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Awkward transitions
It has been another tumultous year for the salmon industry and, as interim editor of Aquaculture North America , I still feel like I’m catching up.
The cover story, for example, is one that I know will invoke mixed feelings for the aquaculture industry in North America. In the aftermath of traditional net pen farming bans in Washington State, this spotlight on Sustainable Blue’s promise to bring its recirculating aquaculture model seems like bittersweet news.
In fact, it almost feels ironic to think that a land-based, closed containment system that touts zero wastewater discharge might offer a messy solution for the government’s effort to replace the net pen industry in the state.
What I mean by this is, as editor of this publication’s sister magazine, RAStech, I’ve learned that recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) is highly specialized work. North America has seen new RAS projects popping up across the continent but it still remains to be seen whether there are enough available
skilled workers to run these megafarms to its fullest capacity.
But Sustainable Blue CEO Kirk Havercroft seems optimistic about the company’s own potential to find a new home in Washington State. Though it’s still much too early to guarantee this project will break ground, this technology also offers a lot of hope for the industry’s opportunities in this region.
There are rumours of other RAS companies eyeing locations in Washington State for their own facilities. Could Washington State be a new hub for American RAS? We’ll certainly be paying close attention.
We’ll also keep an eye on the developments of salmon aquaculture in British Columbia as we have in the past couple of years.
As I fill these interim editor shoes, I’d love to open my email inbox to you. What stories should our pages be shedding light on? I’m interested to know. Send me an email at jkodin@annexbusinessmedia.com.
From all of us at Aquaculture North America, stay safe and well.
Aquaculture North America’s Editorial Advisory Board: Ian Roberts | Sandra Shumway | Jason Mann | Jeanne Mcknight | Mykolas Kamaitis | Jamie Baker
JEAN KO DIN
Cooke warns of scam job offers
Cooke Aquaculture has warned the public of scammers impersonating Cooke employees through fake offers of employment.
“Cooke has received several reports of persons falsely claiming to work for Cooke on social media and recruitment platforms such as LinkedIn and Indeed,” reads a news release from the company. “The fraudsters are offering employment positions and requesting copies of government-issued I.D. cards, proof of address documents (ex: utility bill, recent pay slip, bank statement, etc.), and cheque payment information such as a direct deposit form or void cheque.”
The release also notes that the perpetrators of the fake offers have produced false documents such as a contract of employment to help convince potential victims that they are legitimate recruiters.
“A lot of these frauds stem from an unsolicited contact, like a pop-up will appear in somebody’s social media account,” says Nova Scotia RCMP H Division Public Information Officer Andrew Joyce. “Other times, you see an ad that when you really think about it, seems too good to be true. There’s 101 different iterations of how these scams are put forward.”
Joyce recommends that job seekers do their research – look up the company that is supposed to be offering the job and seek out their official channels for employment opportunities. Cooke advised that official job postings are found at www.cookeseafood.com, www. mycookecareer.com or the @mycookecareer Facebook page.
“Other times, there’s money involved there, they want the person to pay upfront for the job application or to move things along,” advises Joyce. “Honest employers never request that anyone pay to get a job. That’s a sure sign of a scam.”
Representatives for Cooke did not respond to specific inquiries regarding the fraudulent job offers and directed us to their previous release.
- Matt Jones
SAGE awarded $350K to promote gender equality
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded a nonprofit US$350,000 to advance its mission of promoting gender equality in the seafood sector.
The Seafood and Gender Equality, or SAGE, has been promoting gender equality in the seafood sector since 2020 and the two-year grant its key programs including the Gender Equality Dialogues, the Bloom Networking Community, and the Conch Podcast.
“SAGE is extremely thankful to the Packard Foundation for this grant to bolster our efforts at building the seafood sector of the future, one that values and benefits people of all genders found at all levels of production, trade, and conservation,” said SAGE founder, Julie Kuchepatov.
The Bloom comprises more than 85 members who share their knowledge, insights, and stories to empower and support each other throughout their careers. The recently launched GED is pioneering the development of a roadmap of how seafood companies can work towards a more equitable and inclusive seafood industry. The Conch Podcast features interviews with people in the seafood sector.
“The Foundation recently rearticulated its vision for a more just and equitable world where both people and nature flourish. We have been an ardent supporter of SAGE since its beginning and this new grant is not only an acknowledgement of SAGE’s incredible progress and impact, but an investment towards achieving our new vision,” said Sarah Hogan, program officer at the Packard Foundation.
Newfoundland researchers say climate change impacts haven’t hit industry, but coming
Memorial University’s Dr. Kurt Gamperl says while increased storm activity and intensity is an immediate concern, the impacts of rising ocean temperatures will be a long-term problem.
Professors from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) are advising that climate change hasn’t significantly hit the province’s aquaculture industry yet, but it will.
Dr. Paul Snelgrove, a MUN professor and associate scientific director of the Ocean Frontier Institute, was quoted by the CBC as saying that increasing ocean temperatures will be the biggest challenge, as diseases spread more rapidly in warmer water.
“Thinking about fishes and mussels, which are the main species that are grown around here, both are temperature-sensitive, and growth rates will vary as a function of temperatures,” said Snelgrove.
Snelgrove’s MUN colleague, Dr. Kurt Gamperl – a comparative physiologist with a focus on how environmental and physiological variation affects fish biology – agrees, though he notes that the impacts of ocean temperature changes on the aquaculture industry will be a problem in the long term, not in the short term. In the immediate future, the increased frequency and intensity of storms will be the more pressing concern.
“That is going to be a challenge for the aquaculture industry going forward,” says Gamperl. “They’ll need to work on different net designs, different infrastructure to ensure that their cages and everything else can withstand that extra storm activity and intensity.”
Looking at the long-term ocean temperature impacts, Gamperl says that selecting fish for improved performance in warmer temperatures will be beneficial.
“They’re going to have to look at developing fish that will perform better at high temperatures,” says Gamperl. “The temperatures aren’t going to become lethal, but they may become sub-optimal during parts of the year.”
- Matt Jones
PHOTO: COOKE AQUACULTURE INC.
PHOTO: SEAFOOD AND GENDER EQUALITY
PHOTO: KURT GAMPERI
Nova Scotia aquaculture receives financial support post-wildfires
This year Nova Scotia saw the largest recorded wildfires in provincial history, including the Barrington Lake fire in Shelburne County, which covered 230 square kilometres at its height.
In response to the wildfires, the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSDFA) announced in August that the province would be providing a one-time grant of $2,500 to licensed aquaculture operators, harvesting businesses fishing under an official license and licensed fish buyers and processors which were directly impacted by the wildfires.
“I’ve visited the Shelburne area since the wildfires and heard firsthand from operators about the impact on our seafood businesses,” Steve Craig, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, was quoted as saying in the initial news release. “My department will continue to work with the industry to provide support and respond to needs.”
The funding offer has mostly been accepted by capture fisheries and processors, however, as there is limited aquaculture activity in the areas most affected by the wildfires.
A representative for the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia noted that they were unaware of any aquaculture businesses applying for the grant and only knew of one aquaculture business that had been affected by the wildfires – Kelly Cove Salmon, a Cooke Aquaculture subsidiary in Clark’s Harbour, which is in Shelburne County.
Even in that case, they had simply lost access to the farm for a few days and had no significant impacts.
A spokesperson for the NSDFA confirmed to Aquaculture North America that as of Oct. 4, the department had received 59 applications to date – 51 from harvesting enterprises, six buyers/processors and two aquaculture operators.
Prior to this NSDFA program, 21 seafood companies had applied for and received assistance through the Small Business Wildfire Relief Program, which was administered through the Department of Economic Development.
- Matt Jones
Florida’s aquaculture sees $34.1M loss after Hurricane Idalia
Shellfish farmers at Two Docks Shellfish in Ruskin, Fla., are saying they’re tight on clam supply.
According to a report from ABC Action News, Aaron Welch, president of Two Docks Shellfish, said the enormous storm surge following Hurricane Idalia wiped out millions more clams in hard-hit Cedar Key where he does business with clam growers.
With aquaculture being the primary industry in Cedar Key, the state estimates that shellfish processors and others in the aquaculture industry have lost over US$34.1 million from Hurricane Idalia.
Shellfish farming infrastructure and materials also suffered significant damage. “With the sales that we weren’t able to do for about two weeks because of us being shut down, the bags, material, everything. I’d say close to US$2 million,” said Timothy Solano, Cedar Key Aquaculture Association board member.
Virginia scientists testing AI to track brook trout health
Researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify individual fish, with the goal of building population models that track trout health and habitat changes.
The research, with a focus on brook trout, is a collaboration between data scientists at the University of Virginia and the U.S. Geological Survey. The aim is to create a more efficient and accurate way to track trout by using “Fish-ial Recognition” software.
Previously, scientists had to track fish using markers or injections to identify individual fish, but some of these methods did not work well for small fish.
“The new frontier is individual recognition using AI technology,” said Nathaniel Hitt, a research fish biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in a University of Virginia article.
The project originated during work at Shenandoah National Park by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecological Science Center in West Virginia. “We were using video sampling in stream pools to estimate the abundance of brook trout. We would take underwater video and have human observers count fish,” said Hitt.
So, they thought of using AI and applications like facial recognition software to count fish and are using brook trout since the species have unique identifying markings.
Researchers are classifying fish in both controlled and natural environments in West Virginia and Massachusetts, building a unique database that could potentially save taxpayers money and advance protective measures for trout and streams.
They hope to involve anglers in the project by creating an interactive application where they can upload images of fish and participate in protecting the health of brook trout and preserving their natural environment.
“Using images, we can create individual fish ID and could monitor population trajectories,” said Hitt, “but this also changes the relationship between anglers and these natural resources. It fosters a deeper sense of stewardship and connection to the streams and rivers.”
Hawai’i sector pushes for support amid sales growth
For the second consecutive year, Hawai’i achieved significant heights in aquaculture, yet local industry maintains that its full potential remains largely unexplored.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2022, local aquaculture sales were US$89.6 million, up from US$80 million in sales in 2021.
“This is a moment when we could be catalyzing a lot of growth in agriculture technology and aquaculture technology to really become a leader in the space of producing food in a more sustainable way,” said Neil Sims, co-founder of the Hawai’i-based mariculture company, Ocean Era, for Hawaii Public Radio.
The two promising areas are algae cultivation and off-shore fish farming. The aquaculture experts said they need more support, especially from Hawai’i government agencies and lawmakers for growth. Sims endorses a legislation proposing tax credits for aquaculture technologies, drawing a parallel to the 2001 state law Act 221, which was designed to foster the expansion and advancement of high-technology sectors.
Ocean’s Balance to expand seaweed products with Aqua Veggies
Two seaweed companies are joining forces to expand their product offerings.
Maine-based seaweed processor, Ocean’s Balance, has partnered with New Brunswick’s Aqua Veggies Ltd., a supplier of seaweed to expand product offerings while being responsible stewards of the ocean.
Aqua Veggies is one of North America’s suppliers of dulse, a red seaweed that grows in very few parts of the world. According to a company statement, the partnership was completed in August with the goal of expanding product offerings while maintaining a longstanding tradition of responsible stewardship of the ocean.
“For 25 years, we’ve been working to extol seaweed’s unique and extraordinary benefits not just for the health of humans and pets, but for the ecological health of the planet,” said Pam Young, co-founder of Aqua Veggies. “While we are incredibly proud to have built a successful seaweed business from the ground up, we are excited to partner with Ocean’s Balance, which has advanced milling and blending capabilities and can help us take Aqua Veggies to the next level.”
The announcement comes four months after Ocean’s Balance announced its purchase of a dehydrator for the drying and milling of farmed kelp on an industrial scale.
“We are honored that Aqua Veggies, a company with 25 years of sustainable seaweed experience, has chosen to join forces with us,” said Ocean’s Balance CEO Mitch Lench. “This company has made a name for itself for wild-crafted sea vegetables that are 100 percent organic, harvested by hand, and dried to preserve their dense nutrient content.”
Aqua Veggies dries its dulse in the sun.
PHOTO: AQUA VEGGIES
Researchers take a digital photo of brook trout to collect health data from a stream.
PHOTO: UVA SCHOOL OF DATA SCIENCE
Connecticut university gets $600K grant for aquaculture projects
The University of Connecticut said it received two federal grants worth about US$600,000 towards aquaculture initiatives.
The first grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Sea Grant program will provide US$398,896 for a two-year project to assess workforce development needs. It was one of 10 nationwide projects announced on Aug. 15 by the Sea Grant that together will receive a total of US$3.3 million for seafood industry workforce support.
The second grant of US$200,000 was provided by the U.S. Agricultural Research Service to purchase and outfit a trailer that will be used as a mobile laboratory. The mobile lab will be designed to conduct onfield research on the production challenges of kelp aquaculture. The trailer could also be used for training seaweed farmers and other interested sectors.
Some of the funds will also pay for the creation of a publicly accessible manual and video about kelp nursery set-up and operations for small-scale farms.
Michael Gilman shows an oyster dredge to students in the “Foundations of Shellfish Farming” class at UConn Avery Point last spring.
PHOTO: JUDY BENSON, CONNECTICUT SEA GRANT
“Sea Grant program will provide $398,896 for a two-year project to assess workforce development needs.
“We want to align what’s being taught with the needs of industry, and fill in the
gaps,” said Tessa Getchis, UConn Extension senior extension educator.
Alysa Mullen, fish lab director and aquaculture educator of the Sound School in New Haven, cited data that showed the majority of students who graduate from high school aquaculture programs leave the state for secondary education and do not return.
“There are several high schools like the Sound School in Connecticut teaching aquaculture in a hands-on setting, but no post-secondary education programs,” she said. “We are losing the students to states like Rhode Island and Maine that have these opportunities for students after graduation.”
Nancy Balcom, associate director, Connecticut Sea Grant said the two projects demonstrate how Sea Grant directly responds to identified needs.
“We look at who is being affected, who needs to be at the table in order to help solve the problem, and what resources are required,” Balcom said. “By securing those resources and facilitating that involvement, we help ensure that collective action leads to shared benefits.”
Go Beyond the Ordinary
CONTAIN | CONTROL | COMPLY
A tribute to aquaculture pioneer, A.M. (Arnie) Sutterlin
BY CYR COUTURIER
(WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY T. BENFEY, G. FLETCHER, B. GLEBE, D. STEVENS, D. RUNIGHAN, A. MACKAY)
Dr. A.M. Sutterlin passed away peacefully in July 2023 at his home in Souris, P.E.I., just shy of his 85th birthday. He is survived by his wife Melitta (of Bay d’Espoir NL) and daughter, Nancy (Sutterlin) Clements and grandchildren, Cape Breton, N.S.
Arnie, as he preferred to be called, was a true pioneer in the Canadian aquaculture scene. He will be remembered for his curiosity, wit, intellect, and by most, for that impish look in his eyes with pending humorous outcomes to follow.
His curiosity is what drove him, in my view. It occasionally got him into trouble, as he once
confided that he spent some time in reform school during his formative years for being “too inquisitive”, but that did not deter him from pursuing a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship in fish physiology in the 1960s and feeding his curiosity further. The true essence of Arnie was to drive that curiosity with passion towards finding solutions to grow fish and support the people who grow them. He had come to love the coast and nearby oceans during his early days in Maine, USA.
He began his fish career in the early 1970s at the St. Andrews Biological Station (SABS), then part of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, working as a
fish physiologist with scientist Dr. Dick Saunders, and then Director Dr. John Anderson. Arnie’s main job was to find ways to allow the restocking program operated by the International Atlantic Salmon Foundation (IASF; now the Atlantic Salmon Federation) to improve returns to Bay of Fundy rivers. Afterall, the newly constructed dams in Mactaquac and nearby rivers were causing some distress in wild fish populations, and hatcheries were built for enhancement purposes.
Throughout the ’70s Arnie and colleagues experimented with various salmonid hybrids, better ways to promote smoltification, and basic protocols for growing salmonids. The Norwegians had been working with Saunders at SABS on smolt physiology in the 1960s and began to develop salmon farming in the 1970s. So, naturally Arnie spent some time teaching and researching aquaculture in Norway from 19761978 on an exchange program, where he learned a little more about this new activity, salmon net pen farming.
Arnie returned to the SABS in the late 1970s and transferred some of the excess smolts from the government stocking program to Deer Island where a young local biologist, Art MacKay, had secured a grow-out location for the fish and had been advocating for farming for
several years. Working with his technician Gene Henderson and Art, they were able to produce Canada’s first ocean-raised Atlantic salmon by the late 1970s, and so it began.
Arnie was offered a position as scientist at Memorial University’s Marine Science Research Laboratory (MSRL) in the late 1970s to help develop finfish and shellfish aquaculture there. A place where he could apply his craft and curiosity to developing finfish aquaculture in Newfoundland (he hired me in 1981 to take over the duties for shellfish development).
Before leaving Memorial in 1984, to be with family and work for DFO Ottawa, Arnie had demonstrated with his graduate students and the Miawpukek First Nations that Atlantic salmon could be grown and overwintered on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland, a place with unique oceanographic conditions.
During this same time at the MSRL, Arnie began developing sterilization techniques for trout and salmon with his MSc student T. Benfey leading those efforts, developed the first RAS system using ozone in Canada for raising salmonids, developed artificial baits for cod longlining, conducted experiments on improving fry diets with a postdoc (L. Clarke), and so on.
With Arnie, it was always about the fish, shown here proudly holding a large female rainbow trout ready to spawn.
PHOTO: D. RUNIGHAN
First net pen of salmon for growth trials off Deer Island, N.B., in 1978.
PHOTO: A. MACKAY
At about the same time in the early 1980s, Arnie was still concerned about growing salmon in the cold waters of Newfoundland, and thereby encouraged MSRL colleagues Garth Fletcher and Choy Hew to undertake the world’s first gene transfer of winter flounder antifreeze protein gene into the Atlantic salmon genome.
The lure of development brought Arnie back to Newfoundland in 1986 to begin construction of the first salmon hatchery at Camp Boggy next to the Bay d’Espoir hydro plant, near St. Alban’s, N.L., the thought being the warmer spill water could increase growth of the fish to smolt size. John Holder was hired by Arnie to construct the hatchery and become its first manager. Meanwhile Arnie continued to assist local entrepreneurs in developing net-pen technology as well as hatchery-nursery technology through the 1980s. Following
this, he did a stint in Indonesia and Southeast Asia before being recruited to A/F Protein Inc. in the early 1990s by Dr. Fletcher, the patent holder on AquAdvantage transgenic Atlantic salmon, containing a Pacific salmon growth hormone gene in its genome.
Arnie moved to PEI to assist in the research and development of A/F Protein’s broodstock, development of all-female triploids, and further developing RAS technology for land-based salmon farming. A/F Protein Inc. eventually traded as AquaBounty Farms in the early 2000s and later to AquaBounty Technologies to begin the long arduous process of seeking approval to farm GM salmon for food with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and with Health Canada and Canadian Food Inspection Agency. All the while, Arnie was involved in mentoring graduate students (Cogswell and
Cook) at the facility, as well as staff, working on husbandry improvements for the fish and developing improved methods for farming overall.
Arnie was a true pioneer in finfish aquaculture in Canada, and
he spent some time on the Board of Directors of the Aquaculture Association of Canada in the 1990s, was a founding member of the Aquaculture Association of Newfoundland (AANF 1987) and was recognized in the early 2000s as the Atlantic Canada Aquaculturist of the Year. Arnie once told me he had little patience for “no-can-do attitudes and bureaucracy”, and just to get on with it. His efforts certainly show how he excelled with this attitude; one many aspire to emulate. His exceptional development skills and willingness to go beyond the confines of the ordinary, as well as his curiosity, made for an inventive and productive career in Canadian aquaculture. Arnie will be missed by all those who knew him, and I am sure we will miss that twinkle in his eyes when coming up with a new idea or solution or concept to feed his curiosity.
Arnie with male broodstock at the original Bay d’Espoir hatchery in Camp Boggy, St. Alban’s, N.L.
PHOTO: T. BENFEY
BCSFA comments on the global pink salmon boom
According to the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association, since records have been kept, the Pacific Ocean has never hosted as many salmon as today. The pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), one of the five main Pacific salmon species, has thrived as climate change pushes water temperatures to record highs.
As most other salmon species venture further into the northern hemisphere seeking cooler waters and food, pink salmon dominate many rivers to the south. Pinks have begun to expand their range into the Atlantic Ocean, with hundreds of thousands being captured in Norway and many more appearing on the United Kingdom and Newfoundland coastlines.
“The success of pink salmon is due to global ocean conditions favouring them. While this news can be viewed as a positive for wild salmon populations, researchers are raising concern about the pink salmon’s dominance.”
“While it is good that abundance of sockeye, chum, and pink salmon is high, there is growing evidence that this high abundance, especially pink salmon, is impacting the
offshore ecosystem of the North Pacific and Bering Sea,” said Dr. Greg Ruggerone, lead researcher of a 2018 study on salmon abundance in the North Pacific Ocean.
Additional researchers, such as Dr. Dick Beamish, state that high pink salmon returns one year usually mean low sockeye returns the next and that due to climate change, the carrying capacity of the ocean is changing, meaning salmon are migrating to areas where they are not typically found, and where the ocean conditions are more favourable.
For B.C. salmon farmers, adapting to a changing environment brought about by climate change has been key to the sector’s success over its 40-year history in B.C., and it will be equally important for future resilience.
It is known that large populations of adult pink salmon are a potential source of sea lice on farm-raised salmon when they return to natal rivers each autumn. In response to this challenge, B.C. salmon farmers will remain vigilant in monitoring and managing sea lice levels on their salmon to the low levels established by regulatory authorities.
- Maryam Farag
Kvarøy Arctic appoints new CEO in the U.S.
Kvarøy Arctic, a family-owned Norwegian salmon farming company, has appointed Rune Mikalsen as chief executive officer (CEO) in the U.S. to expand its presence in the American market.
Mikalsen has over two decades of experience in the seafood industry and is the former chief finance officer (CFO) of Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett AS.
“I am thrilled to join Kvarøy Arctic and have the opportunity to lead the expansion in the USA,” said Mikalsen. “Kvarøy Arctic’s commitment to sustainable aquaculture, product excellence, and environmental stewardship aligns perfectly with my own values. I look forward to working closely with the talented team at Kvarøy Arctic to bring the exceptional taste and quality of Norwegian salmon to even more American consumers.”
“(Mikalsen’s) extensive experience in the seafood industry and his passion for sustainable practices make him the ideal leader to drive our growth and strengthen our position in the American market,” said Alf-Gøran Knutsen, CEO at Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett AS. “We are confident that under Rune’s guidance, Kvarøy Arctic will continue to excel and bring the best of Norwegian salmon to even more consumers.”
Kvarøy Arctic has also added a new Midwestern sales manager Arnie Dzelkalns and promoted Freddy Olcese to chief financial officer.
Rune Mikalsen has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer Kvarøy Arctic in the U.S. PHOTO: KVARØY ARCTIC
LocalCoho secures funding from investment firm Cuna del Mar
New York-based recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) company LocalCoho is now closer to its goal of raising US$4 million by the end of 2023. LocalCoho said it secured a “significant new investment” from impact investment firm Cuna del Mar.
LocalCoho’s salmon are grown in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The company is focused on growing premium coho salmon.
“We were impressed by the LocalCoho business plan, management team, and their approach to building supply of a great tasting fish close to market,” said Robert Orr, managing director of Cuna del Mar. “The intent of our investment is to enable them to properly prepare for full scale up and commercialization.”
Cuna del Mar explores, supports and develops open ocean aquaculture methods and other enabling technologies that are economically viable as well as environmentally and socially responsible. The investment firm did not mention how much funding it is providing LocalCoho.
However, a joint press release said the “multi-million-dollar investment will allow LocalCoho to prepare for expansion of its pilot facility in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York and start mapping a plan for growth in other regions of the U.S., with a farm eyed for the Midwest.”
“Their investment provides capital to advance our vision allowing us to get one step closer to expansion,” said Michael Fabbro, chief executive officer of LocalCoho.
This is the second major investment for LocalCoho in the past year. LocalCoho received significant funding in November 2022 from seafood industry veteran Rodger May of Peter Pan Seafood to increase harvest capacity and continue to improve husbandry practices. The company also received a US$500,00 grant from New York State Development in 2022 to help commercialize its business.
“Their investment provides capital to advance our vision allowing us to get one step closer to expansion,”
LocalCoho is seeking to raise an additional US$4 million by the end of 2023 to fund its next growth phase.
PHOTO: LOCALCOHO SALMON
- Nestor Arellano
Sustainable growth
Nova Scotia’s Sustainable Blue becomes a model
for clean RAS
When Sustainable Blue CEO Kirk Havercroft drives home from the company’s facility in Nova Scotia, just a half mile (800 meters) from the Bay of Fundy’s Minas Basin, he passes cow pastures, a red-roofed community center, barns and siloes, feed mills, farm stands that sell blueberries and corn in season, vineyards, and white farm houses. It’s the type of place where people want to protect the land and water.
Dependent upon agricultural, fishing, and tourism, this part of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis
Valley might be averse to a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with even a small amount of nitrate-laden discharge. But, in the case of Sustainable Blue, there isn’t any.
The creator of this proprietary technology Dr. Jeremy Lee introduced it to Nova Scotia in 2007 from the United Kingdom, where he had developed water treatment systems for both aquaculture and the country’s largest aquarium.
He and Havercroft launched a pilot plant in Centre Burlington in 2010. Now, after more than a decade of refining and scaling, the company is scouting for a new site in
Sustainable Blue’s operation in Nova Scotia began as a pilot in 2010.
Sustainable Blue CEO Kirk Havercroft signed a letter of intent in March 2023 with Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands, to “explore opportunities for an alternative aquaculture model within Washington State.”
Washington state following a breakthrough deal last spring with Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who had banned commercial finfish net pen aquaculture in state waters in November 2022.
According to Max Showalter, policy advisor at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), “Sustainable Blue’s zero-discharge recirculating aquaculture system (zRAS) makes it a sustainable alternative for salmon aquaculture in Washington by eliminating opportunity for escape and minimizing pathogenic threats to fish.”
In an email, he emphasized, “The success of Sustainable Blue’s facility in Nova Scotia demonstrates their commitment to raising healthy, nutritious salmon with minimal environmental impact.”
The agreement has raised some eyebrows, however. The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance, a membership organization, told Aquaculture North America, “The entire aquaculture industry is baffled at how one small tank fish farming company from Nova Scotia was secretly handed an exclusive business partnership agreement for state-owned public lands by Commissioner Franz. There was no public call for proposals issued by the DNR and Commissioner Franz.”
No discharge – how? Havercroft does not detail how the company is able to recirculate 100 percent of its water, with no discharge into the environment, except to say that the “technology is based on a process which is unique in its application to land-based aquaculture.”
He did add that “a new theory of RAS filtration” — as opposed to conventional RAS which, in part, typically removes solids with mechanical screen filtration — “forced the company down the route of designing, engineering, and constructing its own treatment system to deliver this newly applied process at the heart of the filtration system.
“Nobody was doing that at the time that this early research began and nobody’s doing it now,” he continued. “Our process is a closely guarded secret.”
The company deliberately opted not to patent it to avoid putting the concept into the public domain and having to defend its rights. In addition, “fairly robust” non-disclosure agreements are part of employment contracts for the 27 full-time staff, Havercroft said.
Gearing up the technology
Prior to Sustainable Blue, Lee had extensive experience in developing, manufacturing, and installing water treatment systems for marine and freshwater fish farms and
hatcheries. He currently has a 75 percent stake in UK-based Blue Tech Systems International, which provides technology expertise to Sustainable Blue.
In May, Lee told Sustainability Magazine that, going back to 2016, the company had begun preparing the system to manage risk as it scaled. To develop a “control solution” that could be “self-sustaining,” Blue Tech tapped UK-based system integrator Fairfield Control Systems, along with Intelligent Motor Control technology from Rockwell Automation.
The saltwater grow-out facility produces 40,000 lbs. of salmon each week.
The water from tanks growing Atlantic salmon is complete recirculated, producing zero discharge back into the ocean. The company calls it zRAS.
Looking at an aerial view of Sustainable Blue’s facility today, one can also see the company’s incremental approach to growth over time. “We literally pushed that pilot plant facility to its limits, pulling out all of the very best ideas and making improvements for the second generation. The third generation was to scale all of that up to a commercially sized module that can be repeated as we go forward and contemplate building 5,000 and 10,000 metric ton salmon farms,” Havercroft said.
Under the radar screen
The saltwater grow-out facility that is now producing 40,000 pounds of salmon each week (that is, a capacity of roughly 1,000 metric tons) is “essentially the final scale of production module that we will ever build. And any future Sustainable Blue fish farms will be multiples of these modules strung together,” he said.
Purposely keeping the company small, the leadership team also decided, “Let’s not talk about what we think we will be able to achieve. Let’s wait until we get there. Let’s prove it,” he said.
This know-before-you-grow approach was based on the belief that investors find land-based aquaculture to be interesting, but
risky. “Now with future investors, as we contemplate our hopefully significant expansion and growth phase, we can go to them and say, ‘We’re not introducing any more technology or engineering risk into the profile. All we’re doing is scaling something that we’ve already built, costed, and operated to its full biological design load,” Havercroft said.
As if on cue to help propel this commercial take-off, in October, Sustainable Blue received C$500,000 (US$367,200) in funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), a governmental program designed to help businesses and other institutions in the region. Among its programs, the ACOA supports businesses “with an R&D element with a strong possibility for commercialization,” according to its website.
A strategic advantage
But an approach based on increasing the number of proven modules is not totally
new for RAS producers seeking to build in the US. In Maine, for example, Nordic Aquafarms countered strong local opposition by positioning its proposed US$500 million facility in the context of what the leadership team had learned operating three facilities in Europe and then emphasizing that the Maine facility would be built in stages.
“Scaling is achieved by replicating independent modular systems over several phases of expansion,” the company said in a 2019 statement.
Ultimately, though, the greatest challenges to Nordic Aquafarms hinged on effluence: its perceived threat to water quality and its inability to run pipes through intertidal land after a complex series of lawsuits.
And here Havercroft said that he hopes Sustainable Blue has “a credible, established, and proven project with a very unique strategic advantage potentially over other more conventional RAS farms that have to deal with the waste discharge component.”
But Northwest Aquaculture Alliance is not convinced. “While we commend the Nova Scotia company for cleaning its wastewater and returning it back to the facility, effluent discharge is not a huge environmental challenge,” said spokesperson Jeanne McKnight. “Multiple wastewater treatment processes, from municipal sewers to agriculture systems to freshwater hatcheries, are used globally to turn all kinds of effluent waste into safely dischargeable water.”
With refining and scaling, the Nova Scotia facility produces 1,000 metric tons of Atlantic salmon annually.
Still, as the Environmental Protection Agency notes, nutrient pollution has impacted many streams, rivers, lakes, bays, and coastal waters for the past several decades, resulting in some serious environmental and human health issues. Those impacts have not faded from the public consciousness.
Paul Richer of Fathom Fish & Seafood, Sustainable Blue’s distributor in Canada, thinks this is the case. Citing the fact that the farm has no discharge permits, he said this technology appeals to “consumers who care about sustainably raised salmon with zero impact or very minimal impact on the environment compared to alternatives and who want an option free of any therapeutics.”
On the other hand, NWAA, whose membership spans the gamut of aquaculture producers, points out, “The most significant environmental concern around using RAS methods for shore-based finfish farming is the much larger amount of electricity required to grow fish to harvestable size. Unfortunately, as it stands today, twice the number of GhGs are emitted growing salmon in a RAS system vs. ocean-based salmon farming, which is well-documented as having the lowest carbon footprint of any form of farmed animal protein. For RAS operations based in Nova Scotia, this is even more of a challenge, where 43 percent of electricity is generated by coal-fired plants, according to the Nova Scotia Power utility Emera.”
Washington bound
One person who does endorse land-based aquaculture is environmentalist Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, which has produced films denouncing salmon farming in the ocean. And, according to a story published by Forbes in 2019, Chouinard is an investor in Sustainable Blue.
“We do know that Franz is arm-in-arm with the 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), which is financially
backed by Yvon Chouinard,” McKnight asserted, tying the Washington commissioner to the investor-philanthropist.
Whoever and however the road from Nova Scotia to Washington has been paved, Sustainable Blue is now working with the DNR to explore potential parcels from among the portfolio of state-owned lands it manages, which includes 2.6 million acres of aquatic lands.
If Sustainable Blue finds land that meets its criteria, it will begin “the standard leasing process,” during which the DNR will review any competing applications to lease the same parcel, according to Showalter. (“Any group is welcome to express interest to lease parcels from DNR as part of the standard leasing process by submitting an application,” he added.) Depending upon the parcel, lease revenue could go to school construction, state institutions, counties, or local fire districts.
After that, the process begins for Sustainable Blue to obtain permits for construction and operation from the DNR and other regulatory or management agencies.
For now, though, Sustainable Blue is still in the site evaluation phase, ranking, prioritizing, and visiting parcels of land. “We’d like to have at least a dozen options on the list before we actually pick one,” said Havercroft, noting that the criteria include proximity to the ocean, soil that can be dug for underground pipework, and threephase electrical power.
But one goal has already been met: “It’s such a tremendous partnership opportunity because we get to locate in a jurisdiction which publicly values conservation,” he said.
Sustainable Blue received C$500,000 (US$367,200) in funding from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
A tale of two professionals
Q&A with aquaculture veteran Robin Muzzerall and emerging leader
Kirstyn Hallberg BY MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN
Robin Muzzerall and Kirstyn Hallberg are in completely different stages of their aquaculture careers; they even live and work in opposite sides of the country. But if there is one thing they have in common it’s their passion for their profession.
Muzzerall is the freshwater production manager for Kelly Cove Salmon, the Canadian salmon farming division of Cooke Aquaculture. Her career in aquaculture began as a technician at a hatchery in New Brunswick. She came into the role thinking she would stay for a year or two and move on to pursue a career in the science field. But she never left. In fact, in the 36 years that Muzzerall has worked in aquaculture, she has seen the industry significantly evolve.
“It has changed a lot in the 30-some years. In the early days… the focus was very much physical – just get out, get the job done,” Muzzerall recalls. “The big evolution is that science and technology have really become the forefront of the industry.”
It’s at this point of the evolution of the industry that Hallberg is starting to build her career. As the environmental specialist at Grieg Seafood in British Columbia, Hallberg’s foray into aquaculture was not unlike Muzzerall’s, starting out as a sea site technician only days after writing her final exam to complete her degree in marine biology and oceanography. In a span of four years, Hallberg transitioned from a site technician to a manager, and then to her current role as environmental specialist.
She can’t wait to see what the industry will look like 30 years from now.
“I know that the industry in 30 years is going to be unrecognizable compared to what it’s like right now,” she says. “There’s constant improvements, technological advancements. I’ve been here for over four years now. And even the amount of change in this short period of time has been incredible.”
Muzzerall and Hallberg shared their career experiences and lessons learned in a recent episode of the podcast, Salmon Farming: Inside & Out. Following are excerpts from the conversation and insight into these two women’s journey as aquaculture professionals and their views on career challenges and opportunities and the future of the industry.
What would you consider a good day and a bad day at work?
RM: For me, a good day at work is when we, as a team, we’ve worked on a project and we’ve had success getting it done. And that could be maybe removing smolts, maybe we’re spawning fish, maybe we’re receiving eggs or first-feeding fish or starting up a new system that we’ve never started up before, and learning a new skill. So if we go in that day, or that week, saying this is what we’re going to accomplish, and on that day that we execute that project, we get it done, we see the start, we see the finish. And that feels so good.
A bad day... (would be hearing) some negative comments and reports about what we’re doing in aquaculture. And as a team, we hear that on the news and that gets us all feeling kind of low.
KH: I am truly a glass half-full kind of person. So I try to see the bright side of everything. For me, there are no bad days. Don’t get me wrong. There are definitely challenging days. But I like to think of those as a learning opportunity. And not so much a bad day. The thing that I love most about my role is that every day is completely different. And no two days are alike: one day I can be in the lab, analyzing samples; the next few days, I can be staying on the sea site taking measurements conducting the study; some days, I even go into the office planning to have an office day, catch up on some samples, some emails, and then something comes up and all of a sudden, I am in a truck driving to the site. So the diversity really helps keep everyday exciting. Great days for me are any days that I get to spend in the farming regions. There’s something about coastal British Columbia that is so incredibly special to me, and it truly feels like home when I’m out there.
What are some of your most eyeopening experiences in your job?
KH: I think the biggest eye opening experience for myself, since joining this industry, has just been how much thought, preparation, expertise go into every single aspect of every single step of the chain. Everything from brood, before we even have the eggs, and all the way up to growth, to harvest, to
sell; even beyond that – to sales to marketing, as these fish are going to restaurants and stuff like that. Every step of the way there are specialists working, and everything is planned out years in advance. And it’s really incredible.
RM: The eye opening part is that change is inevitable. And I’m saying that in a positive way. In aquaculture we are evolving quickly. Things are going to change at times (and we have) to learn to embrace that. I came in young and naive enough thinking that everything just stays the same, and nothing ever changes. That’s what makes it exciting.
Beyond technical knowledge, what are some of the soft skills aquaculture professionals should have to thrive in this industry?
RM: One of the many things people should look at is people management skills, even conflict resolution, learning how people will think and work. Understanding that we all don’t communicate the same way… and having some understanding that we think differently, but we’re all working for the same goal. So those would be the soft skills that I would say.
KH: The most important soft skill that you need to have to thrive in this industry is adaptability. Growing livestock in an unpredictable ocean environment can be incredibly challenging at times. And I know
Robin Muzzerall
we’re talking about planning and these things are planned years in advance, but you can plan all you want, and things will change, and they will never go according to plan. So being able to be flexible and quick on your feet is a huge asset; as well as communication and teamwork and problem solving. All of those tying in together, everyone is working towards the same goal of growing happy, healthy fish.
As industries, including aquaculture, evolve to integrate equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, what has been your experience in this aspect?
RM: I started in the industry, when it was very much a male-dominant industry… There were very few women who were in leadership roles. So when I started as a mid 20-year-old female manager, working for a company at the time that had many, many years of men being the managers, I had to dig deep some days. What I found is that, as a woman, sometimes you have to put yourself out there a little bit more in your daily work.
Now there are a lot of women in high-profile roles, which is wonderful. I really am thankful and appreciative of the people that I have worked with. Even though the genders were different, (you have to) put yourself out there and ask questions and talk respectfully. KH: There’s definitely quite a bit of females in more of those supporting roles. Look, don’t get me wrong; we have lots of females
on sites, we have sites where the entire crew of technicians is all females, we do see them from every step, from the hatchery, the site technicians all the way up to our managing directors here. Two of the managing directors of the big companies in British Columbia are females. So we do have quite a bit of representation throughout the whole chain. During my time on site, I was actually the only female on the site management team, which was a very cool title to wear.
But things are slowly changing. I’ve had good experiences in this industry, I’ve never felt like my gender has played a negative role in my movement, or any of my positions.
Listen to the full podcast episode on www.aquaculturenorthamerica.com/ topic/sfio-podcast/
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New fraction from insect meal tested in feed: Nofima study
BY NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE OF FOOD, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE RESEARCH
Insects are a natural part of the diets of wild salmon when they are in rivers. Insects are also making their way into the diets of farmed salmon.
When Norwegian scientists at the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima) wanted to test the species of insect called black soldier fly in salmon feed, it was, therefore, natural to measure the effects on salmon parr, which are young, freshwater salmon.
Insects are towards the bottom of the food chain and require little area to thrive and are therefore an attractive type of feed ingredient to investigate in the search for more sustainable fish feed. The species of insect investigated in this trial was the black soldier fly. It is produced at the factory of insect producer, Innovafeed, in France and processed for use in feed during its larval stage.
Using the whole insect in feed
Currently, not all of the insect is used in feed. The larvae are processed into the three fractions of oil, meal and stickwater. It is the latter two fractions that were
tested in feed for juvenile fish. The meal is rich in protein, and stickwater is thought to be rich in bioactive components. The properties these fractions have in fish meal are already well known. From a bioeconomic perspective, it is therefore desirable to test and utilize this resource from insects in salmon feed.
Nofima scientists and a master’s student at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) measured the effect on digestion and growth in juvenile fish during the growth phase from approximately 20-85 grams.
At Nofima in Bergen, Norway, feed technologists produced trial feed in which they added 10 percent insect meal and different levels of stickwater from insects. The insect ingredient was compared in feed with similar protein content and replaced half of the fish meal in a control diet. The feeds were given to salmon parr held in trial tanks at Nofima’s Sunndalsøra research station.
The goal was to find any differences in digestion and growth in fish that were fed feed based on insects with an increasing content of stickwater.
“The growth results pave the way for the widespread use of insect protein in the salmon industry, as a sustainable, traceable, and performing ingredient.”
Black soldier fly larvae are processed into the three fractions for feed: oil, meal and stickwater. PHOTO: INNOVAFEED
Senior Scientist André Sture Bogevik at Nofima
PHOTO: HELGE SKODVIN, NOFIMA
S4000 nursery trays
S1000 oyster trays
Grew just as well
The trials showed that salmon grew just as well and had just as good digestion when their diet contained stickwater from insects. With 10 percent insect meal in the feed, the fish also grew just as well as fish that received the control feed.
“The trial shows that there is no problem in salmon having at least 10% insect meal in their feed. Based on the positive effects of the stickwater fraction from fish meal, we cannot rule out that this fraction from insects would have had a positive effect under other conditions. In any case, it is an important side stream to safeguard for the optimal utilisation of insects as feed for fish”, says Nofima’s Andre Sture Bogevik.
In the project, the level of the mineral manganese was also investigated. The EU has threshold values for the content
Nofima’s trials show that salmon parr like feed that contains insect meal, and grow just as well with stickwater in the feed as without. Parr is the stage between fry and smolt. PHOTO: TERJE AAMODT, NOFIMA
of manganese in the finished feed for farmed fish, and insects contain naturally high levels of this. The trial showed that the fish excrete the mineral and do not absorb more in the body than if the meal did not contain high levels of manganese. Nor did the mineral lead to any deformities
or have a negative impact on growth.
“We are delighted to observe results aligned with the internal research we have carried for the past years at Innovafeed,” said Innovafeed director, Elin Kvamme. “The growth results pave the way for the widespread use of insect
protein in the salmon industry, as a sustainable, traceable, and performing ingredient.”
Research on low-trophic raw materials
The research was conducted in the Millennial Salmon project, which is funded by the Research Council of Norway. The research is published in the Master’s thesis of Erika Marie Hanson at NMBU in 2022 entitled, “Effects on growth and welfare of Atlantic salmon parr, feed diets with 10% BSFL meal, with different inclusions of BSFL stickwater.”
Nofima senior scientist, Katerina Kousoulaki, is the project manager for the Millennial Salmon project, which focuses on optimizing and using heterotrophic microalgae and insect meal as replacements for large parts of fish oil and soy in salmon feed.
The future of vegetarian fish diets
Amajor criticism of the salmonid aquaculture industry is that despite its ability to reliably provide farmed fish, thereby diverting consumer demand for wild-caught fish, the industry is ironically traditionally heavily dependent on wild-sourced fish meal and oil in its feed production. In addition to environmental concerns, the status of wild fishery stocks, as well as the nature of wild fishing, mean that wild-sourced fish meal and oil prices have been increasingly high and volatile.
BY BEN NORMAND
One solution to address environmental and price concerns surrounding the use of wild-sourced fish meal and oil in salmonid feeds is the incorporation of plant-based feed additives and concentrates to supplement or replace fish meal and oil.
This approach to decreasing the environmental impact and cost of animal feed is not new or unproven. Dr. Rick Barrows, a former fish nutritionist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), told Global Seafood Alliance in 2019 that introducing plant-based
additives in feed can provide farmers with more versatility.
“We could see a growing trend toward increasing the number of ingredients in diets and more flexibility to change diets as the price of ingredients changes. This is done all the time in terrestrial animal feed,” he said.
Further highlighting the promise of plants, Dr. Ken Overturf, a research geneticist with the USDA, was quoted in the same article as saying, “It’s worth noting that they are produced at much greater levels than fishmeal… With higher volumes, the price can be kept lower and won’t shift as much as it does for rarer commodities.”
One reality, however, that seemingly stands in the way of the widespread use of a plant-based diets is the fact that salmonids are naturally carnivorous. Rainbow trout, for example, have typically exhibited a tendency to develop enteritis when they are fed largely plant-based diets. Sound research is needed to support a transition into these compositions so that it is done in such a way that production efficiency and animal welfare are either not impacted, or are improved, and that does not create costs that are unbearable for producers.
“The concentration methods are there, the commercialization is where we’re still struggling a little bit in the plant-based world.”
The USDA’s Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) has been conducting extensive and impactful research in this space through the execution of National Program 106: Aquaculture. As per the USDA-ARS website, the mission “is to conduct research and deliver technologies that improve domestic aquaculture production efficiency and product quality while minimizing impacts on natural resources.”
This year, the USDA-ARS published an Accomplishment Report for Program 106, which covered research conducted through 2018-2022. As it pertains to the reduction of the need for fish meal and oil in Salmonid production, research efforts and accomplishments by year can be summarized as:
2018
Researchers in Aberdeen, Idaho assessed the feasibility of using various processes to increase the protein enrichment of commercial high-protein rice flour (HPRF) and showed that these processes increased protein levels more than seven-fold. However, the inclusion of this enriched HPRF causes animals to excrete excess phosphorous due to high phytate levels.
The researchers also developed a wet method to process barley and oats into fractions enriched with protein, beta-glucan, starch, and other carbohydrates. This method secured a U.S. patent and was licensed to a U.S. startup company.
2019
Researchers selected rainbow trout for increased growth on aquaculture feeds in which plant proteins have completely replaced dietary fishmeal. Unlike non-selected fish, which develop enteritis on these diets, these fish do not develop enteritis and they demonstrate improved performance, as compared to conventional commercial trout strains fed fishmeal-based diets.
In 2019, the third largest Rainbow Trout producer in the U.S. stocked one million of these selected fish.
The second largest trout egg retailer in the U.S. (Riverence) obtained germplasm from the USDA-ARS and is now selling eggs
from these selected lines. The company is marketing these eggs as hardier and has demonstrated their improved growth rates under different environmental conditions
Researchers in Aberdeen, Idaho developed two methods for measuring trypsin inhibitors (TI) in soybean products. TIs are anti-nutritional and can cause digestive and metabolic diseases and slow growth in animals.
2020
Researchers in Hagerman, Idaho, developed an improved method for simpler and more accurate measurement of total starch and gelatinized starch in situ for wet and dried products.
2022
Feeds that substitute plant-based proteins for fishmeal can compound effluent-based problems, such as algal blooms because these feeds can reduce fecal stability, increase fecal fine particles, and add nutrients to the water.
Researchers in Hagerman, Idaho, and Bozeman, Mo., determined that rainbow trout feeds comprised of a mixture of poultry byproduct meal, corn protein concentrate, and soy protein concentrate with guar gum binder produced more stable feces characterized by larger fecal particles and fewer fine fecal particles, compared to standard fishmeal-based and commercial feeds.
“There are big producers, not just niche producers, that are willing to make significant changes, putting these fish into widespread production,” said Overturf, when asked to reflect on the successes in selective breeding for plant-based diets in rainbow trout to date. “Right now, the germplasm from our selection group makes up the majority of the rainbow trout in the U.S. … The fish are out there, and the potential is there.”
With the benefits of a plant-based transition apparent, the question of why
plant-based diets and plant-based friendly Salmonid strains have not become the industrial norm remains. Dr. Wendy Sealey, a fish research physiologist with the USDA, speculated on the cause.
“The concentration methods are there, the commercialization is where we’re still struggling a little bit in the plant-based world,” she said. “What we need are cheaper methods for producing these concentrates. They are physiologically, nutritionally sound products.”
When looking to the future though, Sealey pointed out that this may shift soon, as complementary processing infrastructure is coming online across the United States.
“There is a huge number of soy crushers in the U.S. We’ve never had this many before, and this is in response to some of the bio-fuel initiatives and so that’s going to shift the ingredient market more,” said Sealey. “I think there are a lot of things that are going to happen in the near future that are going to continue to increase plant utilization in fish and a lot of them have nothing to do with how well the nutrition matches with the fish.”
Sealey added that the thing that gets her excited about the future of plant-based fish feeds is the possibilities to learn more about the classes and different products.
“A lot of that does carry over between the different plant products, and how we can use them carries over so that we’re all getting better at how to formulate feeds… Everyone is learning to use them better,” she said.
Readers who wish to learn more about the USDA ARS Program 106 can scan here:
Karlanea Brown: Leading Indiana shrimp production for over a decade
BY MAGIDA TABBARA
The beauty of aquaculture, as any other husbandry activity, lies in the act and knowledge that you are providing people with healthy and affordable animal protein, all while “culturing life”. Like in any other sector of production, men and women here share tasks and contributions.
In aquaculture, women make up roughly half of the workforce throughout the entire value chain, from pre- to post-harvest. Majority of those women only participate in post-harvest activities, and a small minority participates in the entire production process.
Data on women in aquaculture in the U.S. is scarce, and a lot of the aquaculture/fisheries facilities do not even collect gender data. Moreover, due to policies and regulations, a lot of the aquaculture facilities in the U.S. are large-scale operations. This means that women find themselves out of the game as most of their participation effort takes place in small-scale production facilities.
But that is not Karlanea Brown. She’s a shrimp farmer, a businesswoman, and an occasional lecturer on aquaculture topics. Together with her husband, Darryl Brown, she owns RDM Shrimp, an indoor shrimp farming facility in Fowler, Ind., where they raise the animals all the way from larvae to market-size adults.
From fashion designer to shrimp farmer
“My degree is in fashion design, and the closest I came to aquaculture was that my son won two goldfish in a county fair,” said Brown.
Brown married Darryl, who comes from a hog farming family, in 1991. During that time, hog farming was no longer profitable, so the family’s interest shifted towards aquaculture. They spent the next 15 years learning how to raise tilapia, while Brown was doing her own work and focusing on raising their son.
For her, tilapia was neither the most interesting animal to farm nor the most delicious food. “Shrimp is my favorite seafood to eat”, she said, and the animals seemed more intriguing to her than tilapia.
After deciding to shift to shrimp farming, production tanks needed some preparation to receive the shrimp. Brown’s husband spent over five hours testing water quality in a single tank prior to receiving shrimp “babies”.
At the time, the facility had six production and two nursery tanks, and the water needs to be tested in all of these. “I’m a woman, I multitask, I’ll teach you how to multitask,” she said. That was Brown’s first intervention on the farm. “I never thought that would be something I absolutely love, getting up every morning to do this. I’m here (in the farm) seven days a week.”
Karlanea Brown physically inspecting the tank and checking up on the shrimp as part of the daily maintenance routine.
PHOTO: KARLANEA BROWN
The adventure that is farming the shrimp and marketing them began then, with lots of ups and downs, successes and failures, trials, and mistakes. Her success did not stop at shrimp however. With time, the farm was also raising some crayfish and tilapia. Today, RDM shrimp is also experimenting with oyster culture and will hopefully be able to market some in the near future.
“It’s not mainly the shrimp, it’s the water” Brown’s typical day at the farm is spent between checking up on the animals, testing water quality, marketing the product, getting the orders ready for customers, and finishing paperwork. She enjoys every aspect of her work, but the office book work is for sure the least favorite.
“I love to read murder mysteries, I try to solve them by the second chapter and to me the tanks are a mystery, I need to figure them out every day,” she said.
Her clientele is very special, and she enjoys the marketing side of aquaculture because it brings out her creative side. Brown also emphasizes the importance of water quality testing, to the point of making it the farm’s everyday routine maintenance duty.
“I get criticized a lot, testing for nine different water quality parameters every single day in each tank and physically checking up on the shrimp to see how they’re doing.”
However, Brown believes that the key to success is making sure water quality parameters are ideal for the animals and that checking
“I never thought that would be something I absolutely love, getting up every morning to do this. I’m here (in the farm) seven days a week.”
up on the shrimp is done on a daily basis. “If I see shrimp with short antennae, I know there must be something about to happen. The shrimp give me an idea about what’s going on in the tank,” she said.
The earlier the mistake is caught, the faster the problems are resolved, which most of the time ends up being some excess feed or an alkalinity problem that’s easily fixed with little baking soda.
RDM shrimp is the third privately-owned shrimp farm in the United States. With Brown’s contributions, the farm is able to produce over 220 kg of shrimp per month, and that’s in the middle of Fowler, Indiana! Fowler is a small town in the northwest of Indiana, with no access to ocean or lake water. The only possible way to raise shrimp in this area is to wisely employ well water.
Thanks to Brown’s efforts, shrimp survival in the facility quickly rose from 20 to 96 percent with proper water quality management and supplementing the water with probiotics to help improve water quality and shrimp health. The farm produces shrimp under intensive culture conditions, with a stocking density of around 270 shrimp/m2.
Indoor picture of RDM Shrimp facility. PHOTO CREDIT: KARLANEA BROWN.
“We’ve maintained above 90 percent survival in our tanks for the past 11 years,” which is considered a great challenge in shrimp farming, especially in inland facilities with no access to ocean water. The best thing about the facility is that the shrimp are grown in a biofloc system, or heterotrophic bacteria-based water, which is an eco-friendly culture system with almost zero water exchange.
Nothing stops me
As a woman working in aquaculture, Brown did not face a lot of challenges. “The main thing is not having many letters behind my name. Just because I don’t have a degree in aquaculture, sometimes my ideas get passed over,” she said.
Reality is, founding a shrimp farm in Indiana and getting it to succeed was so full of trials and errors that it gained Brown enough experience to be on par with the professionals in the field.
“Now I can easily carry a conversation with professors and professionals. A lot of people consult me, wanting to become shrimp farmers and they’ve done their homework. I can tell them their methods would work or not because we’ve tried them all,” she said.
Brown occasionally lectures in Purdue University and receives a lot of phone calls afterwards from students’ parents wanting to become shrimp farmers. “Farming is hard work but it’s the most rewarding job ever. I believe in aquaculture, men and women can have the same jobs.”
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Aerial view of RDM facility in Fowler, Indiana. PHOTO: RDM FACEBOOK PAGE
Brown considers her biggest achievement in aquaculture is getting the farm to last for more than two years. Two years is considered a breakpoint at which the facility is deemed to either succeed or fail. “I absolutely hate it when people tell me I can’t do it,” she said.
The first year the farm lost a million shrimp, and the second year it lost another, but Brown didn’t give up. Instead, she tried to figure it out. It was a rocky road, and Brown had to figure it out on her own considering she did not have a degree in biology or chemistry and was tired of listening to advice that took her nowhere.
“We had to sit and experiment on the shrimp, with temperature and floc density, until we got it right.”
By the farm’s fourth year, enough changes were made for the survival rates to finally go up. “If you keep doing the same thing, you become stagnant,” said Brown, who believes that every day is a learning opportunity and a chance to improve the culture techniques and increase production, and hence profit.
We need more women to help “culture” life
“If you don’t mind getting wet and dirty, go for it,” advised Brown.
Women play an important role in aquaculture, despite most of their involvement being confined to either post-harvest activities or R&D. The significance of their role lies in their participation in the sector, which is a crucial contributor to global food security and is responsible for supporting the livelihood of more than 12 percent of the world’s population.
Aquaculture is very rewarding, and it’s possible to farm in water almost anywhere. “The ocean needs a break, so bring aquaculture inland and have more women in the field,” she said.
More women are needed in aquaculture, especially in the primary sector, where their mental and physical contributions can help improve production and farming techniques. Aquaculture for sure can benefit from more people like Brown, to help improve it and ensure the sustainability of its production, contributing evermore to global food security.
Biofloc system used to raise the shrimp in an eco-friendly manner.
PHOTO: KARLANEA BROWN
Market-size shrimp from RDM Shrimp. PHOTO: KARLANEA BROWN.
SHOWCASE
Innovasea announces new acoustic telemetry system
Technologically aquatic solutions company, Innovasea has announced that its new NexTrak R1 acoustic telemetry receiver is now available for pre-order.
The R1 is the first product in Innovasea’s new NexTrak line, an acoustic telemetry system that aims to usher in “a new era of science, collaboration and discovery for aquatic animal researchers.”
The press release from the company states that the product has done well in early field testing and given aquatic animal researchers a 40 percent greater range and double the detections compared to the previous technology.
“NexTrak was designed to provide researchers with deeper data sets so they could tackle new types of questions about animal behaviour,” said Mark Jollymore, president of Innovasea. “We’ve been really pleased with how well the R1 receiver has performed in early deployments.”
www.innovasea.com
Ace Aquatec launches new biomass camera at Aqua Nor 2023
Aquaculture technology company, Ace Aquatec has a new product, A-BIOMASS™ – an automated AI camera system for biomass data capture for fish farmers worldwide.
The camera which was revealed at Aqua Nor 2023 on Aug. 22 is small and easy to deploy weighing 8.5kg.
“Our biomass camera has been five years in development, incorporating expertise and knowledge from scientists and partners around the world. We’ve done extensive field testing and data collection to create a system that truly measures biomass and fits in with fish farmers’ daily processes and operations,” said Keith Davidson, chief technology officer at Ace Aquatec.
“We wanted to develop a product that was not only market-leading but one that would become the fish farmer’s friend, supporting them with a system that is easy to deploy, manage and monitor,” said Nathan Pyne-Carter, CEO at Ace Aquatec. www.aceaquatec.com
Canadian sensor company bags Aqua Nor 2023 Innovation Award
MARIN X Inc. Sensor Globe, a Nova Scotia-based company that has developed a platform for monitoring fish welfare, has won the Aqua Nor 2023 Innovation Award.
The winning project is a real-time decision-making tool that was developed to reduce mortality and revolutionize fish welfare during processing operations. The flexible sensor from Sensor Globe measures external factors such as temperature, oxygen levels, and physical impact.
Using Sensor Globe’s IoT (Internet of Things) welfare platform, fish farmers can access key indicators and water quality parameters at all depths, which are critical to fish welfare.
Other finalists for the award included EVONTA Technology GmbH from Dresden and EasyX AS, Bergen. www.sensorglobe.no
ScaleAQ launches lightsensitive camera version
Aquaculture innovation, technology company ScaleAQ has launched Orbit FHD, a light-sensitive camera, said to be four times more light-sensitive than the previous version.
The company says “It uses on average half as much bandwidth as previous cameras, despite its higher resolution. New sensors with more accurate depth sensor, oxygen sensor and salinity sensor.”
It has dynamic bandwidth, better colour rendering for better contrast on fish and pellets, built-in pellet detection, camera presets and new sensors. www.scaleaq.com
PHOTO CREDIT: AQUA NOR
PHOTO CREDIT: INNOVASEA
PHOTO CREDIT: ACE AQUATEC
PHOTO CREDIT: SCALEAQ
Maine association publishes financial manual for fish producers
By Nestor Arellano
The Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA) is offering aquaculture operators a handy tool that will give them information on how to access “everything” from loans and grants to economic development funds and tax incentives.
The MAA represents Maine’s diverse aquaculture sector which includes small, medium and large businesses involved in land-based aquaculture, sea-based fish farms, commercial shellfish, fin fish, and sea vegetable farms. The organization said its Maine Aquaculture Financing Resources Manual, developed by Christian Brayden project manager at MAA with support from FocusMaine, is an “in-depth summary of all known financing resources available to Maine aquaculture producers.”
“We are pleased to deliver this comprehensive resource to the Maine aquaculture community at a time when many small businesses are beginning to develop business plans to scale and sustain their operations,” said Brayden. “It has been wonderful to see the proliferation of so many institutions providing financial backing to these burgeoning Maine family businesses.” www.maineaqua.org
