AquaNet - Network in Aquaculture

Research helps the rise of Canadian aquaculture

The first visitors to the Maritimes valued its wealth of fish, which went on to become the region's economic mainstay. Today, despite a devastating drop in their ocean stocks, fish promise to play a major part in the region's future success.

The key to that success will be aquaculture, the "farming" of fish in shore-based facilities and net pens. The industry has been growing steadily for the past 20 years, drawing young, enthusiastic entrepreneurs into a global marketplace that has become highly competitive. Canadian researchers are helping this industry stay ahead of its competition, by providing biological insights and technological innovations that can enhance the volume and quality of aquaculture production.

Canada's fish farmers are benefitting from the progress of AquaNet, a Network of Centres of Excellence. Funded for four years with $14.4 million from the federal government, the network is dedicated to attracting and training the experts who will be crucial to making advances in this rapidly expanding field. AquaNet has brought together 119 researchers from 19 universities and colleges, as well as 62 industry partners and 15 government or professional organizations.

The network sponsors 39 research projects devoted to improving the country's aquaculture industry, through higher productivity, sustaining the quality of the marine environment or helping participants deal with the social and economic factors of their enterprise. At the National Research Council's Institute for Marine Biosciences in Halifax, for example, biologist Stewart Johnson has been broadening our knowledge of the kinds of infectious diseases that can result in serious economic losses for the industry.

"Little is known about the interactions of fish with disease-causing agents," says Dr. Johnson, adding that most of what is known applies mainly to species known as salmonids, including salmon, trout and char. "We need information about the immune responses of non-salmonids, such as haddock, cod and halibut, if we're going to develop a wider range of effective vaccines and other disease management practices for the industry."

He and his colleagues are studying one of the most serious bacterial threats to cultured and wild fish, examining the feasibility of improved vaccines or other approaches to minimizing that threat. This work is taking advantage of the NRC's ongoing study of the genetic structure of this infectious organism, which has created a substantial database of information that could yield a biotechnological solution to the problem.

Similarly, University of Waterloo biologist Scott McKinley is leading an AquaNet study of sea lice, a naturally occurring pest that affects salmonids during oceanic migrations. Scientists are currently debating whether aquaculture facilities located near shore are actually contributing to increased incidence of sea lice on wild salmon. The matter promises to stir discussion until systematic studies are conducted, research that Dr. McKinley's team has already initiated.

Besides resolving this issue, their work also considers how sea lice infestation levels affect other aspects of the salmon's life, including reproduction and swimming performance. These investigations have attracted the attention of the European Union, where McKinley and his colleagues will collaborate with scientists on a similar initiative.

"The sea lice problem is not unique to Canada, but also affect salmonid stocks off the coasts of Scotland and Norway," says Dr. McKinley. "AquaNet has created the opportunity for an international scientific forum to address this issue, as well as developing strategies that could mitigate the impact of sea lice on salmonid stocks."

William Driedzic, Scientific Director of AquaNet and director of the Ocean Sciences Centre at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, cites the commitment and talent of such researchers as a critical resource for aquaculture in Canada.

"We have assembled a unique team of researchers and partners from the private and public sectors," he says. "The development of a strong local aquaculture industry will contribute to keeping our young people in our province, and help to develop an expertise that will be marketable world wide."
AquaNet is one of 20 federally funded Networks of Centres of Excellence, the objectives of which are to enhance the Canadian economy and our quality of life. The program is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), in partnership with Industry Canada.

For more information on AquaNet, visit www.aquanet.ca.