Innovation
In the past 10 years, aquaculture has emerged as an increasingly important supplier of fish and seafood. In Canada, aquaculture has become one of the fastest growing food production industries. Similar to land-based farming (beef, poultry, and pork), the aquaculture’s industry success, and Canada’s competitive edge in the global marketplace, is driven by innovation.
The Government of Canada recognizes the significant benefits to society associated with aquaculture and has made aquaculture development a key priority. The information on this website explains Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) role in the responsible management of the industry, ensuring that the department works with provinces and territories to administer, monitor and enforce compliance with laws and regulations.
Visit the links below to learn more about innovation in the aquaculture industry.
Research, Development and Commercialization
Innovation relies on three fundamental stages: research, development and commercialization (RDC); unique unto themselves, yet fully integrated. They are the building blocks of achieving market advantage and economic success, benefiting the rural and coastal communities involved in this industry.
Research comprises the work undertaken to increase the knowledge, and the use of this knowledge, to develop new applications such as the development of additional species for aquaculture such as sablefish, Atlantic cod, geoduck clam. Some research takes place in the laboratory, however much of the work occurs in the field.
Development is the transition period and includes activities from research to commercial-scale aquaculture. This could be viewed as a large-scale or industrial setting for research, for example, completing some of the concept validation work required to move a product or idea to commercial use.
Commercial defines an operation that is dedicated to an activity that has been proven to be viable, meaning the elements or assumptions of the activity have been proven and can be modeled in a business plan. The objective and expectation of this stage are to create profit.
Commercialization is the process of turning an idea or invention into a useful product or service. Some view commercialization to mean turning an idea or invention into a marketable product or service that will return a profit. Commercialization is a component of the broader innovation process and can include trials or studies that make a financially viable operation more profitable.
Two examples of DFO’s contribution in research, development and commercialization of the aquaculture industry is the work underway in the areas of polyculture and biotechnology (see sections below).
In collaboration with industry and other partners, DFO also provides funding through the
Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP) for research and development projects that are funded jointly with the private sector. The ACRDP is a $4.5-million program designed to identify gaps in scientific knowledge and develop research projects to address them. Key areas for ACRDP research are:
- industry environmental performance;
- fish production, including improved diets, grow-out systems, husbandry methods and new species development; and,
- fish health, including disease resistance, detection and treatment as well as studies on disease-causing agents.
Visit this link again to learn more about what DFO is doing to assist with RDC efforts across Canada.
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture
A great deal of emphasis is placed on responsible marine aquaculture practices worldwide. One concept that is currently being examined is Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA). This is the idea of growing finfish, shellfish and marine plants together for the benefit of all crops and the environment. Canadian researchers are studying various aspects of this new integrated model in a pilot project that involves the rearing of Blue mussels and kelp near pre-established Atlantic salmon aquaculture sites in the Bay of Fundy. Research is also underway in British Columbia.
IMTA is based on nutrient recycling which combines, in the right proportions, the cultivation of salmon (fed aquaculture) with that of mussel (organic extractive aquaculture) and kelp (inorganic extractive) aquaculture for a balanced ecosystem management approach. This approach takes into consideration the operational limits within the farm tenure, as well as food safety guidelines and regulations. Mussels are filter feeders and are used to extract the fine particulate wastes from fish cages, like the nutrient-rich food pellets that are not consumed by the fish, while the macro algae absorb dissolved inorganic waste created by the fish farm.
IMTA is an approach that uses the mussels and kelp to recycle the nutrients and can lead to "greener" aquaculture practices through the reduction in waste products in the marine environment and possible sedimentation on the ocean floor. Additional benefits also include a decreased risk of algal blooms and cloudy water. The culture of various species could also lead to economic gains for fish farmers.
Please visit the links below to learn more about IMTA research in Canada:
Biotechnology and Genomics
Biotechnology is a term that encompasses a broad spectrum of scientific applications used in many sectors, such as health, natural resources, and agriculture. It involves the use of living organisms, or parts of living organisms, to provide new methods of production and make new products.
Biotechnology has been in practice for centuries and includes such traditional applications as the use of yeast in making beer, as well as modern applications such as using gene modification techniques to improve crops. Biotechnology also includes genomics science, the analysis of gene structure and function of an organism.
For the record, no genetically engineered fish (GE) have been approved for commercial use, consumption or release in Canada, nor has DFO received any regulatory applications to import or grow GE fish for consumption or release.
Scientists at DFO carry out aquatic biotechnology and genomics research, in secure land-based facilities, to develop tools to help in the conservation and sustainable use of wild fish stocks, the marine environment, and the development of Canada’s aquaculture industry. Biotechnology and genomic innovations contribute to the aquaculture industry’s growth and success through the diagnosis and management of disease; and through the assessment of any potential impacts that escaped genetically modified fish might have on wild populations.
The application of biotechnology and genomics research to support aquaculture is helping to:
Our biotechnology and genomics science…
Species diversification is often seen as a means of increasing Canada’s global market share. The development of new species requires significant research investment to develop broodstock and adapted husbandry practices, and to understand optimal farming conditions and environmental performance. Through the ACRDP, DFO scientists play a key role in pre-production aquaculture science and aquatic biotechnology.
Visit the links below to learn more about the
ACRDP projects aimed at developing alternate species for their potential in an economically-viable aquaculture setting.
Sablefish broodstock development
Genetic variation at microsatellite DNA loci in cultured chinook salmon
strains of British Columbia
Yellow perch: Broodstock, feed development and commercial production
A genetic-based broodstock management approach in Atlantic halibut for the
Maritime Canadian industry (Part One)
Development of a broodstock genetic program for the European Oyster in Nova
Scotia (Part Two)
Assessment of genetic diversity of the European oyster in Nova Scotia using
microsatellite markers
Genome Canada’s "Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development" (Cod Project)
*DFO researchers are involved in both the New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador aspects of the project.
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