AquaCulture May - Jun 2023

MAY/JUNE 2023 || VOLUME 14 || ISSUE 3 AQUACULTURENORTHAMERICA.
COM
WORKFORCE IN FOCUS
Evolution through
education
University of New
PROBLEM
England prepares the
next generation of
aquaculturists
SOLVERS P. 16
A handful of leaders are

WORFORCE IN FOCUS
addressing key challenges
related to kelp P. 12 The world of work
Strategies for training,
retaining a new
generation of
aquaculture workers
P. 18
KELP & SALMON
Better together
Folla Alger and Cermaq
combine kelp and
salmon at a new sea
site P. 26
SAFETY & SECURITY
Acadian Fish Farm

looking to rebound
New Brunswick fish
farm lost 95 percent of
stock during cold snap
P. 30
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AQUACULTURENORTHAMERICA.COM May/June 2023 3
CONTENTS Nets, Custom Seines, Service,

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COVER STORY
12 Problem solvers
A handful of leaders are
12
addressing key challenges
Easier, More Depth, More Power
related to kelp: seed Priced Under CAD $10K
infrastructure, new species,
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By Lynn Fantom
16 Evolution through
education
Maine’s University of England
prepares the next generation
of aquaculturists
16
By Timothy Harder
DELIVERING THE DIFFERENCE ™
18 The world of work
Strategies for training, retain-
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ing a new generation of
aquaculture workers
By Mari-Len De Guzman 18 ANA_MORENOT_MAYJUNE_LAZ.indd 1 2023-04-03 9:21 AM
26 Better together?
Folla Alger and Cermaq
GLOBAL LEADER IN FISH
combine kelp and salmon HEALTH SOLUTIONS
at a new sea site
By Lynn Fantom
30 Acadian Fish Farm

looking to rebound 26
New Brunswick fish farm lost
95 percent of stock during
cold snap
By Matt Jones
30
Cover photo: Connecticut Sea Grant
Anesthetics
Treatments
Spawning
Biosecurity
Antimicrobials
Nutrition
Columns Transport
5 From the Editor US (866) 986-1376 / sales@syndel.com
28 Ask the Vet by Mykolas Kamaitis CANADA (866) 248-5212 / sales@syndel.ca
INTERNATIONAL sales@syndel.com
Humane slaughter of salmonids easier said than done
W MEN IN
North American Aquaculture
CELEBRATING
LEADERSHIP,
W MEN IN
INNOVATION AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
OF WOMEN IN
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THE American Aquaculture
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FROM THE EDITOR
BY MARYAM FARAG
VOLUME 14, ISSUE 3 | MAY/JUNE 2023
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What it takes
I
Angelita Potal
Tel: (416) 510-5113 t is no surprise that hard-working em- are looking for quality employees with a
Fax: (416) 510-6875 ployees with motivation and skills are certain set of skills. As a student, seek out
Email: apotal@annexbusinessmedia.com in high demand within the aquaculture opportunities that will broaden your experi-
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ON M2H 3R1 industry, but why is there a workforce ences, as it will help guide your own path
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Editor Maryam Farag This shortage may be related to an in- increasing your marketability.
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437-788-8830 sufficient understanding of what it means One key component is training. In this
Contributors Lynn Fantom, Matt Jones, Timothy to work in this diverse industry. issue of Aquaculture North America, we
Harder, Mari-Len De Guzman As Mari-Len De Guzman writes in this focus on education, training and careers in
Associate Publisher / Advertising Manager issue, “Aquaculture organizations, particu- aquaculture. You will see many programs of-
Jeremy Thain
jthain@annexbusinessmedia.com larly seafood producers, can offer plenty of fering a variety of educational and training
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+1-416-606-6964 Aquaculture definitely hits on multiple in aquaculture. Education is a first step and
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6 May/June 2023 AQUACULTURENORTHAMERICA.COM
NEWS
Cooke acquires Slade Gorton, seafood manufacturer Nova Scotia releases

Cooke Inc. has entered into a binding purchase regulatory review report
agreement to acquire Slade Gorton, one of the
U.S. largest distributors, importers, and manu- In March, the Nova Scotia Department
facturers of fresh and frozen seafood. of Fisheries and Aquaculture released
Thomas Slade Gorton, Jr. began as a fisherman’s reports following surveys looking at the
apprentice aboard schooners fishing on the Grand province’s aquaculture regulatory frame-
Banks off Newfoundland, Canada and founded work – a final report with recommenda-
the company in 1928. His son, Michael Gorton, tions as well as a “What We Heard Sum-
Sr., has led the company for over 50 years. mary Report” dealing specifically with
Slade Gorton will continue to be led by fifth survey responses. The reports follow a
generation family members Kim Gorton, CEO period of engagement with the public and
and her brother Mike Gorton Jr., EVP, Business PHOTO: COOKE INC. stakeholders to collect their input about
Development, who will both remain in their roles. the province’s aquaculture regulations
“There could be no better fit than Glenn Glenn Cooke and Kim Gorton. and to identify ways to improve them.
Cooke and the incredible global company his team is building. We are excited to join forces The survey and report were conducted
with the Cooke family of companies to take the Gorton family’s legacy forward,” said Kim by Davis Pier Consulting, following the
Gorton, CEO, Slade Gorton. Doelle-Lahey Panel’s recommendation
Slade Gorton currently offers more than 800 premium seafood products and maintains that the department conduct a regulatory
long-standing partnerships with hundreds of leading North American foodservice and retail review every five years.
customers. The report shows that stakeholders
“Cooke and Slade Gorton share a passion for ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to and survey respondents believe that dis-
enjoy delicious, nutritious and sustainable seafood whether dining at home or in a restaurant,” parities are created within the sector by
said Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Inc. “We will build on the expertise, innovation, and deep com- one-size-fits-all approaches to regulation
mitment to its customers’ success that Slade Gorton is so well-respected for. Working together that burden smaller operators.
with the True North Seafood sales team and leveraging Cooke’s global infrastructure and reach, The report also indicates that many
we will help support our customers in increasing consumption of seafood in North America.” respondents feel that information about
the sector and the regulations are not
readily accessible by the public and that
there is a desire for more meaningful and
Innovation
Where Water Drives Innovation.
inclusive engagement with the province
and industry.
The final report includes 15 recommen-
Beyond Measure
dations, including to increase efficiencies
and reduce regulatory burden and re-
dundancies, integrating cumulative and
long-term environmental impacts into
the regulatory framework, increasing the
Results Beyond Expectation amount of information available to the
public and the frequency of release and to
review effective approaches to make pub-
• 100% Titanium Heat Exchangers lic input in the process more meaningful.
• Hot & Cold Water Loop Systems A representative of the Aquaculture
Association of Nova Scotia says that their
• Available with Tube Sheet, organization welcomed the recommenda-
Helical Coil, or Plate tions, particularly as it related to improved
• Compact Designs transparency and regulatory rightsizing.
• Easy Installation “We echo the report’s insight on the
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AquaLogicInc.com – Matt Jones
ANA_AquaLogic_MayJune23_CWM.indd 1 2023-04-05 9:40 AM

NAIA holds annual awards ceremony
More than a little

brown pellet
Look for Feed Iceberg posts

in 2023 to learn more and share
for consumers to learn more.
Chris Williams of Mowi East (left) is presented his Lifetime

Achievement Award by NAIA Executive Director Jamie Baker.
The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association held their

annual Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Hall of Achieve-
ment Awards in February. The awards are said to “highlight the www.skretting.ca
accomplishments of the best and brightest people, innovators and
advances in the province’s quarter-billion-dollar finfish and shellfish
aquaculture sector.”
This year’s winners included:
• Aquaculturist of the Year – Gary Wilton of Cooke Aquaculture ANA_Skretting_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-03-15 8:58 AM
• Excellence in Innovation – Cold Ocean Salmon

• Stewardship and Sustainability – Rebecca White, Badger Bay
Mussel Farms
• Distinguished Early Career/Youth – Julia Norris and Tyler Penton,
ODO RTU
TM
Grieg Seafood NL
• Aquaculture Ambassador – Cyr Couturier, Marine Institute of
Memorial University.
In addition to those awards, Chris Williams of Mowi Canada East

DO monitoring on your terms
was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Williams served
Modbus communication integrates directly
PHOTO: NEWFOUNDLAND AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
as an operations manager with the company prior to his retirement

last year. to the PLC or data logger you already have
“It’s quite humbling to receive it,” says Williams. “I’m somewhat without additional software
shocked, but I’m greatly appreciative of it.”
Williams says the industry was somewhat primitive when he first
entered the industry 19 years ago compared to today – most feeding
was done by hand with 25 kilogram bags. He cites producing up to
© 2023 Xylem Inc.
15,000 metric tons of fish with somewhat limited gear as an accom- They thrive
plishment he is particularly proud of. with YSI optical
“That obviously graduated to automatic feeders, which made life a DO monitoring
lot easier for the people and got a better feed conversion ratio on our
fish,” says Williams. “It was quite a bit more labour intensive than it
is today, so to be able to produce that kind of tonnage with limited
resources was probably my biggest accomplishment. We worked
hard at it and put a lot of effort into it.”
A post by Mowi states that Williams was critical to the company’s YSI.com/ODORTU
understanding of environmental conditions, logistical challenges +1.937.767.7241
and community dynamics in the region. info@ysi.com
– Matt Jones
ANA_YSI_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-03-24 8:51 AM

NEWS
Bluefront Equity invests in “It’s an important topic because there

Spillfree Analytics AS are a lot of people in the industry talking
about different diseases, sea lice, handling of
Seafood investment group Bluefront Equity the fish, wounds, etc.,” says Gruven. “We’re
have announced a nearly US$2 million working on the core process – to shorten the
investment in Norway-based Spillfree Ana- production time to increase everything. And
lytics AS. Spillfree are the creators of soft- also when it comes to sustainability, because
ware which analyzes video data to reduce everyone needs to get more focused on this.”
feed waste. The investment by Bluefront Equity will
“Spillfree can, through video and data an- allow Spillfree to essentially speed up their
alysis, contribute towards delivering world- existing plans for further developing the AI
class feeding performance with lower costs which drives their software.
for the fish farmer, improved fish growth “There’s a lot of interest in AI and in the
and minimal impact on the marine environ- machine learning concept and how
ment,” said Simen Landmark, a partner at to work with this in fish farming,”
Bluefront Equity. Spillfree Analytics’ software says Gruven. “Where we have a good
Spillfree Sales Manager Kåre Gruven uses video analysis to help partner in Bluefront I think its im-
says their software utilizes AI to interpret reduce feed waste. portant for us to use this investment
video information from aquaculture pens to to speed up this process in people
provide more detailed analysis for operators. Spillfree Analytics AS Sales and in software solutions.”
Of particular note, the system identifies how Manager Kåre Gruven says Gruven says that Spillfree’s focus
many feed pellets can be seen at any given that the investment by has primarily been on the Norwe-
time. In that way, the system can evaluate Bluefront Equity will allow gian market but their software is
feed efficacy throughout the process, not the company to speed up available in a variety of languages
solely looking at the final output. Gruven says the continued develop- and has been used by farms in Scot-
that feed waste is a crucial issue that touches ment of the AI which drives land and Iceland as well.
on many other factors of fish farming. their software. – Matt Jones
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2023-03-30 8:51 AM 2 2023-03-16 9:36 AM
Aquaculture economics NWAA appoints new has plans “to bring Troutlodge to Version 2.0.”
pioneer Eugene Y.C. Shang member to board of Cerda said he looks forward to address
dies directors and overcome the challenges facing aqua-
culture, particularly in the Pacific North-
On Feb. 20, Eugene The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance west region.
Y.C. Shang passed away, (NWAA) has announced that Claudio R. “We must commit ourselves to a bigger
surrounded by family in Cerda has joined its board of directors. vision where all modes of aquaculture are
Sacramento, California. Cerda currently serves as general man- embraced and accepted as an environ-
Shang was well-known for ager of Bonney Lake, Washington-based mentally sustainable way to produce food
his work as an emeritus Troutlodge, producer of eyed trout eggs. At the world needs. It’s happened in other
professor of agricultural Troutlodge, he leads a 60-person team, and countries,” he said. “It should happen here.”
and resource economics
at University of Hawai’i at
Dr. Eugene Y.C. Mãnoa’s College of Tropic-
Shang wrote the al Agriculture and Human
first aquaculture Resources (CTAHR).
economics Dr. PingSun Leung,
textbook and also of the University of
was considered Hawai’i, says that Shang’s
a pioneer in contributions to the field
his field. were immense.
“Dr. Shang envisioned
the importance of aquaculture economic re-
search and education during the early stage of
global aquaculture development,” says Leung.
“He conducted and published several research
studies in these early days but most signifi-
cantly he published the first text in this area.
In addition, he established the International
Association of Aquaculture Economics and
Management (IAAEM) that is carrying on his
vision of promoting aquaculture economics
research and education.”
Shang was a significant influence on
aquaculture economists who followed,
perhaps none more than Leung himself who
currently serves as director at large with the
IAAEM and co-authored a paper on Shang’s
contributions in 2003. Included in that
paper is a transcript of an interview with
Shang where he expresses pride in how his
research efforts have shaped this sector of
aquaculture economic academia.
“Many government agencies now realize the
importance of aquaculture economic studies,
and more economists are participating in
economic studies in aquaculture,” said Shang.
“These economic studies have identified prob-
lems and helped aquaculture develop in the
right direction. I hope that my earlier influen-
ces will continue, and my books and published
papers will be still useful for some people.”
Asked how the aquaculture discipline
might best be developed as it moves forward,
Shang suggested that a sustainable industry
is the goal of future development.
“The industry should be bio-technically
feasible, socio-economically viable and en-
vironmentally sound,” said Shang.
– Matt Jones
ANA_Elanco_half_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-04-05 8:32 AM

NEWS
Seafood and Gender Seattle Fish Company

Equality launches a announces new director
Speakers’ Bureau for the of operations
seafood sector Seattle Fish Com-
Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) pany, Denver-based,
PHOTO:SEATTLE FISH COMPANY

announced the Speakers’ Bureau for the has announced the
Seafood Sector—a new platform to help appointment of
conference and event organizers create Chris Franklin as the
inclusive panels and speakers find exciting sustainable seafood
opportunities. valuable platform for organizations striving supplier’s new direc-
In 2022, 31.6 per cent of speakers, on aver- for increased inclusivity.” tor of operations.
age, at major seafood conferences and events The Speakers’ Bureau is hosted on SAGE’s Franklin has over
were women. While up from 19 percent in website, where panel organizers can browse 15 years of experi-
2018-2019, all-male panels, or “manels,” con- speakers’ profiles and find the right experts ence in the retail
tinue to be the norm at many of the leading for their needs. Speakers can create profiles, food industry with Chris Franklin
seafood conferences in North America. showcasing their expertise and past speaking several roles across
As the industry continues to recuperate engagements. the U.S.
from disruptions caused by the global pan- “I attend a lot of conferences and it’s dis- Franklin will be at the helm of
demic and faces new geopolitical challenges, heartening to see a manel or a panel lacking day-to-day operations, ensuring that
it has never been more important to center diversity when I know there are so many quali- logistics run as smoothly as possible
diverse voices offering new insights and fied experts in this industry that represent on a company-wide scale. Franklin will
fresh, innovative solutions. historically excluded demographics. We hope work in tandem with both managers
“The seafood sector is highly diverse. that the Speakers’ Bureau will be the one-stop and supervisors to oversee various
Clearly, there is a need to reflect that, and shop for conference, event, and panel organ- departments and handle the logistics
to give voice to the experiences and achieve- izers to find speakers bringing a diversity of of product movement from start to
ments of women and people of colour.” said experience and thought to the table, and, in finish. In addition, Franklin serves on
industry veteran Lisa Goché. “SAGE’s Speak- turn, spark innovation and new insights,” said the company’s executive team respon-
ers’ Bureau for the Seafood Sector provides a Julie Kuchepatov, founder of SAGE. sible for developing strategic direction,
setting culture, and supporting growth
initiatives.
NWAA launches campaign spotlighting damage caused “I was drawn to Seattle Fish Co.
by ending net pen fish farming in Washington because it offers the perfect blend of an
established, legacy company with the
The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) has launched a campaign, where Washington atmosphere of a creative, scrappy star-
fish farming workers, who have grown affordable, high-quality fish in Puget Sound for over tup that continues to look for avenues of
40 years, are speaking out for the first time to expose the pain they and their families have growth,” said Franklin. “I was a custom-
endured as the result of DNR Commissioner Hilary Franz’s decision to ban fish farming in er years ago and have always respected
state waters. Seattle Fish’s commitment to customers
“Franz’s blatantly political action last November not only forced fish farmers out of work, and quality. I am confident in my ability
but also ended the availability of affordable, nutritious, sustainable, and locally farmed fish to create organized and more efficient
for Washington consumers,” said Jeanne McKnight, executive director of NWAA. working methods for our team, making
In its advocacy campaign, NWAA appeals to Washington citizens, asking them to send a it easier for everyone to do their jobs.”
letter to state legislators requesting an examination of Franz’s actions. “I feel fortunate to have Chris
“This unscientific ban on commercial net pens shows that Hilary Franz is playing politics unleash his people-forward leader-
with your dinner plate—at the expense of hard-working, dedicated people who have made ship style in service to our efforts to
the production of nutritious seafood their life-long career,” said McKnight. “It’s outrageous deliver operational excellence and an
that Franz ignored multiple peer-reviewed scientific studies proving the ecological safety of amazing customer experience,” said
farming fish and completely disregarded a unanimous Supreme Court decision affirming the Derek Figueroa, CEO and president of
legality of farming native steelhead in our state waters. We are outraged that she completely Seattle Fish Company. “In the past few
ignored the multi-year comprehensive study, conducted right here in Puget Sound, that gave months alone, Franklin has brought a
rise to the recent biological opinion from NOAA showing no significant adverse impacts on new perspective to our organization
endangered species by fish farms operating in the state.” resulting in new operational strategies,
NWAA believes the Franz decision to ban fish farming in commercial net pens represents improved employee engagement, and
egregious government over-reach on the part of a politically ambitious agency head, and in a more productive and streamlined
its campaign, NWAA urges the legislature to take back its definitive authority to establish operation. His hands-on problem-solv-
state policy around this critically important issue. ing approach and authentic leadership
After the last farmed steelhead was harvested in Puget Sound last month, a USDA-funded skills will help the company deliver on
study revealed the Seattle-Tacoma market has the highest per capita consumption of farmed our ambitious goals.”
steelhead of any other metropolitan region in the country.
Nova Scotia revamps aquaculture

licensing, application process
Greater public participation in the aquaculture application process and
other changes to Nova Scotia’s fisheries industry are on the way. This
was the message from the Canadian province’s government following
an independent review of Nova Scotia’s aquaculture regulations.
In 2022, the provincial government launched a public consul-
tation to review the province’s aquaculture regime. Results of the
consultation were published in a report, titled Regulatory Review:
What We Heard Summary Report. The committee made 17 recom-
mendations for improvements.
There are 235 marine and land-based aquaculture sites in Nova
Scotia. The province’s aquaculture industry employs about 900 of extensive consultation and will guide us in making improvements.”
people and contributes C$80 million (US$58.6 million) annually to Davis Pier Consulting, which carried out the consultation and
Nova Scotia’s economy. prepared the recommendations, found that the lack of inclusion and
The committee’s recommendations focused on three themes: meaningful engagement of the public “is a key contributor to the
• applying the right level of regulation to both small and large misinformation, mistrust, and reduced confidence, and ultimately
operations barriers to social license.”
• sharing more information and making it easier to find and under- The consulting firm also found that lag-time in decision making
stand for better transparency processes and the licensing process has become a problem.
• creating more opportunity for public participation in the applica- The firm also found a lack of consistency in monitoring of operators
tion process for licenses. and that “some and are held to a different standard across the sector,”
according to Davis Pier Consulting. “The time it takes to attain a
“Our aim is to support low-impact, sustainable growth in Nova license or lease is not tenable for some small operators. It can take
Scotia’s aquaculture industry,” said Steve Craig, Nova Scotia Minister years to get a lease/license, and years to produce product for market.”
of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “These recommendations are the result – Nestor Arellano
PHOTO: © PILENSPHOTO / ADOBE STOCK
ANA_Reef Industries_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 HI_RK2_UVSolution_MayJune23_MLD.indd

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COVER SEAWEED FARMING
Anoushka Concepcion, an associate

extension educator focusing on marine
aquaculture with Connecticut Sea Grant,
leads the National Seaweed Hub, a
collaborative effort of 11 Sea Grant
programs ranging from small states like
Rhode Island to large ones like Alaska.
PHOTO: CONNECTICUT SEA GRANT
A pipeline of farmers
The earliest seaweed farmers have come
from the aquaculture community and the
traditional working waterfront, such as the
wild salmon fishery in Alaska or lobstering
in Maine. These two states, in fact, now lead
seaweed harvests in the US.
But in a state like Connecticut, which is
close to New York City, “interest in seaweed
farming is coming from non-aquaculture
folks. They see something on TV or in a maga-
zine or a newspaper and that piques their
interest. So, at Connecticut Sea Grant, we
have inquiries from business people or people
who work on Wall Street who are looking for
a different way of life,” said Concepcion, who
is an associate extension educator focusing on
marine aquaculture with the Connecticut Sea
Grant Program.
Suzie Flores is one of those farmers. She
THE PROBLEM
and her husband Jay started Stonington
Kelp Co. in 2017. But for almost a decade
prior, Suzie had worked in marketing in
New York, climbing the corporate ladder at
SOLVERS
corporations like McGraw-Hill.
Growing the fresh market

Now she has turned her skills toward
developing a strong market for fresh kelp.
Her web site offers “sugar kelp cultivated
Farmers, educators, researchers, and engineers in the pristine and high-energy waters of
take on the challenges of seaweed farming Fisher’s Island Sound.” Capitalizing on how
consumers value fresh, seasonal produce,
BY LYNN FANTOM the headline touts “March-June Only.” Ston-
ington Kelp harvests to order and delivers
S
eaweed farms in North America “Demand is definitely here,” said Anoushka regionally for recurring orders.
produce a tiny percentage of global Concepcion. She leads the National Seaweed Social media is also part of this farm’s
output. But as this nascent sector of Hub, a collaborative effort of 11 Sea Grant pro- marketing platform. Instagram encourages
aquaculture takes a steadfast hold, grams in the US that addresses the emerging restaurants to place their orders in advance.
the challenges to scale have become clearer. needs of the industry—which is also growing. And Flores isn’t the only one doing this.
And with that have emerged problem solvers Today, over 60 farms are active from Alaska “I think the market interest in fresh sugar
who are making incremental but key gains to to Rhode Island and from Maine to Baja Cal- kelp is increasing only because of the efforts of
drive industry growth. ifornia, Mexico. Most grow kelp in the open kelp farmers themselves,” noted Concepcion.
In North America, seaweed is an US$11 ocean, although a handful of land operations “They are marketing themselves and a prod-
billion market, according to Grand View Re- cultivate species like dulse and ulva. What are uct that is high-quality, fresh, food-safe and
search, and it’s growing. But most seaweed the challenges? Processing capabilities, long- local—not imported and processed. They’re
is imported from Asia for food applications, term nursery production, and competition driving something that should be demanded.
including thickeners for everything from ice with imports are among them, Concepcion Essentially, they’re telling restaurants, ‘You’re
cream to toothpaste. says. And there’s progress in solving them. missing out on something really, really cool.’”
Building a year-round business products like the Sea-Veggie Burger, which

Even as the market expands for fresh prod- won one of only seven “Best New Products”
uct, the industry still faces the daunting awards from Nosh.com last winter.
challenge of limited processing capabilities Atlantic Sea Farms customers are getting
and equipment. Plus, it’s labor-intensive. a taste of what it’s like to eat seaweed year-
“You get a lot of biomass that needs to be round, in addition to seasonally fresh at local
processed in a very short period of time,” said restaurants. And it tastes a lot better than
Concepcion. “Then facilities aren’t utilized the imports.
for a long time. It’s hard to justify.”
There is also the need for long-term safe Beyond kelp: red seaweeds
storage so that farmers can provide access to Another Maine-based operation is exploring
kelp beyond the two-month harvest season. It opportunities beyond kelp. Sarah Redmond,
cannot be co-mingled with shellfish because co-owner of Springtide Seaweed, believes
shellfish is an allergen, she notes. Some savvy dulse and nori can be important new
processors have turned to tobacco and apple crops for commercial aquaculture and has
barns which are vacant in the spring. convinced others of that—namely, the U.S.
Backed by investors committed to reshap- Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ing the food environment and supporting But farming dulse and nori must over-
women-led businesses, market leader come hurdles, including a reliable seed
Atlantic Sea Farms has addressed many of supply and knowledge of how to cultivate
these challenges at its 27,800 square feet crops for commercial production. Redmond
facility in Biddeford, Maine, which opened Sarah Redmond, founder of Springtide started work on these in 2020.
in 2021. Processing, product development, Seaweed in Maine and an early leader in kelp First, to develop critical nursery technolo-
and scaled-up manufacturing of frozen and farming, is now pioneering systems for gies and techniques, she tested an innovative
fermented products all occur under one roof. commercial development of the red algae approach to sterilize seawater and developed
Atlantic Sea Farms also keeps pushing species dulse and nori, with backing from reliable seedstock which would thrive in
its retail distribution channels with new the USDA. PHOTO: SPRINGTIDE SEAWEED ocean farms.
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COVER SEAWEED FARMING
Moving forward in the second phase of the project, she is refining

the modular turnkey nursery system developed for seed production.
She is also continuing to test cultivation substrates, as well as net
designs and configurations. Springtide’s USDA small business award
of US$650,000 extends through this summer.
Redmond has also cracked the code on processing and storage with
operations housed in a former fish cannery. She and business partner
Trey Angera run the largest organic seaweed farm in North America.
Need for seed

Nursery production also remains a challenge for kelp farming. “Just
in Connecticut as an example, we cannot find reproductive tissue,
source tissue, as readily and as easily as we were able to maybe five,
10 years ago,” said Concepcion.
An important step forward was the work of Dr. Charles Yarish,
now retired, and his students at University of Connecticut (UConn),
who collected over 1,200 algae specimens from 2018 to 2022. Last
Dr. Mike Lomas, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory summer, the collection was licensed to Woods Hole Oceanographic
for Ocean Sciences in Maine, directs the laboratory’s National Institution in Massachusetts and to the National Center for Marine
Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, which maintains the lar- Algae and Microbiota (NCMA) at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean
gest and most diverse collection of publicly available marine algal Sciences in Maine. In addition, Bigelow will be receiving collections
strains in the world. PHOTO: BIGELOW LABORATORY FOR OCEAN SCIENCES both UConn and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
made along the US northeast coast as part of a program funded by
the Department of Energy’s Mariner ARPA-E.
The NCMA will maintain, market, and distribute (for a fee) the
germplasm for research and commercial use. It was founded in 1980
explicitly to be “the home for soon-to-be orphaned microalgae” and
over the years has expanded its mission to be “algae agnostic,” said
Dr. Mike Lomas, a marine biogeochemist who serves as director of
the NCMA.
One might say it’s now the Amazon of Algae, with listings on an
“e-commerce compliant” website and a customer base in 58 coun-
tries. “Anyone with computer access and a credit card can buy our
microalgae anywhere in the world,” said Lomas. NCMA also manages
licensing options.
Following some “germplasm housekeeping,” the Yarish macroalgae
collection is being “slowly rolled out to the website” and will be
Briana Warner, CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms, has driven new product available mostly in New England, in compliance with regulations.
development with award-winning kelp-based items like fermented “It’s really key to have a stable germplasm for algae,” said Lomas. “If
seaweed salad, a mild kimchi dubbed “Sea-Chi” (shown here), and we’re going to have an algal bioeconomy, we need an algal germplasm.”
Sea-Veggie Burgers in ginger sesame and basil pesto flavours. “Nurseries can go to the germplasm bank and just order the strain
PHOTO: ATLANTIC SEA FARMS that’s native to the growing area—and leave the wild populations
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alone,” added Concepcion. “From a commercial perspective, I

think this will change production of seaweed forever, especially
in the United States.”
Overcoming regulatory barriers

Development of infertile breeds of domesticated kelp would help
overcome another challenge: the limitations on selectively bred and
improved strains. Currently, most national and state regulators pro-
hibit them because of concerns about potential impact on natural
resources.
Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI),
in collaboration with teams at UConn and University of Southern
California, have developed a technique to identify pairs of parents
that will produce “sporeless” or sterile offspring. Such a cross can
be achieved within one generation using gene sequencing that spots
natural mutations which control fertility.
“In order for U.S. kelp farms to continue growing and competing Scott Lindell is a marine scientist in the Applied Ocean Physics and
internationally, modern plant breeding, genetics, and agronomic Engineering Department of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in
practices must be adopted in an environmentally responsible way,” Massachusetts. With a team of seaweed biologists, geneticists and
according to WHOI’s Scott Lindell. entrepreneurs, he is developing a breeding program for sugar kelp.
The real-world value of this research earned the Lindell-led team PHOTO: DAVE BAILEY/©WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
a Gold Innovation Award for seaweed solutions at the international
Seagriculture Conference last year in Maine.
Automation to save time and toil

Seagriculture’s Silver Innovation Award went to a WHOI team led
by research associate David Bailey and including engineers Robin
Littlefield and Ben Weiss. Working to reduce labour on farms in
Kodiak, Alaska, they developed an automated underwater seaweed
seed-string deployment device.
With this invention, for which a patent is pending, one farmer
loads two seed spools on to an automated line seeder and attaches
it to the grow-line with quick-connect clips. Thrusters, activated
with a waterproof switch, propel the device across the line until it
reaches the end, when the thrusters are deactivated. A farmer on
the opposite side secures the seed-string and detaches the device.
The process repeats on the next line in the reverse direction until
the entire farm is seeded. Dave Bailey, a research associate at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Seeding is much faster than traditional methods, a big advantage Institution, led a team that developed an automated underwater
during harsh weather, and boats do not consume as much fuel. An- seaweed seed-string deployment device. The project was funded by
other important benefit: the seed itself spends seconds not minutes the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Council (PSMFC).
in the air, which boosts survival. PHOTO: SCOTT LINDELL/©WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
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WORKFORCE IN FOCUS
Evolution through
education
University of New England prepares the next
generation of aquaculturists
BY TIMOTHY HARDER
A
quaculture in the United States institutions offering degrees in agriculture. 41.72 million tonnes (Our World In Data).
has great promise for domestic Situated on the coast of Maine at the mouth “The curriculum today has to cover more
production of healthy seafood of the Saco River, the University of New diverse processes,” Dr. Fox continues. “Study-
to large, diverse markets but England has been a leader in educating the ing pond aquaculture is a good way to cover
building an industry takes time. next generation of aquaculturists for 22 years the basics. Answering questions like ‘What
The work being done by smaller boutique now. Dr. Jeri Fox is the pioneer of the program happens in the pond?’, ‘How do you build a
farmers, as well as some early land-based since 1998 and has a unique perspective on pond?’, ‘What is the correct depth of a pond
pioneers shows that domestic production this field and its evolution over the years. and why?’, are great for developing fundamen-
can command a premium in the market to Dr. Fox has been in aquaculture for over tal understanding, and you can build on these
consumers that value a local product. The 40 years herself, starting out with a degree concepts. From there you can talk more about
small handful of net-pen farming operations in organismal biology from the University more involved forms of aquaculture such as
that still function have ready outlets for their of Tennessee. From there, she went on to a RAS and hatchery operations.”
protein as well. graduate program in aquaculture at the Uni- Michael Galloway, a graduate of the
The United States has a robust supply versity of Houston. She soon connected with program at University of New England in
chain for many raw materials, and the Texas A&M doing some shrimp research. 2015, and assistant marine scientist at the
ability to source products from all over the Dr. Fox remembers that in those early days, school added, “We want the students to
world to support this potential growth. It “It was a very male dominated field when I know the fundamentals of aquaculture. The
is interconnected by rail and road and can was starting out. All professors and instruct- biology, the interaction with water and water
PHOTOS:GULF OF MAINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
react to many different market forces, as was ors were men. I was one of only a few women quality is very important. Even the plumbing
seen during the recent global challenges. in the field.” The curriculum of the programs concepts and basic equipment is valuable to
The foundational knowledge among the early on lacked a certain diversity as well. students starting out in the field.”
domestic workforce, however, is something “The focus was on pond culture, and it was Diverse experiences is something that Dr.
that still needs to be developed. Any aquacul- almost entirely freshwater. There was some Jeri Fox brings as a teacher. Along with her
ture operation is only as good as the people work being done on mariculture too, but the time in ponds studying penaeid shrimp she
working on it. emphasis was very clearly on the ponds.” has worked in the Northwest with shellfish
Universities.com lists a total of 26 schools During that time, the aquaculture sector and halibut, ornamentals, and even a project
in the U.S. offering aquaculture degree pro- was just getting ready for some explosive in Guam that looked at a more sustainable
grams. Many of these are smaller schools, in growth. Up until 1990, the world produced way to produce a local food fish, without
areas already connected with aquaculture on some 17 million tonnes via aquaculture, but impacting the wild populations.
one level or another. Compared to other sec- by the end of the decade it would trending up “The locals were very interested as to why
tors, this number is dwarfed by the 6,000+ quickly, and already reaching an estimated I wanted to collect adult rabbitfish. We were
working with them as broodstock in tanks of instruction at Southern Maine Community

and studying the fatty acid contents of the College. This includes a ‘Boot Camp’ to help
eggs so that we could improve survivability students understand the different career paths,
of the offspring. We were also providing and the basics that are needed on a farm such
some economic opportunities by teaching as nautical skills and chart reading, boat en-
the cultivation of ornamentals that can fetch gine maintenance, food safety and biosecurity.
high prices in the market.” During the internship, students take part in a
When Dr. Fox arrived at University of monthly speaker series from within the indus-
New England the classes had been laid out try intended to give them a broad idea of the
for a course that focused on aquaculture. people and roles within aquaculture.
The entire curriculum still needed to be GMRI and SMCC worked with the Maine
designed though. During her time there, it Aquaculture Association to help develop
has been developed to include work with the curriculum, as well as fielding input
seaweed, shellfish, and finfish and they have from industry experts, and even feedback
partnered with local businesses for hands-on from the RAS-Network. At the end of their
instruction and field trips. time of two weeks, the college style course
“We attract students that want to get their requires students to present on their experi-
hands on things,” said Dr. Fox. “Individuals ences, and take part in learning about more
that want to ‘do something, get wet, get growing techniques, proper record keeping
dirty’! Our students may be in the clown- and some disease management. They are
fish lab one day, working with live feeds, also working to develop a badging system
aquaponics, our RAS System or doing some that would give students college credits.
experiential learning like rebuilding a pump Washington Community in eastern Maine
or troubleshooting water quality.” is also beginning to partner with Cooke
Interestingly, she has also noticed a shift Aquaculture and Kingfish Maine on similar
in the students that reflects a level of con- programs.
sciousness within society. “Early students Carissa shared some of her observations
were interested in aquaculture with a focus about year one of this work. “In the application
on a job and being outside. It has become process, we saw a lot of people ‘transitioning
clear that some of our more recent students in life’ – People who had worked profession-
engage in aquaculture with a focus that is ally or already graduated that were looking
on more global ideas. Climate change, to try something new, work with their hands
easing the pressures of overfishing, food and help the environment. We were surprised
insecurity in the world, are all things that at the turnout for the program. Even though
aquaculture can positively effect. You can it was the first year and we had only six spots,
solve a lot of the world’s problems through we got almost 30 applicants and a number of
aquaculture, and that outlook pretty much other people that wanted to know; ‘How can
describes me!” I get into the industry?’ and ‘Can I just take
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute in the Boot Camp class?’.”
Portland, Maine has recognized the need for The interest in aquaculture in Maine is a
workers in the growing aquaculture sector good sign, and Carissa said that, “There were
more locally and is also working with educa- opportunities to connect people with job
tion to address this need. Carissa Maurin is boards and creating connections between
the aquaculture project manager at GMRI, with industry. This is the most rewarding
and former student of Dr. Fox’s at UNE. They part of the job, and I can’t wait to see what
have started the Workforce Development year 2 of the program brings!”
program that they have helped to stand up The education opportunities at the
at Southern Maine Community College. University of New England and Southern
“This is not a college degree and is done Maine Community College are two exam-
with the goal to give people the skills for a ples of how to prepare the next generation
job so that the state of Maine can begin to of aquaculturists. Demand is rapidly rising
develop a pipeline of employees within the in some sectors here in the region, such as
industry. College may not be for everyone, shellfish and macroalgae farming, and there
but we recognize the need of giving people is a clear horizon for commercial finfish
some basic skills and opportunities through farming once larger projects become reality.
paid internships.” said Dr. Fox. Dr. Fox and Michael Galloway at UNE along
The program has an agreement with the with Carissa and the SMCC staff and GMRI
USDA for six apprentices to work with local are helping to prepare the next generation of
farmers in the state on a paid internship. workers for these positions.
During that time, the students get 144 hours
WORKFORCE IN FOCUS
THE WORLD
OF WORK
Strategies for training, retaining a new Although Virginia Tech does not have an
generation of aquaculture workers aquaculture program, Kuhn’s students in the
department of food science and technology
BY MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN conduct aquaculture-related research that
cuts across multiple areas of study.
Q
uiet quitting or quiet hiring – aquaculture organizations, particularly This diversity in the education realm may
trends notwithstanding, the seafood producers, can offer plenty of unique be reflective of the realities of the workplace
opportunities for employment opportunities and environments for profes- in the aquaculture sector, particularly in sea-
PHOTOS: THE FRESHWATER INSTITUTE
and professional growth in sionals across multiple disciplines. food farming, where the roles are as diverse
aquaculture are loud and clear. “There’s a lot of excitement around aquacul- as the species produced.
Workplaces are increasingly becoming ture because it hits on all those different disci- “There seems to be a place for everybody,
more creative and impactful with their hir- plines,” said David Kuhn, associate professor in really,” said Jamie Gaskill, CEO of Poseidon
ing and retention strategies, from pushing the department of food science and technology Ocean Systems, which provides integrated
hybrid work and competitive workplace at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. “It’s attractive fish life support systems for the aquaculture
wellness programs to driving diversity, to the people who are interested in biology industry, based in Campbell River, B.C.
equity and inclusion and innovations. or engineering, or the chemistry or the food “Granted, more technology has come out,
And while other industries may be a bit science side of things, or the economics or sus- and the people that are in existing roles in
more challenged in hiring for specific skills tainability (side). And so it’s one of those things salmon farming tend to be very innovative
– and keeping those new hires engaged that really gets people excited to get into it.” themselves, and even if they weren’t trained
in that particular technology, they’re nor- many of the aquaculture programs in Canada but I would like to see more co-op programs
mally very good at picking it up.” are sufficiently equipped with the funda- at the university level,” he said, where stu-
mentals required to thrive in the workplace. dents are given opportunities to work at an
Learning the skills “In North America there are some very aquaculture farm during the summer. “And
Gaskill has been a salmon farmer for more good schools. Vancouver Island University then when they graduate, they’re pretty
than 30 years, 18 of which were spent is very good. So is Memorial University. well-armed to enter the industry because
working at Mowi (formerly Marine Harvest Fleming College, for a long time in Ontario, they may have a four- or five-year degree, and
Group) at the company’s West Coast and had a great program. I think the Nova Scotia they may have three or four summers under
East Coast Canada locations, as well as in Agriculture College, which is now part of their belt in understanding the industry…
Norway. After he left Mowi in 2020, Gaskill (Dalhousie), has a good program. So there’s So they really could be better armed, in a
established an aquaculture consulting firm still lots of good education within Canada, way, to enter the workforce.”
and subsequently joined Poseidon Ocean within those fields,” Gaskill said. At Virginia Tech, Kuhn mostly trains
Systems as its CEO in 2021. There’s always room for improvement, graduate students who conduct research and
Over the years, Gaskill has been respon- however, and Gaskill noted more oppor- experiments in a number of aquaculture areas,
sible for hiring employees to work at the sal- tunities for students to gain experiential including fish health, nutrition and water
mon farms, and he has seen how aquaculture learning experiences will go a long way in quality. Undergrads also have an opportunity
practitioners have been able to effectively preparing them for the work ahead. for experiential learning at Kuhn’s lab to assist
adapt to the evolving dynamics in salmon “It’s nice to have people that are trained in the graduate students in specific experiments
farming. He said students graduating from critical thinking and have a good foundation, or to help manage the systems.
WORKFORCE IN FOCUS
breed of aquaculture practitioners should

begin much earlier than at the post-sec-
ondary level. In fact, aquaculture advocacy
groups and even some seafood farmers are
increasingly recognizing the importance of
educating young kids about aquaculture.
Last year, the Newfoundland and Lab-
rador Aquaculture Industry Association
(NAIA) launched Aquaculture 101, a virtual
PHOTO: THE FRESHWATER INSTITUTE

reality-based educational program geared to
provide students and participants of all ages
a comprehensive understanding of finfish
and shellfish farming. In addition, NAIA
conducts regular outreach at elementary
and high schools, and provides scholarships
for high school graduates wanting to pursue
marine or aquatic-related post-secondary
studies, all aimed at raising the profile of sea-
food farming in the region to the community.
The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Associ-
ation released a children’s book about salmon
farming titled, The Farm on the Sea, aimed
at readers ages six to eight and describes,
through storytelling, the different stages of
salmon farming.
Mowi Canada, one of the largest salmon
producers in the country, is engaging in
consultations with different stakeholders in
New Brunswick to develop an aquaculture
course for high school, said Kristina White,
HR manager, for Mowi Canada East.
“Having aquaculture, the industry, go into
schools, do presentations, speak to the kids.
PHOTO: MOWI
They’ve been doing that for as many years

as I’ve been in aquaculture, which is just
around ten (years),” White said.
RAS appeal
Innovations in salmon farming – especially
“Those (undergrad) students often come sustainability… The fisheries’ exploitation where technology meets sustainability –
into my lab as a grad student later on be- of the oceans is an issue and so people will have been key in attracting new talents to
cause they’re so excited about working with see those issues and get passionate about the sector and enticing young people to go
these systems and the animals. And they getting into the field,” Kuhn said. into aquaculture programs.
liked the story of it. They like the idea of Industry proponents believe training a new One farming technology that has been
gaining increased attention in recent years is
Graduate Certificate in Aquaculture recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). It
Shape the future of sustainable aquaculture is both an appealing stream of discipline for
Taught by aquaculture experts in Vancouver, B.C. new entrants to the aquaculture profession,
Hybrid program for Fall 2023 with virtual and in-person classes and site visits. but is also a subject of interest for long-time
salmon farmers or mid-level professionals as
a continuing education opportunity.
“To the extent that folks are looking for
jobs, as they come out of school, RAS is now
becoming a legitimate option,” said Brian
Vinci, director of The Conservation Fund’s
Freshwater Institute, a program that focuses
on the sustainability of the domestic seafood
Western Canada’s
Western onlyonly
Canada’s graduate-level aquaculture
graduate-level program
aquaculture program Enroll for September 2023 supply2023
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UBC ranks #34 among the world’s top universities (2021 Times Higher Education) aqua.landfood.ubc.caof environmentally responsible
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ANA_UnivofBC_May23.indd 1
ANA_University of BC-Henry Aquaculture_REV_Mayjune21_MLD.indd 1
2023-04-10 11:02 AM
2021-03-30 11:04 AM
ANA_University of BC-Henry Aquaculture_REV_Mayjune21_MLD.indd 1 2021-03-30 11:04 AM

Vinci’s team at the Freshwater Institute

conducts RAS research and experiments,
and provides training and education for
aquaculture professionals and companies
interested in land-based aquaculture –
whether for continuing education or to
implement RAS in their facilities.
The Institute provides a four-day RAS
course, which teaches the fundamentals of
water recirculating systems for fish culture,
covering water quality, RAS systems and
designs, fish health and biosecurity, as well
as RAS management and operations.
“So our approach has been to use the
course to teach the fundamentals and also
educate folks about some of the newest
research that we’re doing,” Vinci said.
In addition to the annual RAS course, the
Freshwater Institute also holds the annual
Aquaculture Innovation Workshop, which be addressed as well, according to Virginia “It’s kind of a chicken and egg thing, right?
is another opportunity to share the latest Tech’s Kuhn. Once the farm is there, the jobs will come.
research and developments in sustainable With more mega RAS facilities being So as this construction phase is happening,
aquaculture. built in certain jurisdictions across the U.S., there should also be a plan in place to address
As the availability of RAS-related cours- for example, community colleges and local the training gaps in that region,” Kuhn said.
es and conferences as a continuing educa- universities are now faced with the challenge He added that some community colleges
tion option continues to increase, some to produce the skilled workers these mega are already making plans to address these
gaps in the post-secondary level need to farms will require. gaps. “Thinking ahead is really important.
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BTC program is unique

to the West Coast
T
he Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences program at Bellingham Tech-
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and annually rears millions of salmon and trout, along with operating a
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A robust field training curriculum prepares students for careers in
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PHOTO: MOWI
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ANA_sponsored_Bellingham Technical College_MayJune_SVA.indd 1 2023-03-27

ANA_Bellingham
8:53 AMTech_Mayjune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-03-20 9:32 AM
WORKFORCE IN FOCUS
So, when you open a farm up, that workforce “In salmon farming, because you are
is there, or is coming out soon.” dealing with Mother Nature, it’s good to be
adaptable, it’s good to be innovative. It’s very
The soft spot good to think of new ways of doing things.
Having the technical foundation is only half There’s less control in sea farming than there
of the equation, however. Of equal import- is sometimes in land-based or RAS. So the
ance are the ‘soft’ skills, as human resource ability to deal with change and ambiguity,
experts would often tout. and not be too upset with that, is a real
“Broadly speaking, we’re looking for folks strength,” Gaskill said.
that are adaptable, that have the drive to
be outdoors, to operate in an environment Retention strategies
through all the seasons of the year,” said Jason It’s no secret the global pandemic has
Downing, HR director at Mowi Canada West. reshaped the trajectory of workplaces and
Adaptability not only in learning new created a “new norm” for both workers and
skills or catching up with new technologies, employers.
but also in terms of the work environment, “Organizations face historic challenges: a
especially for employees working in the competitive talent landscape, an exhausted
salmon farms that are often in remote workforce, and pressure to control costs,”
locations. according to a Gartner Research article out-
Mowi Canada’s salmon farming operations lining “future of work trends in 2023.”
are spread between British Columbia on Over the last decade, employers have in-
Vancouver Island, and in New Brunswick, creasingly put emphasis on worker retention
Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland by offering not just competitive salaries but how we retain the ones that we have, are
and Labrador on the East Coast. To a worker, also a range of benefits that promote workplace critically important,” said Mowi’s Downing.
these remote farming sites can be a source of wellness and a meaningful work-life balance. As one of the world’s largest salmon produ-
both delight and disenchantment, depending “We have to kind of sharpen what we are cers and with locations across 25 countries,
on the worker’s perspective and preferences. offering to prospective employees, (and) Mowi, as an employer, can provide some
SPONSORED CONTENT
face-to-face and online programming. Faculty
within the Institute have also helped to create
vocational, bachelor, master and PhD programs in
sustainable aquaculture and fisheries technology
in sub-Saharan Africa (Malawi, Mozambique),
South East Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia)
and South America (e.g., Chile), among others.
The Graduate Diploma in Marine Studies
(Aquaculture) is an on-campus, primarily
course-based program offered over 3 semesters
(full-time). It includes six on-campus courses
with weekly lab components, and one 12-week
internship within the aquaculture industry. The
courses include Current Topics in Aquaculture,
Finfish Aquaculture, Shellfish Aquaculture, Aquatic
Aquaculture Education Animal Health, Fish Nutrition and Feeding Practice,
Aquaculture Engineering Technology and Systems
at the Marine Institute Operation. The program complements students’
academic knowledge acquired through completion
of an undergraduate credential and provides
T
he Fisheries and Marine Institute of Academic programs offered by the Institute graduates with knowledge and practical skills
Memorial University of Newfoundland range from industry certifications to diplomas of related to aquaculture technology and operations.
is Canada’s most comprehensive centre technology, joint diploma/bachelor’s degrees, Graduates of this program are highly qualified
for education, training, applied research advanced diplomas, post-graduate certificates, professional practitioners with the knowledge
and industrial support for the ocean industries. master’s and doctoral degrees. The MI also has and practical/operational skills required by the
The Institute offers more than 30 industry- significant involvement in community-based aquaculture sector (production, management,
driven programs ranging from certificate training programs, where faculty teach short governance).
programs to Ph.D. degrees. The Institute industry training programs in communities,
delivers programs built around industry needs primarily in Newfoundland and Labrador and
in the sectors of ocean technology, fisheries, Northern Canada, an example of which is the
aquaculture, offshore oil and gas, marine Technical Certificate in Aquaculture. The MI has
PHOTO: MOWI
transportation, ship design, food safety and offered postgraduate programming in aquaculture
marine environment. for over thirty years through short courses, www.mi.mun.ca
ANA_MayJune_Marine Institute_sponsored SVA.indd 1 2023-03-29 3:07 PM

comprehensive health and wellness pack- Across the company, both within and
age, an emphasis on workplace diversity outside Canada – in Chile, Norway and
and sustainability, and the opportunity to Scotland – Mowi regularly conducts know-
work or train in one of Mowi’s Canadian or ledge-sharing exchanges, which allows the
international locations. different business units and employees to
“We spend a lot of time and effort on devel- learn from each other, including the chance
oping from within. We know and we’ve seen to travel to any of Mowi’s worldwide loca-
it across our business units that we’ve got tions for training and knowledge-sharing.
executive management team members that Both Downing and White believe one of
started out as entry level farmers when they Mowi’s value propositions is the opportunity
were 19, 20 years old. So there is an inherent to work in some of Canada’s most beautiful,
value of being able to help develop somebody pristine places, and the sustainability story
that wants to be developed and that wants that goes along with that.
to progress their career, and giving them the “We really are looking for people that
right exposures across different lines of our are passionate about nature and wanting to
business,” Downing explained. work outside, and who want to be on the
Continuous training and advancement ocean or, in some cases, work in hatcheries
is an integral part of an employee’s journey as well,” Downing said.
at Mowi and part of the company’s worker White added, “The younger generation
retention strategy, says White, Mowi Canada seems to have more of a focus on sustain-
East’s HR manager. ability and on the environment. And so I
“Typically we’ll advance people (from) an think that is attractive as well to the younger
unique opportunities for workers. entry level position. We will take employees generation who is looking to work at an
More than a competitive compensation with very little training up front, and then employer who is focused on those areas.
package, Mowi’s retention strategies in- we’ll put them through our own internal I think that also is something that we can
clude a technician advancement program, training program and advancement pro- use to our advantage with recruitment and
leadership advancement opportunities, a gram,” she explained. retention.”
ANA_Marine Institute_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-03-28 9:13 AM

SPONSORED CONTENT
Professor Angela Bowers and

student Suzanna O’Neill sampling
salmon smolt to monitor growth
and feed ratios at Sitka Sound
Science Center.
Education in sustainable
ocean farming taking off
in Sitka, Alaska
T
he University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) “This opportunity allowed me to mingle and
- Sitka Campus is located on Baranof work side-by-side with industry professionals,
Island which resides on Lingít Aaní (Tlingit who then offered me a job on the spot. It wasn’t
land) and has established a unique and until that moment that I realized I was of great
one-of-a-kind training program in sustainable value to this emerging industry by providing
ocean farming, where hands-on learning is at the my acquired skills and knowledge gained from Sara Ebersole harvesting ribbon kelp (Alaria marginata)
forefront of the curriculum. the Aquaculture Semester curriculum.” – Sara at the UAS research farm site in Sitka Sound.
In Alaska, the excitement surrounding Ebersole (past student).
mariculture opportunities has been growing given A big portion of the course curriculum is the
the state’s abundant natural resources, clean production of a farm project where students are
waters, maritime experience, and existing seafood able to choose one or multiple species to research
infrastructure. This program is designed to mirror throughout the semester and design a farm taking
and grow alongside this burgeoning industry, and all of the details into consideration, including
provide students experience in its established permitting, energy and nutrient requirements as
salmon enhancement program. well as marketing and sales.
In an immersive fall semester, students drive Students also propagate their own kelp from
and maintain boats, create a small kelp farm spores and eventually outplant juveniles on seeded
next to rearing Pacific salmon, and work right lines. The kelp that students outplant is placed
alongside those in the salmon, shellfish and kelp next to an area where Pacific salmon are reared
industries. They become part of a unique and in saltwater net pens, taking advantage of excess
beautiful community in Southeast Alaska, making nutrients produced by the fish, an approach known
meaningful friendships and professional contacts as Integrated multi trophic aquaculture (IMTA) Garbielle Foursa sorting through oysters at Hump Island
that will last a lifetime. where species can benefit from each other. In this Oyster Farm in Ketchikan, AK
Students from all over the country come to case the kelp is provided with extra nutrients from
Sitka to learn about the salmon enhancement the fish and then in turn provides habitat refuge for
industry, seaweed propagation and out planting, the salmon after their release. farms, and kelp farms as well as improve facilities
and shellfish farming in the Alaska Aquaculture “We hope that involving our students in for learning and research opportunities.
Semester. They take 13 credits of immersive and creative solutions that improve our aquaculture “The Alaska Aquaculture Semester provided
hands-on courses that teach salmon biology, and fisheries industries in Alaska inspires them to me with a much more specialized skill set than
hatchery techniques, rearing and spawning think creatively in their future work.” – Professor I was able to obtain at my home university
methods, seaweed reproduction, hatchery systems, Angela Bowers. and gave me a competitive edge in my field.
culinary uses, and farming techniques. The state of Alaska has received $49 million Because my experience in Alaska gave me so
Students are taught maritime skills by learning through the EDA Build Back Better Regional much exposure working both in the lab and with
how to operate skiffs, maintain outboards, and Challenge grant for mariculture industry industry partners I was able to start my first full
survive in cold water environments. Additionally, expansion. A portion of these funds were awarded time job out of this program with a much more
students partner with local organizations to to UAS to expand the mariculture program and comprehensive idea on what is necessary to
complete an internship in a relevant industry, which the courses we offer. Through this expansion, bridge the gap between research and industry.
gives students the opportunity to put their skills UAS will be able to offer travel to other towns This semester was extremely empowering and
into practice, network with professionals, and gain in Southeast Alaska to experience other salmon set me up for a successful beginning in a career in
work experience. hatcheries, mariculture research facilities, shellfish aquaculture.” – Gabrielle Foursa (past student).
Check out our website at aquaculturesemester.alaska.edu. If you are interested in taking this course
or want to learn more about what we do, please contact: srebersole@alaska.edu
UA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination
ALASKA AQUACULTURE
SEMESTER
STUDY SUSTAINABLE OCEAN FARMING
WITH HANDS-ON, PRACTICAL, AND
OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING
Field-Based Courses
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• Outboard Motor Maintenance
• Intro to Mariculture
• Fish Pathology
• Skiff Operator
• Cold Water Survival
• Aquaculture Internship
• Alaskan Aquaculture Lab
OFFERED EVERY
FALL SEMESTER
AQUACULTURESEMESTER.ALASKA.EDU/
UA is a AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: http://www.uas.alaska.ediu/policies
KELP & SALMON
The combined kelp and salmon site in Norway

will host a variety of research trials.
Located in northern Norway, the farm

represents a collaboration between Folla
Alger and global salmon producer Cermaq.
Founded by entrepreneurs with experience
in aquaculture, public governance, and
finance, Folla Alger was launched specific-
Better together
ally to explore integrated kelp and salmon
production. It was granted research and
development licenses from the Directorate
of Fisheries to carry out this project.
“This is a dedicated site for combined pro-
duction. It’s not a standard salmon site that is
Folla Alger and Cermaq combine kelp and slightly modified. It’s a newly designed, fully
salmon at new sea site, “dynamic” research integrated farm from scratch,” said Handå.
The site features 24 traditional net pens
opens to others BY LYNN FANTOM for Atlantic salmon that conform to Norwe-
T
gian standards. It is configured with grids of
he world’s first industrial-scale “We really welcome other universities, in- four fish cages at end points, with sugar kelp
sea site built for the combined dustry researchers, and students to come and (Saccharina latissima) grown in between.
production of salmon and sea- use this site,” said Aleksander Handå, a senior This set-up allows the kelp to use the nutri-
weed will harvest its first kelp research scientist at SINTEF Ocean AS, who is ents released by the salmon.
in June, but it began reaping serving as project leader. In cooperation with “We know that we can get up to 50 per-
research data as soon as it was stocked in Norwegian University of Science and Technol- cent better kelp growth by cultivating it
February. And it is open to other groups to ogy (NTNU) and Nord University, SINTEF is together with farmed fish. Now we will also
conduct their own experiments. responsible for research on the project. look at whether there are more advantages to
a combined operation,” noted Silje Forbord,
the project’s research manager.
“We are monitoring the fish health. We
are monitoring the microbiota of the kelp
and the fish to see if later on there are some
new discoveries or some correlations—
something that we are not necessarily aware
of today,” Handå added. “It’s a very dynamic
project.”
Achieving the best match

SINTEF has been performing studies in in-
tegrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA)
for over a decade. A key finding is that
co-production of salmon and kelp reduces
the ecological impact of dissolved nitrogen
and phosphorous released into the ocean at
a salmon farm, thus providing an environ-
mental benefit.
Small-scale IMTA studies have also pro-
vided incremental insights, for example, into
seasonality. When differences were found in
the elemental, biochemical and lipid com-
position of kelp, it was due to harvesting
period and not the distance to fish farm sea
PHOTOS: SINTEF
In February, these kelp cages. That allowed researchers to conclude

spools seeded carrier that integrated multi-trophic aquaculture
ropes at the sea site. setups do not compromise nutritional qual-
ity of kelp, even while increasing yield.
Researchers also learned that kelp’s peak

growth periods in southern and central NETTING PROTECTION
Norway occur in late spring and early sum- ABOVE & BELOW THE WATER CAGE NETTING
mer—but later in waters further north. Peak Standpipe Filter Tubes
nutrient release from the salmon farms takes • Rolls, sheets and tubes
place in August and September. That’s also a • Custom sizes in 24 hrs
time of year when there are fewer nutrients • UV resistant
in the sea in general. PREDATOR EXCLUSION
So, it was decided to site the Folla Alger CALL INDUSTRIAL NETTING TODAY!
and Cermaq trial further north. “You have
the growth of the seaweed coinciding better 1-800-328-8456 • www.industrialnetting.com
with nutrient emissions. Hopefully, they
will match up in the area where we are now
testing,” said Handå. Every Tank Built to Customer Specifications
ANA_Industrial Netting_MayJune23_SVA.indd 1 2023-04-03 9:34 AM
Common Options We Provide on Request:

The big picture • custom one-off tanks • large quantity orders
“Fish farming and kelp farming are both in- • overflow boxes • removable legs
dustries for the future and will be important • viewing windows • lids / covers
• integrated drains • reinforced floors
contributors to the green shift,” said chair-
@seaportfabrication
man of Folla Alger Tarald Sivertsen in a press
release. Integrating them at the same site is
a move toward the proposition of a circular
economy: in this case, where fish nutrients
benefit kelp growth and kelp, in turn, might
become a component of fish feed.
In addition, combined farming like this
can provide better area use in the ocean. https://SeaportFabrication.com * 321-631-5850 * sales@seaportfabrication.com
“The project contributes to increased local
value creation and business development,
which is very positive for everyone who
Poultry
ANA_SeaportFabInc_MayJune23_MLD.indd 1 2023-03-29 1:38 PM
lives and works here,” added Truls Hansen,
Cermaq’s production director in Nordland,
the county in northern Norway where both
this new site and some other Cermaq sea By-Product Meal
farms are located. as a PROTEIN SOURCE
The project is addressing feeds for both
aquaculture and agriculture, such as cattle
FOR FISH
or hogs. Studies performed at the Oceanic Institute (2001) indicate “poultry meal can replace
Although kelp itself may have limitations fish meal at an inclusion level of 45% in shrimp diets without loss of growth.”
as a salmon feed ingredient, SINTEF research
suggests that it could serve as a diet for vari-
ous marine worms—aimed for salmon feed.
These lower trophic organisms, which are www.poultryrenderers.org
rich in marine lipids, essential amino acids
and micro- and macronutrients, have the
potential to supplement or replace protein ANA_Poultry Protein_Mayjune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-03-24 9:21 AM
concentrates from imported soy.
And there are more possibilities. Could
kelp inclusion in salmon feed have im-
mune-stimulating benefits? Alginates are
derived from brown seaweeds like kelp—
could they be used to improve binding in
salmon feed pellets and reduce waste?
“This is very, very early, but, of course, in
general, feed production is a goal, as well as
using the nutrients in a recycling setup like
this. We look to ways to create a new bio-econ-
omy and hopefully contribute to making fish
farming and aquaculture practices in general
more sustainable,” said Handå.
ANA_VEK_MayJune23_MLD.indd 1 2023-03-30 8:44 AM

ASK THE VET BY MYKOLAS KAMAITIS
Humane
slaughter of
salmonids easier
said than done
T
he goal of most salmonid aqua-
culture operations is to produce
nutritious food for human con-
sumption. A great deal of focus is
placed on breeding and genetics, early rear-
ing, nutrition, environmental optimization,
maximizing productivity and minimizing
stress throughout the lives of your fish, and
many producers appreciate that the same
level of care needs to be placed on harvest
and processing.
Many fish farmers have adopted and
implemented slaughter processes which are
considered humane, which is important on
number of levels, including consumer con-
fidence, public acceptance, product quality, been developed (initiated by the National stunning step of humane slaughter include
and ethical farming practices. Canada’s first Farm Animal Care Council and Canada’s the use of manual blunt force trauma, captive
Code of Practice for farmed salmonids has aquaculture sector) and as part of its de- bolt/percussive stunner (non-penetrating
velopment, a list of salmonid welfare issues or penetrating), electrocution, pithing, and
was identified. cervical dislocation/decapitation, among
A topic of focus was fish welfare, par- some others. Each of these methods has
ticularly as it pertains to certain slaughter advantages and shortcomings, and what
practices. The Code of Practice will require works best for one operation may not be
all Canadian salmonid aquaculture oper- appropriate or manageable for another.
ations to adhere to slaughter standards and The killing step of humane slaughter is
practices considered humane by 2025. usually exsanguination (bleeding-out) or
For those producers who already use rapid chilling. Exsanguination is recognized
accepted slaughter practices, this new as the best practice as a killing step and has
requirement may seem past-due when it the benefit of improving product quality (e.g.
comes to running an aquaculture operation. less blood-spots, decreased blood odour/
In principle it is important to constantly off-flavour, etc.).
evolve and improve our practices, par- The Ontario Animal Health Network
ticularly when it comes to animal welfare. (OAHN) has put together some great in-
For a number of producers however, this formation on humane slaughter, including
change is not as simple as just purchasing explanations and comparisons of different
off-the-shelf technology to fill this need in slaughter methods, particularly for small-
their operation. Before exploring that point er-scaled producers; this includes a case
further, let’s discuss fish slaughter, and what study evaluating a low-cost, on-farm humane
PHOTO: © MIKKO PALONKORPI / ADOBE STOCK
is considered humane (and inhumane). slaughter method.

The term ‘slaughter’ generally refers to Many freshwater fish producers use ice
the process of killing animals intended for slurry baths, or rapid chilling, as the sole step
human consumption. For fish, this specific of slaughter. This process involves netting or
process will vary depending on the size and pumping fish into an ice water bath, relying
species of fish, as well as the overall produc- on the temperature differential between
tion-flow and setup of an operation. the bath and their ambient environment to
Value-generation Humane slaughter is a two-step process: induce hypothermic shock of the fish.
first an animal must be stunned or rendered The issue with using this method for
solutions catered to unconscious so that they cannot perceive salmonids is that they can tolerate low
your operating strategy pain, followed by the second step of killing temperatures; furthermore, when fish are
the animal, with one of several techniques. slaughtered during colder ambient tem-
Typical acceptable methods for the peratures, the differential between the ice
ANA_BadinottiNetServices_MayJune23_CWM.indd 1 2023-04-04 8:13 AM

first step in identifying gaps and areas of Lastly, those regulators who implement these
The Code of Practice improvement when it comes to salmonid sorts of requirements, should also bear part of
will require all Canadian welfare, not least of which is slaughter the responsibility of helping farmers access
practices. There needs to a collaborative the necessary technology needed for this shift
salmonid aquaculture approach between industry and regulators to in practice. Most farmers will agree that they
operations to adhere to enable producers to implement these practi- want to raise their animals ethically and give
slaughter standards and ces on farm. The realities of freshwater fish their livestock a good life from egg until harvest,
farming in the Canadian climate also needs but we need to see viable options which can be
practices considered to be acknowledged and considered when logistically achieved in our climate and to do
humane by 2025. setting timelines for the implementation of so without placing an unreasonable financial
these requirements. burden on producers.
slurry/bath and ambient can be very minor
to negligible. Although this method may be
appropriate for relatively small-sized warm-
water fishes, it is not considered humane as a
sole step of slaughter for a temperate-, cool-,
and cold-water fishes that can tolerate water
temperatures of 4 C or colder. Rapid chilling
is also not an appropriate sole step when
slaughtering medium to large sized fish be-
cause their surface area to volume ratio does
not allow for rapid enough chilling (AVMA
Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of
Animals: 2016 Edition).
Dr. Marcia Chiasson MSc, PhD, is the
Manager of the Ontario Aquaculture Re-
search Centre and has been a lead on the
OAHN humane slaughter work previously
mentioned. She has worked closely with
Ontario fish farmers regarding the adoption
of humane slaughter practices. Discussing
this transition with Dr. Chiasson, there are
significant cost barriers towards the imple-
mentation of these practices, especially for
mid-sized producers.
For these producers, there seems to be a
lack of financially viable options for humane
slaughter equipment at their scale of pro-
duction, which is something that will need
to be addressed if we are to be successful in
implementing these new Canadian salmonid
slaughter requirements. Another significant
challenge in the implementation of these re-
quirements, is the central Canadian climate.
Sub-zero temperatures, which many Can-
adian fish producers face for 4-6+ months
of the year, pose several major barriers to the
use of harvest equipment.
The logistics of adapting harvest equip-
ment set-ups to function both during hot
summer months and when the water is
ice-covered poses significant challenges.
Furthermore, many equipment options,
such as percussive stunners, won’t function
properly at such cold temperatures.
Just as humane slaughter involves more
than one step, the implementation of these
new slaughter requirements will require
multiple phases to be adopted. The farmed
salmonid Code of Practice was a valuable
ANA_Rangen_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-04-03 7:19 AM

SAFETY & SECURITY
Acadian Fish Farm looking to rebound

New Brunswick farm lost 95 percent of stock during cold snap BY MATT JONES
Emmanuel Chiasson of Acadian Fish Farm

Ltd. is determined to stay in the aquaculture
industry, even if his farm is unable to recover
from its losses.
Frozen sensors caused this generator to

malfunction, leading to the loss of roughly What followed was several hours of Chias-
100,000 Arctic char. son and the farm’s employees frantically
trying to thaw out the sensors using a heater.
They eventually succeeded, but not quickly
A
New Brunswick fish farm are enough to save the fish, which died due to a
hoping to rebound after losing lack of oxygen reaching the tanks.
most of their fish earlier this year. “It was quite a feeling to go in there and
Emmanuel Chiasson of Acadian see all those fish turned upside down,” said
Fish Farm Ltd/Pisciculture Acadienne Chiasson.
Ltée says that his company lost 95 percent The owner of Acadian Fish Farm Ltd. says As of right now, the farm has not laid off
of their arctic char, roughly 100,000 fish that the province should have more supports any of its five employees and continues to
valued at more than $600,000, when a cold in place for when things go wrong if it truly raise the remaining fish on site. But whether
snap caused equipment malfunctions. After wants to support the aquaculture industry. Acadian Fish Farm will survive will depend
several very trying months, Chiasson now on what the consultant’s findings are and
hopes that the provincial government and how ACOA or the AFF will respond. How-
the other agencies will be able to provide Frozen sensors lead to disaster ever, even if they do offer a solution, it could
some support to keep his business running. The incident which caused the fish losses be too little too late – by the time the farm is
“The province is going to pay to send a occurred in early February, when wind chill back up and running, most of its customers
consultant to visit and see if they can im- values ranged between -40 and -50 C . One will likely have found other fish sources.
prove our facility and increase production of the farm’s employees lives in a small house “It takes like two years to build an inventory
and see if they can find a way to survive on site and he was alerted immediately like that,” Chiasson told the CBC shortly after
long term even with the losses we had,” when the power went out. He restarted the the incident. “I don’t know what’s going to be
PHOTOS: ACADIAN FISH FARM LTD.
said Chiasson. “We’ll have to see what his generator, but contacted Chiasson when it next, but for sure we’re going to need help.”
recommendation is and then see ACOA (the wouldn’t stay on.
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) or “The generator worked, the problem was Purchased infrastructure should
the Atlantic Fisheries Fund (AFF) to see if keeping it steady because it was too cold for be evaluated
we can line something up.” the sensors,” said Chiasson. “The generator Chiasson purchased the facility in 2013 and
Acadian Fish Farm utilize an indoor would start but it would shut off after a few started to raise fish the following year. One key
recirculating aquaculture system to raise minutes. It took me about a half hour to get takeaway from this experience has been not
Arctic char without the use of hormones there. I went up to the generator to try to fig- to accept that infrastructure on the farm is in
or antibiotics. The company does not use ure out what was going on – it was so cold that the best possible position just because its there
energy for either heating or cooling tanks. you couldn’t change windows on the screen.” when you take over, he says. In particular, with
the benefit of hindsight, he wouldn’t have left WHAT’S

the generator set up outdoors.
THE BIG Maine Aquaculture
IDEA? Business Incubators
“When we bought the facility in 2013, we
should have changed the generator and had it
inside a little building or something like that. We provide entrepreneurs and business startups
What’s species are
I would say, if somebody builds a facility, put you considering? professional support and world class facilities to develop
the generator inside – don’t use a self-enclosed RAS or open water their aquaculture ideas.
unit,” said Chiasson. “We have a poultry farm system? Contact us today to see how we can help turn your aquaculture
also, and we have two generators. We have Will you need a idea into a reality.
grant or funding? Chris Davis
one that’s inside and has had no problems Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center • 193 Clarks Cove Road, Walpole, ME 04573
at all. But we also built a rearing facility that Phone: (207) 832-1075 • cdavis@midcoast.com
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“The previous owner had found an insur- www.AquaticEnterprises.com
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a problem with the facility,” said Chiasson.
“The previous owner didn’t even have an
alarm system, so when a pipe blew up he lost
the fish and he collected the insurance. So
when we took over, the company didn’t want
to insure it again.”
What else could be done?

Even if the province, ACOA and others can
provide no support, Chiasson says that this
won’t be the end of his time in the aquacul-
ture industry – he’ll find a new business
partner and start again. Regardless, he does
feel that there is more that could be done,
given how much pride Atlantic provinces
take in their aquaculture industries.
“There should be a fund for that, because
ANA_Frigid Units_MayJune23_MLD.indd 1
• Ocean Trained
2023-03-31 10:20 AM
the provinces want to push aquaculture, but • Aquaculture

its hard to get people into that,” said Chias-
son. “Even for us, we tried to get insurance
Ready!
but we couldn’t get insurance. Maybe the
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percent’ if something happens like that to of-
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ANA_Divesafe_MayJune23_MLD.indd 1 2023-03-30 1:44 PM

SHOWCASE
Marine Donut is a closed fish

farm at sea
Bluegreen introduces a closed fish farm
structure that promises to be cost efficient
and has a minimal environmental footprint.
The Marine Donut is designed to
prevent escape and contamination. The
need for antibiotics and other medicines
and preparations could be reduced. The
flow system is meant to recreate the
environment that salmon experience in the
rivers. The structure can also be fitted with
digitization and monitoring for full control.
A pilot plant has been tested in the pool
at SINTEF, Europe’s largest independent
research organization, and it is now ready
for commercialization.
The company said it has intentions to
pilot the technology initially in Newfound-
land and Labrador, with aspirations to scale
to additional provinces in Atlantic Canada
and British Columbia, “as it is in line with
the federal governments transition plans in
that province.”
Mowi ASA has been granted two Marine Donut concept. the future, and can be used for the produc-
development licenses by the Norwegian The facility is tailored to fit and utilize the tion of both post-smolt and market fish.
Directorate of Fisheries exclusively for the expected licensing and production regime of www.bluegreengroup.no
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Seagriculture event returns

to Portland
The second edition of the Seagriculture
USA Conference will be held in Portland,
Maine on Sept. 6-7.
This seaweed industry conference brings
together aquaculture professions from
across the country and beyond. Last year’s
inaugural event welcomed about 280
attendees from 12 countries.
“Seaweed farming and value creation has
enormous economic potential in Maine and
our businesses and research communities
are leading the way towards making it a Seagriculture USA 2022
major driver in our economy,” said Dana
Eidsness, director of MENADO.
“From best practices for farmers and har-
vesters, to innovations developing applications
for seaweed as a material for food, textiles
and bioplastics, to working together to build a
global market for seaweed products; dialogue
at Seagriculture USA has impact and moves
the industry forward. Maine is an ideal location
for this important event.”
The conference is supported by the and Community Development (DECD), Maine North Atlantic Development Office
State of Maine, especially state agencies Maine Technology Institute (MTI), Maine (MENADO).
like the Maine Department of Economic International Trade Center (MITC), and www.seagriculture-usa.com
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SHOWCASE
Benchmark’s CleanTreat systems

on well-boats
Benchmark Holdings is collaborating with MMC First Process AS
and Salt Ship Design AS that will combine all three companies’
technologies onboard.
Benchmark is looking to integrate its CleanTreat water
purification system with its sea lice medicine, Ectosan Vet. These
products will be integrated into MMC’s fish handling system
onto a well-boat designed by Salt Ship Design.
This collaboration hopes to create an efficient and sustainable
water purification process. According to a press statement,
Benchmark hopes that the integration of CleanTreat system into
well-boats will increase the accessibility of the solution for the
aquaculture industry. It also has the potential to enable greater
use of sea lice medicines in an environmentally responsible way.
The well-boat design solution is expected to be delivered The three parties celebrated the signing at the Bryggen in Bergen.
within the next six months and the first well-boat could be in From the left: Rune Risnes (Aquaculture lead in Salt Ship Design AS),
operation by 2025. John Marshall (Head of Benchmark Animal Health) and Frank Edvard
www.bmkanimalhealth.com Vike (CSO at MMC First Process).
BlueNalu partners with Nutreco Dramm Corp. hires new

on cell-cultured seafood technical representative
BlueNalu, producer of cell-cultured Dramm Corp.
seafood, announced a strategic partnership welcomes Angela
with animal feed and nutrition company, Storm as its
Nutreco. Western Technical
BlueNalu and Nutreco are joining forces Representative.
“to bring down the costs of cell feed and Storm will be
establish specifications and metrics for responsible for
certain raw materials necessary to produce managing distribu-
BlueNalu’s proprietary cell-cultured tor relationships
seafood products,” according to a recent technological readiness and our ability to and supporting
press release. scale and bring products to the market.” sales in the Western Angela Storm
Nutreco says it intends to help the BlueNalu intends to bring a portfolio United States. She
seafood startup to go from pilot scale of seafood products to global markets, will work with commercial customers
development to full commercialization. and its first commercial product will be involving products focused on hand
“Our team has achieved significant the high value toro portion of bluefin watering tools, complete irrigation systems,
technological feats that have reinforced our tuna, which is in great demand from the chemical applicators, horizontal airflow
pathway and support commercial viability,” foodservice sector, yet is increasingly systems, humidity management tools, and
said Lauran Madden, PhD, chief technology inaccessible and associated with consider- complete water system integrations.
officer at BlueNalu. “This commitment able sustainability challenges worldwide. Storm has experience in the commercial
with Nutreco further enhances our www.bluenalu.com horticulture business, most recently as a
key account representative for Dümmen
Orange in North America. She has also
| |
worked as a breeder representative for
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D Delta Custom Heat Exchangers available

Packaged Titanium Chillers and Boilers available
H Hydronics, L.L.C.
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vacu-vials test kits.

Results are provided in ppm (mg/L)
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tions and a one-year warranty. Equipment and supplies for all your Aquaculture
CHEMetrics Vacu-vial test kits are sold needs. From aeration to complete RAS systems.
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SHOWCASE
Freshwater Institute’s mortality monitoring

device finalist for international tech challenge
A real-time fish mortality detection system developed by The Con-
servation Fund’s Freshwater Institute is one of five entries chosen
from 47 proposals for this year’s NewTechAqua Award Challenge.
NewTechAqua, based in Belgium, aims to demonstrate that
investment in sustainable aquaculture research and innovation
creates new value chains, markets, growth and jobs in coastal, off-
shore and landlocked areas. The NewTechAqua Award Challenge
advances solutions to challenges limiting economic, environment-
al, and social benefits and impacts in aquaculture.
This was the first year Freshwater Institute (FI) applied to be
considered as part of the award challenge and is the only winner
from the United States.
Called the MortCam by FI’s Precision Aquaculture team, the
device was developed using artificial intelligence (AI) and internet
of things (IoT). It is deployed in a fish tank to provide round-the-
clock mortality monitoring. It can trigger an alarm when mortality
thresholds are exceeded.
“MortCam consists of an imaging sensor integrated with an edge
computing device customized for underwater applications,” said FI The model is deployed on the MortCam to log the mortality data
research scientist and Precision Aquaculture team leader, Rakesh at a user-defined frequency. The system generates email and text
Ranjan. “Images acquired are used to train and optimize a machine alerts to notify operators of mortality events. “In this way, real-time
learning model for resource-constrained edge devices with limited mortality alerts may aid in proactively initiating procedures to
computation capability to detect and count dead fish accumulated prevent potential additional mortalities,” Ranjan said.
near the drain plate.” www.freshwaterinstitute.org
High Volume Oxygen launches

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST WANTED: new oxygen generator
High Volume Oxygen has introduced a
COMMERCIAL AQUACULTURE new oxygen generator that is modular and
OF SOCKEYE SALMON (4lbs+) designed for critical applications.
LSL Living Seafoods Ltd and Avalon Aquaculture Ltd The Pro Plus Oxygen Generating
have jointly developed the commercial culture of System is the company’s new product. It is
Sockeye Salmon as a foodfish at the Richard Henly
designed to enable higher pressures and
freshwater farm, DFO licence no. 210, Langley, BC,
Canada. We now wish to use our culture knowledge increases litres-per-minute (LPM) output
and our domesticated Sockeye stocks to help others while prioritizing ease of use and reliability.
grow and market this newly domesticated farmed The system is cloud-enabled to provide Accompanying the Pro Plus, High Volume
species as a foodfish.
monitoring and notification features that Oxygen has also launched the new 5-Outlet
We are looking for joint venture partners; We provide can be accessed on the company’s Seeing Smart Relay. This device remote controls
the cultural knowledge and seed stocks. You culture Eye web platform on any web browser. a bank of oxygen concentrators and sends
the domesticated Sockeye as per our instructions and
you reap the benefits of sales as a foodfish. The Pro Plus has a touchscreen display this data to the cloud. It is designed to
Our benefits to be negotiated. with real-time information, configured with energize individual outlets using a configur-
wifi. When equipped with the new TITAN able delay to prevent breaker switches from
• Three domestic strains of Sockeye have been
selected for over 25 years of culture for superior compressor, the tank can be pressurized being tripped. It also features an on-board
growth rates and enhanced disease resistance. up to 175 psi / 12 bar, and store as much as audible alarm to signal amperage and
• Can be grown in either fresh or sea water, in 3,600 litres of oxygen while providing flow temperature out-of-range conditions.
Flow-Through or RAS, or combinations of both.
• Culture metrics are approximately the same as rates of up to 280 LPM / 10 CFM / 17 m3/h. www.highvolumeoxygen.com
Chinook salmon, with the culture modifications
needed for Sockeye.
Marketing and sales network in place throughout

Canada, including Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal,
from October through June each year. Plans to expand PREFER READING
A DIGITAL ISSUE?
sales to US and elsewhere. Demand for sockeye too
much for what we can produce at Richard Henly Farm.
Contact Lawrence Albright Sign up at

at albright@sfu.ca or 1-604-626-6747
www.fraservalleyseafood.com aquaculturenorthamerica.com
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AquaCulture May - Jun 2023

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MAY/JUNE 2023 || VOLUME 14 || ISSUE 3 AQUACULTURENORTHAMERICA.

A handful of leaders are

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Presented by Annual Program Sponsor

FROM THE EDITOR

Aquaculture North America is published six times a year by

Subscription rates (six issues) Canada: $37.00+Tax ADVERTISERS' INDEX

Cooke acquires Slade Gorton, seafood manufacturer Nova Scotia releases

ANA_AquaLogic_MayJune23_CWM.indd 1 2023-04-05 9:40 AM

NAIA holds annual awards ceremony

More than a little

Look for Feed Iceberg posts

Chris Williams of Mowi East (left) is presented his Lifetime

The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association held their

• Excellence in Innovation – Cold Ocean Salmon

In addition to those awards, Chris Williams of Mowi Canada East

as an operations manager with the company prior to his retirement

ANA_YSI_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-03-24 8:51 AM

Bluefront Equity invests in “It’s an important topic because there

SED Vision Grader

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ANA_Elanco_half_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 2023-04-05 8:32 AM

Seafood and Gender Seattle Fish Company

PHOTO:SEATTLE FISH COMPANY

Nova Scotia revamps aquaculture

ANA_Reef Industries_MayJune23_CSA.indd 1 HI_RK2_UVSolution_MayJune23_MLD.indd

COVER SEAWEED FARMING

Anoushka Concepcion, an associate

Growing the fresh market

Building a year-round business products like the Sea-Veggie Burger, which

Your Choice for Organic Integrity

North America’s Leader in COR .312 Certification

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COVER SEAWEED FARMING

Moving forward in the second phase of the project, she is refining

Need for seed

Master Your Aquafeed Universe

ET-338I.indd 1 3/31/23 2:03 PM

alone,” added Concepcion. “From a commercial perspective, I

Overcoming regulatory barriers

Automation to save time and toil

S4000 nursery trays

Oyster Trays stacked with quality

S1000 oyster trays

ANA_Dark Sea Enterprises_Mayjune23_MLD.indd 1 2023-03-29 2:16 PM

working with them as broodstock in tanks of instruction at Southern Maine Community

breed of aquaculture practitioners should

PHOTO: THE FRESHWATER INSTITUTE

They’ve been doing that for as many years