perceptions.

With aquaculture veteran Bent Urup as chief scientist, Aquabanq plans to scale up to 10,000 metric tons (MT) by 2025 in the former mill town of Millinocket.

At this potential turning point in aquaculture—dubbed by economist Peter Drucker as “the most promising investment opportunity of the 21st Century”—Maine has attracted land-based ventures not only because of its proximity to major markets, but also its coastline, which is longer than California’s. Plus, it has over 32,000 miles of rivers and streams. Cold, clean water abounds after decades of environmental efforts, which many remember.

Whole Oceans plans to locate alongside the Penobscot River in Bucksport, where they too will build on the site of a former pulp and paper factory. at once-robust industry has declined sharply, but employed one quarter of Maine’s

A rendering of Nordic Aquafarms facility in Belfast, with projected production capacity of 30,000 MT. Company leadership foresees a close working relationship with researchers and universities Credit: Nordic Aquafarms

Visitors to Maine’s Acadia National Park lean in to see salmon leaping inside Cooke Aquaculture net pens near Black Island. These tourists were quiet and curious, but others have confronted the tour operator about antibiotics and ‘bad waste’ Credit: Lynn Fantom

manufacturing workforce in the 1970s when salmon farming was just starting. Now RAS may be bringing back jobs in those riverside communities.

THE TIME IS RIGHT

e technology for land-based aquaculture has improved dramatically in the last five to 10 years, according to Sebastian Belle, executive director at Maine Aquaculture Association. Advances include low-head oxygenators, pumping systems that require much less electricity, more efficient filters, reductions in makeup water, and more energyefficient facilities.

“ ere is a paradigm shift in the cost to produce the fish,” notes Michael Timmons, an environmental engineer at Cornell University, who has written the textbook Recirculating Aquaculture. Assessing the viability of the new ventures in Maine, he says, “Environmentally, technically, and with production, I’m really confident they will be successful. ey’re going to generate a lot of jobs, which is key to our community survival.”

THE PAIN OF PERMITS

e technology may be here, but the process to launch the business is complex, starting with permits. Nordic Aquafarms, in fact, posted a “Permitting Primer” on its site to help residents understand the rigorous municipal, state, and federal requirements.

Lawn signs supporting Nordic Aquafarms. The grassroots movement was started to counteract other residents who opposed the proposed land-based farm in this coastal community of 6,714 people Credit: Anne Saggese

Palom Aquaculture acquired permits for its RAS farm in Maine in 2014, making it the first RAS operator to do so. But it can’t start construction until it gets more capital. Managing partner Bryan Woods told the Bangor Daily News that he and his six partners are looking for either the cash for them to proceed or an ownership buyout, which will include both the permits and 17 acres in Gouldsboro. e early stages of Nordic Aquafarms’ efforts in Belfast have also been tumultuous. Two parties have sued (one lost already). e company invested in a 2,000-page application. Now it is working through a series of special public meetings on issues such as visual impact; impact on historic and archaeological sites (e.g. shipwrecks); soil-erosion control and water use.

Aquaculture advocate Belle believes that behind these challenges to Nordic Aquafarms is “a fundamental demographic shift in our coastal communities,” pointing to the retirees. (Maine now has the oldest population in the country.) ere is tension, he says, between those who value Maine as a recreation center and working waterfront families who use it to make a living.

But the issues may go even deeper.

Nordic Aquafarms encountered a “subculture” fundamentally resistant to fish farming, Heim says. Whether because they are vegans, critics of food waste, or proponents of restoring wild salmon, “the facts don’t really matter because it’s ideological.” It is the same kind of polarization that has stung so many US communities.

Still, Heim, who has already financed three land-based facilities in northern Europe, has made steady progress by

setting up a local office with a walk-in policy, conducting voluntary public meetings, publishing a monthly newsletter, even visiting opponents at home to hear their concerns. And facts have paid off with other constituencies: top Maine environmental groups issued letters of support, US Senator Angus King visited the Belfast office last August, and a grassroots counter-movement mounted a campaign, “ e Fish Are Okay.”

In the end, Heim scopes the annual production of the Belfast facility at 30,000 MT after three expansion phases.

THE REAL CHALLENGE: IMPLEMENTATION

In contrast to Belfast, which is only 20 miles away, Bucksport’s Planning Board whizzed through a review of Whole Oceans application, granting approval in less than 90 minutes. is town of 5,000 has been eager to attract new business since the 2014 closing of Verso Paper, which had been its largest employer and taxpayer.

Although the final go-ahead is contingent on another permit, Whole Oceans planned to begin demolition and ground-breaking in November.

Now that the company is moving into this next phase, Jacob Bartlett, CEO of holding company Emergent Holdings, the private investment partnership he started, has assumed the day-to-day leadership role. Previously, Bartlett headed sales at Pranger Enterprises, an Indiana-based construction company serving aquaculture, “whether a large project or a small mechanical need,” according to his LinkedIn.

But Bartlett knows he will need expertise to run an operation as big as Whole Oceans, which eyes an eventual annual capacity of 20,000 MT. Emergent offered to buy a majority stake in British Columbia’s only land-based salmon farm, Kuterra, to help it capture at least 10 percent

FARMED SALMON REVIEW

of the North American market as well as train staff in the Bucksport facility. But in July, the ‘Namgi First Nation, Kuterra’s owner, rejected the deal.

SUCCESS FACTORS

Heim agrees that expertise is key. He has put a premium on hiring experienced people, who will have the advantage of tapping into protocols developed by their European

COLLABORATION: A KEY INGREDIENT

Some researchers in Maine are investigating the resistance of sea lice to traditional therapies. Others test alternative fish feeds made from soybeans or algae. And many benefit from what Dr. Brian Peterson calls a “very active, very collaborative” relationship with industry.

In turn, the scientific community is a reason aquaculture companies have chosen Maine.

Peterson is the research leader of the National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC), a USDA facility in Franklin, Maine. Its core work is a large selective breeding program that zeroes in on traits such as weight, fillet color, fillet fat such as Omega-3 fatty acids, and sea lice resistance.

Scientists at the center culture all stages of life of the North American strain of Atlantic salmon, from fry to parr in recirculating water tanks and then to grow-out in marine net pens. For about 18 months, Cooke Aquaculture then takes over, feeding and caring for the center’s salmon. They grow alongside Cooke’s fish, differentiated by an electronic tag.

“I think our program is unique because the salmon are evaluated under real industry conditions,” Peterson says. After making new crosses, the researchers give Cooke

counterparts. “In my strong personal opinion, [one needs] the know-how related to RAS, operating it, and dealing with live fish in the system 24/7. If you underestimate that, you’re going to fail. It’s not enough to think you have technology,” he says.

But then Timmons from Cornell circles back to the financial proposition to gauge potential success: will net sales be high enough to support operating costs? “ at’s the risk factor,” he emphasizes.

their top one percent. “They will use those fish as their future brood stock. Their fish are our fish.”

As new land-based systems come to Maine, Peterson adds, they will have access to this improved germplasm as well. This healthy collaboration between academics and industry is incentive for newcomers.

Atlantic salmon smolt inside an antenna which is reading the number of its electronic tag. Healthy collaboration between academics and industry is incentive for newcomers in Maine Credit: National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center

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INNOVATIONS

Sea lice ‘vacuum cleaner’

Equipment provider Vard Aqua has introduced a tool that sucks up the sea lice that detach from salmon during delousing treatments.

Called NS Collector, the tool is akin to a vacuum cleaner that could be installed inside or outside net pens to remove salmon lice at every stage of the louse’s life cycle, said the Norwegian company.

Lice that detach during crowding and treatment are caught, collected and destroyed, as are algae and other particles such as debris from net cleaning. “Destruction of the sea lice collected reduces the degree of re-infection, while simultaneously reducing the general infection rate, both in the facility where the system is used, and in nearby facilities,” it added.

e NS Collector is a complete system, consisting of an underwater unit, a cable, a cage anchor and a control cabinet with integrated communication. As well as being easy to use, the tool simply needs a filter replacement once it is full.

Tech firm uses big data to help control sea lice

Its current focus might be Norway but the developers of Manolin Innsikt are confident it’s just a matter of time before the sea lice management platform becomes available to farmers in other salmon farming jurisdictions.

Manolin Innsikt (Innsikt is Norwegian for “insight”) is a health analytics software that enables salmon farmers measure the effectiveness of their sea lice treatments. It also helps them discover where to best focus their efforts by comparing their results with those of other users.

“One of the toughest things with sea lice is it is unpredictable. You can have five treatments that work and then a sixth treatment that just randomly fails. It’s hard to have information to understand why that’s happening. So we’re giving you information from across the industry so that you can compare not only against yourself but against your neighbors, or the rest of the country, to determine if your strategy is working or not,” Tony Chen, co-founder and CEO of the US-based startup, tells Aquaculture North America (ANA)

Access to information is available through annual membership. Users can keep track, on the dashboard, real-time insights on sea lice such as sea lice reports and alerts, which are crucial in pest management, says Chen. “Information transfer regarding sea lice needs to flow extremely quickly in order to coordinate the most effective response to an outbreak. Our technology is aimed at exactly that, informing our customers as soon as possible when activity has been detected so that they respond. e faster the industry is able to respond, the more manageable the issue becomes,” Chen tells Hatch, a Norway-based business accelerator that provided the company seed funding.

e product was first introduced early this year in Norway, where it was developed and field-tested. Chen says there are plans to roll out the product in other countries where salmon is farmed. “It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. We definitely have plans. It’s just that Norway is the perfect political ecosystem for our type of product right now, but we have plans of being back in the States for sure. at’s where we started.”

But while the data collected is currently focused on Norway, there’s plenty knowledge to be gleaned about sea lice treatment and management, he adds.

“I think it could be applicable across the entire salmon industry.

Sea lice are an industrywide issue. Any salmon aquaculture operation that struggles with sea lice can learn insights and trends and patterns from it.”

ANA_Maine

Sea lice collector by Vard Aqua Credit: Vard Aqua

Invention a win for trout farms

Aprogram created to discover innovations by farmers has handed the inaugural prize to an invention aimed at the farmed trout industry. e invention, a peracetic acid dispenser, won Alltech Coppens’ inaugural Inventor prize at the Aqua InDepth conference in Eindhoven, the Netherlands in October. e equipment offers farmers a measured and safe way to effectively make peracetic acid applications to fish tanks and raceways while also minimizing stress on the fish. Peracetic acid treats conditions such as gills diseases in intensive production of rainbow trout.

Tropic Ribarstvo, a company from Bosnia and Herzegovina, developed the device.

“Traditionally, the flow in the fish tank is stopped and the peracetic acid is manually applied to the water—this can cause additional stress on the fish and uneven distribution of the therapeutic. is invention is an extremely efficient method of treating fish in a way that ensures safe and stable dosing while minimising stress to fish stock during the process,” said the CEO of Alltech Coppens, Patrick Charlton.

Silicon Valley startup applies machine learning to fish farms

Aquabyte staff about to deploy the Aquabyte system in a pen in Norway, where the company conducted its field trials Credit: Aquabyte

ASan Francisco-based startup is applying computer vision and machine-learning models to help fish farmers optimize fish health.

“We’re one of the first companies taking the Silicon Valley approach to applying computer vision and machine learning to fish farms,” says Bryton Shang, founder and CEO of Aquabyte.

“What we do is we partner with camera manufacturers and develop software that analyzes images that come from the fish pens. From those images were able to do things such as determine the weight of the fish or the number of sea lice.” e technology further helps farmers understand the size distribution in the pen and use that information to better help grow the fish.

“We’ve also developed technology that can uniquely identify fish via the spot patterns as well as other things in the pen that affect fish growth, such as the appetite of the fish, how many of the pellets they’re eating, or wounds on the fish, and we’re using this data to allow farmers to better optimize their farm,” says Shang.

Aquabyte’s software is used alongside existing technology, in this case, an underwater 3D camera. What customers get is a dashboard where they can see the size distribution and sea lice counts. It is similar to reports that the farmer would normally be generating by hand.

“So in terms of being able to time sea lice treatments, being able to regulate how much feed the fish needs, at what times during the day, as well as how much they have available in the future to sell, we’re doing this largely using deep learning and computer vision algorithms that were developed in Silicon Valley,” he says.

Aquabyte anticipates that more-efficient feeding over a fish’s lifetime could result in potentially tens of billions of dollars saved in feed costs.

e company has its roots in San Francisco, CA but a significant part of its team is in Bergen, Norway, where focus is on the salmon and trout industry there.

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A rainbow trout farm in Washington State. A dispenser that offers farmers to apply peracetic acid to fish tanks and raceways without stopping the water flow won Alltech’s inaugural Inventor prize Credit: Liza Mayer

the

It takes a village to raise seaweed

Norway’s experience highlights multi-industry collaboration in addressing challenges in seaweed farming and marketing

The biggest obstacle is making seaweed marketable, says SITEF scientist

BY HEATHER WIEDENHOFT

It’s a move towards a more sustainable and responsible agriculture: growing marine algae (seaweed) would require no pesticides, hormones, and are virtually drought- resistant. And researchers have found that some types of algae grown in a cultured environment often produce a higher biomass of algae per cubic area than land-based crops like wheat and corn. e leafy sea crop is a low-calorie, low-fat source of protein and iron, and is full of nutrients like vitamin K, folic acid and calcium.

Norway, world-leading producer of farmed Atlantic salmon, is already on the map for utilizing natural stocks of algae and kelp in its cold, clean northern waters. Since the beginning of salmon farming in the 1970s, Norway has been working hard to advance techniques in aquaculture and mariculture based on sustainable and ecologically safe growth and harvest practices. ey have one of the most successful salmon farming operations worldwide, accounting for 54 percent of all farmed Atlantic salmon in 2016. Not surprisingly, the country is a source of innovation in techniques that the rest of the world have long valued for their own fish farming operations.

Research in seaweed has increased in line with a push for Scandinavian countries to take the lead in a Blue Bioeconomy -- businesses based on the sustainable and smart use of renewable aquatic natural resources.

Seaweed aquaculture started here about 10 years ago, and already one can find over 20 companies in Norway involved in some way with seaweed cultivation.

Can one make seaweed aquaculture energy-efficient and eco-friendly?

e growing itself is not unique; many Asian countries have been farming seaweed for many years. But Norway’s experience points to a new way of thinking about this potential industry, and the world is taking notice.

A leader in the field of independent R&D for aquaculture, SINTEF heads the Norwegian Seaweed Technology Center. It tries and refines new techniques through rigorous research, in which not just scientists but industry leaders, aquaculturists and energy producers are involved.

Jorunn Skjermo, senior research scientist at SINTEF, points out how collaboration with other industries has helped address some challenges. For example, she cited the high cost of producing the huge amount of heat it takes to dry algae to prepare for marketing (seaweed are about 90 percent water). But seaweed harvesters get help in defraying these costs through collaboration with industries such as those in waste incineration, who supply seaweed harvesters with surplus heat energy to dry the algae.

She also sees a future where they “…. may even be able to use the heat produced by the ship engines of the boats used to harvest seaweed to help dry the product while at sea.”

Another innovation based on collaboration is the proximity of kelp beds to existing salmon farms in coastal areas. e sea plants take up excess nitrogen found in fish waste and convert it to growth, which not only makes the kelp grow faster but eliminates excessive nutrients that can contribute to eutrophication and oxygen depletion.

But Skjermo points out that an even larger impact in combatting CO2 build-up can be made by using seaweed as a biofuel. Using plant-based products help offset the carbon emissions by the almost the equal amount of carbon taken into the plant for growth. An NGO in Norway, the Bellona Foundation, is even looking at processing algae into aviation fuel.

With all these potential benefits, it is perplexing why seaweed cultivation has not caught on globally.

Skjermo says the biggest obstacle is making seaweed marketable. It’s a bit like chicken or the egg conundrum: does supply create the market, or does the market prompt supply? Whichever comes first, it is important that both industry and product find a balance. is so far has been Norway’s biggest challenge to date, but Skjermo is optimistic about Norway leading the way in addressing this. She sees hope in their focus on big industry support, research to find less labor intensive practices for harvesting including mechanical and tech-based solutions, and learning from Japan and China on how to get large-scale production to the market.

All photos: Adobe Stock

Rows of seaweed on a seaweed farm. Researchers are looking at the seabed for a new generation of ‘crops’ to support

world’s rapidly growing population

FLOATERS & SINKERS

By John Nickum

The sad truth about taxpayer-funded projects

Ten years spent as a Washington, DC bureaucrat has confirmed with this columnist the bitter reality behind the approval and funding of projects of ‘questionable value’

Last summer, Dr Brad Hicks wrote a column in Aquaculture North America (ANA) in which he opposed investing taxpayers’ money in fantasies. He went on to warn that just because one wants something to happen, that doesn’t mean it will happen or even should happen. e object of Dr Hicks’ column was the proposed development of a 50,000-tonne Atlantic salmon recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility on northern Vancouver Island. He found a lot of questionable data and wishful thinking in the economic “justifications” used to promote the project, and questioned the wisdom of using taxpayers’ money in funding such fantasies.

In the big picture of taxpayer-funded boondoggles, the RAS facility on Vancouver Island seems almost miniscule in comparison to Olympic stadiums and airport facilities elsewhere in Canada and many locations around the world. Nevertheless, the relatively small size of the project and the fact that “everyone is doing ‘stuff’ like this” are acceptable reasons for turning a blind eye and nodding approval for wasting hard-earned dollars.

Readers interested in learning more about the billions of dollars spent on sports- and transportation-related facilities that now are idle and decaying should do an online search for “Billion-dollar wastes of money from around the world.” Many of the projects identified in the report were funded with taxpayer monies. None of the projects described in the report were aquaculture related, but Brad’s point that real, evidence-based justifications should be required before our hard-earned dollars are wasted is reasonable, and supported, judging from readers’ feedback to the piece.

Small libraries could be filled by slippery reports filled with improbable assumptions that were used to justify expenditures of taxpayer money on questionable projects. Projects related to fish farming occasionally make it onto these pork barrel lists, but never make it to the top of these lists. A former colleague of mine who had been a very high ranking official in the US Defense Department told me that he estimated two of every three dollars spent on Defense contracts and procurements were wasted, because of “political maneuvering.” Perhaps fish farming does not hold a high place on the list of wasted government funds because the amounts of potentially wasted funds tend to be relatively small.

e 10 years I spent in Washington, DC with the US Department of the Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service) gave

Small libraries could be filled by slippery reports filled with improbable assumptions that were used to justify expenditures of taxpayer money on questionable projects.

me some insights as to how and why projects of questionable value are approved and funded. e fundamental principle is connections: Who is connected to whom? e details vary from project to project, but the general pattern is pretty much the same. Members of Congress may have pet projects of personal interest to them, but more frequently they are doing a favor that will benefit one or more of their prominent supporter, or even a childhood friend.

Water projects, such as small dams, flood control, fish hatcheries, and research centers were the most common projects that crossed my desk during my time in DC. How do these “back home” projects obtain funding? A senior Member of Congress generally has enough connections with other representatives and/or senators to gain approval for projects in his/her State that carried “modest” price tags under $20 million. e projects may or may not be considered worthwhile by professional specialists, or even constituents back home.

Readers might ask, “Do resource scientists working in the Federal agencies have any input on priorities in general,

or in evaluating specific projects promoted by a member of Congress?” e answer is: “Sometimes.” Much depends on the specific characteristics of the project and personal connections both within the agency and within Congress. As vice-chair of the Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture, I became aware of many project proposals in other departments and agencies, in addition to the Department of the Interior. Standard practice for career scientists in position is to inform the organizational hierarchy about the proposal, then wait for their decision as to whether to support the project or oppose it. But, what if those higher ups have no experience or expertise related to the project; or worse, were part of the nefarious scheme? Did I always defer to those above me in the organization? No, I felt, and still do, that my professional expertise was of more value to American taxpayers than the political connections of my bosses. I tried to give my supervisors opportunities to get credit for good decisions but I placed higher value on serving our nation’s natural resources and the tax-paying citizens of our nation.

Mechanisms exist for appropriate evaluation of proposed initiatives and projects by obtaining input from producer organizations (e.g. aquaculture associations), research experts, and government scientists. eir evaluations should be forwarded through the system to those controlling appropriations who can then decide whether or not the political and personal considerations match expert opinions, or outweigh them. Connections in high places may outweigh expertise when dealing with government funding. It’s up to skeptics, such as Dr Hicks, to shine the light of day on questionable data and shady dealings.

Credit: Getty Images

Rosy outlook for Canadian

Halibut PEI already produces 70 tonnes a year, with sights set on an expansion of over seven times that

BY TREENA HEIN

Demand for farmed halibut is high in Canada, and the team at Halibut PEI aims to further boost its substantial production level to meet that demand. One other thing is for sure–accommodating the feeding behaviour of these fish is a critical factor for success. is unique operation originated back in 2008, when Jim Dunphy (president), Gerald Johnson (scientific director) and Bob Johnston (public and government relations) started a halibut-growing pilot project at a lobster-holding facility in Victoria, Prince Edward Island with three saltwater wells. Johnson had heard about the unused facility through his lobster industry contacts and knew a little about halibut farming from being in Iceland (halibut were first grown in Iceland, then Norway and Scotland) as well as being acquainted with Scotian Halibut, one of the first halibut operations in Canada. He then put the two ideas together.

“It’s the highest-priced white fish, ocean stocks are low and demand is high,” he says. “Chefs really like it. e flesh has a nice consistency and accepts flavouring well.”

e pilot project, using about 2,300 juveniles purchased from Scotian Halibut, exceeded their expectations. “We needed above all to determine whether the water salinity and temperature would work for halibut,” Johnson explains. “We were delighted to find that the temperature range is perfect. It’s regulated through natural geothermal means, and this saved us a lot of work going forward.”

ey’d first leased the lobster plant, and with the pilot project a great success, they bought it in 2010 and converted the tanks along the way. In 2013, they finished an expansion to 22,000 sq ft, bringing production from 35 to 70 tonnes a year using private investment combined with loans from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the PEI government. e staff now totals 12.

Organics are removed through filtration and applied onto local farmland or to local farm manure piles to enrich them and heat them up in the winter.

HATCHING AND MORE

After experiencing an interruption in juvenile supply a few years ago (which prompted them to produce Atlantic salmon in the interim), the Halibut PEI team decided its own in-house hatchery was in order. Construction finished by the end of 2016, and Johnson says it’s unique in that it has four RAS systems rather than a flowthrough arrangement, allowing for very fine control of water quality. Again, private investment was supplemented with monies borrowed from the federal and provincial government. Halibut PEI now also rents a facility for broodstock and egg production in Clark’s Harbour, PEI.

“It takes halibut females 12 years to reach sexual maturity, then they reproduce for decades,” Johnson explains. “It’s about six months from egg to 5 g, then another 36 months to reach 6 lbs.” However, the company is continually finding ways to reduce days to market. Each female can produce several batches of eggs each year and over 100,000 eggs per kg of body weight. Johnson says that in the future, they will probably ship some eggs to other halibut farmers. ey’ve done some test shipments already and they have gone well.

Most of their challenges along the way have been related to adapting existing technology for halibut and their feeding habits. Johnson explains that they are a midwater column predator but also a bottom feeder. “ ey will feed heavily for a day and then take a day off,” he notes. “ ey aren’t aggressive feeders, and it actually takes some finesse to get them interested in feeding. Our staff has to closely monitor when the fish feed and how they feed. It’s a very

halibut farmer

different fish, very quiet when handled and very robust.” Indeed, part of their robustness is that halibut are very adaptable to different feeds, at least in part due to their longer digestive tract. It means Halibut PEI can use different feed options, says Johnson, but right now they use a standard marine fish feed available from large feed companies. Halibut feed efficiency is comparable to Atlantic salmon.

PRESENT AND FUTURE MARKETS

Halibut PEI offers three fresh products: 6-lb head-on gutted, 1-pound head-off gutted (to fit on a plate) and fresh fillets, all shipped in ice the same day they’re harvested. ey are purchased by highend restaurants in the Maritimes, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. “ e big restaurants in Ontario order all their shellfish from PEI,” notes Bob Johnston, “so we add our orders to those trucks as they leave the island, and also ship some by air to Vancouver.” Johnston says he and his colleagues have seen no significant change in attitudes

towards farmed halibut since they began 10 years ago, and demand has always been strong. “We’ve always labelled it as ‘Farmedin-PEI Halibut’ with our Ocean Wise sustainability certification, and that’s the way restaurants describe it on their menus,” he explains. “It’s always fetched a higher price than wild halibut. It’s fresh, consistent and of fantastic quality and we get calls regularly from new restaurants who have heard about us through word-of-mouth.”

Indeed, Halibut PEI is planning a major expansion and possibly may someday add value-added products to the mix. (Gigha Halibut, a land-based halibut farm in Scotland sells fresh fish but also markets award-winning smoked halibut made using oak chips from old whisky barrels.)

“We may do some smoking in the future,” says Johnston. “Jim Dunphy ran a smoked salmon plant for years so it wouldn’t be a big step for us. But right now, we’re focused on getting our permits and finances in order for a major expansion to 500 tonnes.”

“ at may cover fresh market demand and allow us room to play with value-added possibilities, but we’re not sure that it will even meet demand,” he adds.

Halibut PEI ships fresh harvest to high-end restaurants in the Maritimes, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver

Halibut PEI facility in Victoria, PEI. The company hopes to expand production to 500 tonnes and add value-added products, like smoked halibut, to the mix

Merck Animal Health expands aquaculture team

Biopharmaceutical company Merck Animal Health has named Jackie Zimmerman as national account manager for its North American Aquaculture division.

Zimmerman will be responsible for sales and services in the United States and Canada to advance the health and wellbeing of fish.

“ e aquaculture division of Merck Animal Health is growing globally, and it’s really exciting to be joining this team and to be able to support our customers,” she said.

Zimmerman joins the company from Skretting USA, where she was sales manager. Prior to her seven years at Skretting, she worked with several different commercial aquaculture organizations that focused on fish production and their nutritional and health needs. She received her BS Marine Biology from Hawaii Pacific University and a master’s in Coastal Sciences/Aquaculture from e University of Southern Mississippi.

In addition to the hiring of Zimmerman, Merck Animal Health team recently named Kasha Cox as director of Global Aquaculture to lead the company’s aquaculture division, and Dr Tim Kniffen, DVM, technical services for Global and North America Aquaculture. e appointments are in line with the global expansion effort by Merck Animal Health to more strongly position the company as a world leader in aquaculture.

“Aquaculture is growing as a supplier of healthy protein for the world. Merck Animal Health is strongly positioned, through our people, products and training support, to help ensure the food supply is healthy and produced sustainably,” said Cox.

New company aims to fill void from Pentair’s exit

Anew company in Campbell River, British Columbia hopes to fill the void created by Pentair’s decision to exit from aquaculture.

Kurt Lang and Stephanie King founded Inwater Technologies Inc “with Pentair’s support,” the duo said.

“Pentair Aquatic Eco Systems’ exit from the aquaculture market in order to shift focus onto their core markets has left a lot of fish farmers wondering where to get support for Point Four monitoring, PR Aqua Drumfilters, etc,” Lang said in a post on LinkedIn.

InWater Technologies is now open and located in the office/warehouse space previously occupied by Pentair.

“We will manufacture and distribute the Point Four (PT4) monitoring line as well as a range of equipment to compliment the PT4 systems. We have an in-house probe repair division and can rebuild just about anything you can ship to us. For anything too large to ship to us we can come to you. We travel the world to perform anything from equipment commissioning to full facility start-up, equipment audits to trouble shooting, and most important, customer training,” Lang added.

Nordic Aquafarms appoints Maine local as CFO

Land-based aquaculture company Nordic Aquafarms has named Brenda Chandler as its chief financial officer.

Chandler, who most recently was responsible for the global Corporate Real Estate program at ON Semiconductor in South Portland, Maine, has a varied finance career in the technology and paper industries. She holds degrees from the University of Maine Augusta.

“We are very pleased that Brenda has chosen to join the company as we are proceeding with our plans in the US,” Erik Heim, company president, said. “I also want to thank omas A. Brigham, who has been assisting us as acting CFO in the start-up and transition phases.”

Chandler works out of the company’s corporate headquarters in Portland, Maine.

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Dunn leaves Mowi

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eremy Dunn, director of public affairs at Mowi Canada West, has left the company to take over the role of general manager at the BC Dairy Association. Dunn joined Mowi in May 2018 and remained at his post until October 18, 2019. He was the executive director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association for four years prior to joining the world’s biggest farmed salmon producer.

Chris Read will continue in his role as communications manager for Mowi Canada West.

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Brenda Chandler, new CFO of Nordic Aquafarms

Jeremy Dunn has left Mowi Canada West to join the BC Dairy Association

More details are forthcoming in the company’s website at www.inwatertech.com

Jackie Zimmerman, national account manager for Merck Animal Health

Trout association elects new leader

Katie Harris, newly elected president of the US Trout Farmers Association Credit: Liza Mayer

The United States Trout Farmers Association (USTFA) elected Katie Mackey Harris as president during its 2019 Fall Conference in Seattle, WA in September. Harris is president and general manager at Mt Lassen Trout & Steelhead in Paynes Creek, California.

Harris not only took over from her parents in running the farm, Harris appears to have also inherited their leadership acumen. Her father, Phil Mackey, was USTFA president from 1983-1984, and her mother, Mary Mackey, was president from 1988-1989. “I’m pretty sure I am the only USTFA president who can say that both of my parents have been past presidents of this organization. I’ve been around this my whole life, having grown up on a trout farm,” said Harris, who is on her third year as USTFA board member.

“Our goal moving forward is to make sure that we are putting positive things out there, that we are sending the messages out to the people that need to hear our story,” she said.

“We have tremendous potential but we get bogged down by excessive, and costly, regulations. ose things inhibit growth but I also honestly believe that we will persevere and continue to grow as long as we’re willing to stand up and advocate for ourselves.”

Harris succeeds Jeremy Liley, who was association president from 2017-2018.

Syndel gets FDA nod

Aquaculture pharmaceutical products developer Syndel said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved additional uses for two of its products aimed at improving the health of freshwater finfish—Parasite-S and 35% Perox-Aid.

Parasite-S is a formalin product long approved by FDA to control Saprolegniaceae fungi in freshwater finfish eggs. FDA has now approved the use of the drug on the fish themselves to treat saprolegniasis associated with the fungi.

35% Perox-Aid, which is used to reduce mortality due to saprolegniasis in freshwater finfish eggs, is now approved for use on all coldwater finfish (including all salmonids) and all fingerling and adult coolwater and warmwater finfish. e drug has long been approved to also treat external columnaris disease associated with Flavobacterium columnare in freshwater reared coolwater finfish, channel catfish. e FDA has now approved it for use on warm-water finfish, including hybrid catfish and blue catfish. Another new application for the drug is in controlling Gyrodactylus spp. in freshwaterreared salmonids.

Canada okays bath immersion treatment for fish

eggs, fry

A

company based in Prince Edward Island has obtained Health Canada approval for an all-natural product designed to produce healthier fish in aquaculture facilities.

RPS Biologiques Inc received the green light for liquid and powdered versions of Supratect under the Low Risk Vet Health Product program. e efficacy of the product, which includes black tea in its list of ingredients, was tested on salmon and their ova during a three-year trial conducted at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. Company president Dr Subrata Chowdhury said the product is designed to improve the fish health and prevent disease. It has been in the development since 2015.

e company is currently ramping up to commercial production, thanks in part to over $86,000 in funding support from the federal and provincial governments. While testing has so far been concentrated on salmon, Chowdhury said the federal approval covers all finfish.

He said Supratect is the first natural fish health product to receive approval in Canada through the Veterinary Health Products notification program.

e company eventually hopes to introduce the product in the United States, Europe, Asia and Chile and discussions are underway with a number of potential partners, he said. A large commercial aquaculture firm in Canada that used the product as part of the field trial testing is now in the process of converting to large-scale use of the product, Chowdhury added. –Andy Walker

system.

Dr Subrata Chowdhury hopes to market the product beyond Canada

Credit: Adobe Stock

Aquaculture America 2020

EVENTS

NOVEMBER

Nov 6-8

Expo Pesca & Acuiperu Lima, Peru http://www.thaiscorp.com

Nov 19-22, 2019 Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2019 San Jose, Costa Rica https://www.was.org/meeting/code/ lacqua19

JANUARY

Jan 13-15, 2020

40th Milford Aquaculture Seminar Shelton, CT https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ aquaculture/milford-aquaculture-seminar

FEBRUARY

Feb 09–12, 2020 Aquaculture America 2020 Honolulu, Hawaii https://www.was.org/meeting/code/AA2020

70th

NWFCC

VICTORIA, CANADA

DECEMBER 3 – 5, 2019

Northwest Fish Culture Concepts, Annual Meeting & Workshops

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