Semi-Closed Containment

After trialing a made-in-BC semi-closed technology solution at its farms off the Sunshine Coast region, Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. (Grieg) has announced it will be proceeding with the installation of these semi-closed system at all three of its farms in Esperanza Inlet, off the west coast of Vancouver Island. The new CO2L Flow system (pronounced Cool Flow) is a form of semi-closed containment, which allows for farmers to raise or lower custom designed farm enclosures - ensuring the farm-raised fish benefit from natural ocean conditions, while also providing protection for wild salmon. The system has been used successfully to rear several generations of fish at Grieg’s farms in the Sunshine Coast region. In all the trials, farmers noted better growth, lower mortality, better feed conversion rates (meaning the fish are more effective at converting feed into growth), and a dramatic reduction in the need for sea lice treatments.

Rebuilding Wild Salmon Stocks

Fundy Salmon Recovery is the world's first wild salmon recovery project to collect young fish after they have spent the critical early life stages in the wild and then care for them at a dedicated marine conservation fish farm.

Based on the theory that Atlantic salmon have a better chance of survival when they are exposed to a wild environment at a young age, this recovery model is seeing historic returns of Inner Bay of Fundy wild Atlantic salmon. These results have been possible only because of the revolutionary partnership of Parks Canada, Fort Folly First Nation Habitat Recovery, UNB, Cooke Aquaculture, the Province of New Brunswick, and the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Assoc.

Reducing Emissions with Flowpressor

New aeration technology helped Cermaq Canada cut over 76 Tonnes of CO2 emissions from their operations in 2021. The reduction in emissions was the result of trialing Poseidon's new Flowpressor™ aeration compressor systems at two of Cermaq's 16 operational farm sites in British Columbia. The trial took place at the Simmonds Point and Wehlis Bay farms from May through November 2021, and involved using Flowpressor's to power Cermaq's standard Harmful Algae Bloom systems instead of conventional diesel compressors.

“The trial demonstrated the viability of the Flowpressor technology to power our existing conventional bloom mitigation equipment, while producing 60% less greenhouse gas emissions. The overall result is that we have slashed emissions and dramatically reduced our fuel costs while improving overall performance of the mitigation system” said Brock Thomson, Cermaq Canada's Innovation Director.

Sustainable Feed, Creative Salmon

Farm-raised salmon feed has traditionally relied on fishmeal and fish oil. There are various efforts taking place to source alternatives to reduce dependency on marine ingredients. One such effort is an ongoing project, funded in part by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program and led by Dr. Ian Forster, a Research Scientist from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region, with collaborators Creative Salmon and Taplow Feeds.

While companies farming Atlantic salmon are substituting marine ingredients with different sources of fats and proteins, Chinook-producer Creative Salmon faces strict guidelines on feed ingredients because the company - and its feed suppliers - are certified to the Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard.

This study aims to determine whether black soldier fly larvae meal and algal oil substitutions are viable to reduce marine dependency in the Chinook diet while adhering to the organic certification and maintaining high nutritional quality feed and superior fish health.

Klemtu Feeding Station

Installation of new centralized feeding stations in the villages of Klemtu and Port Hardy use state-of-the-art technology to support local farms. This technology- which includes artificial intelligence that tracks individual feed pellets and fish activity levels- further reduces feed wastage and improves fish performance.

Speaking of the investment into his community, Isaiah Robinson, General Manager of Kitasoo Development Corporation said: “I am extremely excited to see the feeding station operational, this fantastic project diversifies our Nation's employment opportunities for community members who wish to stay close to home. By Mowi Canada West investing in our future, they bring hope and prosperity to our people and economy.”