Moleaer's nanobubble tech excels in semi-contained system

Moleaer, a nanobubble technology company, has announced the results of its partnership working collaboratively with salmon producer Grieg Seafood BC and CPI Equipment, a manufacturing company specialising in aquaculture equipment.

Grieg Seafood's semi-closed containment system, coined the CO²L Flow System, was created utilising Moleaer's nanobubble technology and CPI's ODiN system. The system itself optimises water quality and oxygen to ensure healthy fish growth in a protected environment, designed to reduce the transmission of pathogens. By utilising Moleaer's technology, this resulted in a 75 percent reduction in oxygen use.

"We are committed to implementing sustainable, long-term solutions to address some of the challenges we face as ocean farmers.  Using Moleaer's technology, we can safely deploy sea lice barriers down to 15 meters without compromising mixing and dissolved oxygen levels inside the net pen. This is important for us as maintaining optimal conditions within the new CO²L Flow System when the barriers are down is critical to the health and welfare of our fish," said Dean Trethewey, Seawater Production Director of Grieg Seafood.

The aforementioned technology injects trillions of oxygen-rich nanobubbles into water supplies, to increase the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels at a reduced cost and highest transfer efficiency.

"The aquaculture industry requires sustainable solutions that enable increases in output without jeopardizing our environment. Our technology is unique because we're delivering nanobubbles with proven benefits in reducing oxygen and energy costs, while remediating the surrounding environment, and producing better water quality and higher output of fish," said Nicholas Dyner, CEO of Moleaer.

Based in the US, Moleaer has established the first nanobubble industry there by developing the first nanobubble technology generator. It has deployed more than 700 nanobubble generators worldwide since 2016.

For more information on Moleaer visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Grieg Seafood BC visit their website, HERE.

Thai Union embraces satellite technology

In collaboration with Sea Warden, a satellite data analytics company and Wholechain, a supply chain traceability company, Thai Union has begun to utilise satellite imaging for shrimp farming producers.

The goal of the project is to generate Key Data Elements (KDEs) – which are elements with impact on an organisation's operations and decisions – for automated shrimp farms. They are equipped with traceability technology and combined with the KDEs collected through satellite imaging, are capable of supporting sustainable farming practices by providing insight into shrimp health and wellbeing.

Satellite imaging is an "emerging technology within aquaculture," the Thai Union said in a press release. It has countless benefits for a number of industries include agriculture, forestry and wild capture, but has only begun to emerge as a technology within the aquaculture sector. KDEs have been discussed in more recent years by those advocating for greater sustainability and traceability within food production, so that customers are better equipped with knowledge about the source of their food in purchase decisions.

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Image credit: Sea Warden. The full GIF can be accessed HERE.

Thai Union said that they believed insights provided from satellite imaging was a "promising way" in reducing risk and reaching sustainability targets.

''Accessing reliable information for shrimp farms across wide geographies can be both challenging and expensive," said Adam Brennan, Group Director of Thai Union. "We see exciting potential in the use of satellite imaging to improve our transparency, assess risk and monitor the performance of our shrimp farms. We will continue to explore ways to use satellite technology as it continues to evolve."

In the pilot portion of the project, Sea Warden applied machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to generate KDEs, based on a 24-month period of activity at multiple shrimp farms within Thai Union's network. Wholechain then transferred the KDEs through Thai Union's supply chain with the insights provided from Sea Warden.

"Satellite-derived KDE's are a simple and independent way for retailers, certifiers, and processors to provide greater farm-level transparency. Satellite data maximizes investments into traceability systems like Wholechain's blockchain technology to more effectively reduce risk and increase confidence across the supply chain," explained Zack Dinh, Sea Warden co-founder.

Thai Union is a leading seafood producer and producer of shelf-stable tuna products, as well as a founding company of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), which commits itself to the long-term sustainable use of tuna fisheries.

For more information on Thai Union visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Sea Warden visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Wholechain visit their website, HERE.

Agreement signed to deliver on UAE's first shrimp RAS farm

Prime Aquaculture, a subsidiary of Emirates National Aquaculture, has signed an agreement with Jafza, an economic free zone located in the western part of Dubai, to build UAE's first shrimp RAS farm. The farm is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2023, to assist in cultivating shrimp and meeting growing demand by increasing output.

The UAE's dependence on imports to meet shrimp demands results in more than 51,000 MT of shrimp being imported per annum, while the local consumption ranges between 38,000 to 50,000 MT. Once the RAS facility has been built and is in operation, the farm will be producing over 1000 MT of shrimp per year, currently three times more than current shrimp production.

Current farming methods in the UAE incorporate an open pond system requiring a lot of space, which can be reduced in the shift towards RAS production, as it encourages sustainability through the recirculation of water and maintaining control of the water's physiochemical qualities. 

The RAS facility will consist of a shrimp farm, hatchery, and primary and secondary processing units. In order to promote sustainable food production, it aims to utilise modern technologies and solutions.  Prime Aquaculture will be incorporating the most up-to-date technology to ensure the shrimp being produced are of a high standard.

Abdulla Bin Damithan, the CEO and Managing Director of DP World UAE and Jafza explained the lucrative business of UAE's food trade, going on to say that aquaculture is "one key driver of this vital industry's growth. Taking these factors into consideration, through our partnership with Prime Aquaculture FZE, we look forward to boosting shrimp production and ensuring quality produce with advanced technologies such as RAS. The shrimp farms will maintain high-intensity culture systems ensuring absolute biosecurity."

Imtiyaz Andul Razak Kalsekar, Managing Director of Prime Aquaculture, concluded: "During the pandemic, when travel restrictions were imposed, the importance of local production was highlighted. We, at the Emirates National Aquaculture, plan to enhance the UAE's food security by doubling the current aquaculture production over the next three years. Establishing our shrimp farm in Jafza is a massive step towards achieving this objective."

Bakkafrost to add three new wellboats

Bakkafrost, a leading producer of salmon based in the Faroe Islands, announced the deliverance of a new, 7000m³ wellboat with freshwater production capability this summer, 2022. It is expected to "bring a significant uplift of the freshwater treatment capacity," Bakkafrost explained in a summary of its Q4 report of 2021.

It is also expecting two new wellboats with large freshwater treatment capability, which are due to begin operation in Q2 and Q3 of 2022, respectively. The company explained that demand for these wellboats had risen, due to an increase in sea lice levels and its consequent effect on the number of treatments needing to be carried out. It attributes increased mortality in fish farmed in Scotland with compromise gill health, caused in part by blooms of jellyfish and the stress caused by handling during treatments.

Other aims of the wellboats include the mitigation of compromised gill health, ensuring improved fish health overall and reducing the risk of mortality owing to complications.

The salmon producer has a number of wellboats in its fleet, reporting in June of 2020 that they were in possession of 60 wellboats and announced in the same year a new hybrid wellboat, 109 metres long and with the capacity to carry 1000 tonnes of salmon.

For more information on Bakkafrost visit their website, HERE.

New lease agreement for RAS facility

NaturalShrimp recently signed an agreement with Jefferson County, Florida, to lease NaturalShrimp ten acre land, it revealed in a press release dated the 17th February, 2022. The land will be used for a 250,000 square foot production facility for shrimp, and Jefferson County will be helping to identify and pursue up to US$25 million in funding grants.

The land was explained to be suitable for NaturalShrimp's business as it can accommodate a 250,000 square foot production facility and is faourably located, on a four-lane state highway and within the County Opportunity Zone.

The agreement also extended to coordinating with local high school and college work programmes to provide training and support for potential employees for NaturalShrimp. It has also signed a letter of intent with the Water Quality Association (WQA) to develop an advanced training and certification programme for water treatment professionals, to expand the number of skilled aquaculture workers based in Florida.

"After extensive due diligence, the site in Jefferson County, Florida is an ideal location for our next shrimp facility, and we are privileged to be working with the County to advance our development plans," explained Gerald Easterling, the CEO of NaturalShrimp. "The new facility will enable us to effectively scale up production output predicated upon growth in demand for NaturalShrimp within the large Florida market."

"The size and scope of our planned Florida facility will require many skilled aquaculture workers that are qualified to operate next-generation equipment that require the highest water quality standards with the lowest environmental impact," Easterling added. "Training and credentialing water treatment professionals will not only provide the talent we need but will also help to boost workforce development in the region."

For more information on Natural Shrimp visit their website, HERE.

Roxanne Nanninga named as Chief Sustainability Officer for XpertSea

XpertSea, a Canadian company transforming how seafood is farmed and traded, has named Roxanne Nanninga its Chief Sustainability Officer. With this addition to its executive team, XpertSea deepens its commitment to sustainability as a core component of its strategy, by rewarding responsible farming practices and bringing more transparent, environmentally-conscious seafood to market.

Ms Nanninga joins XpertSea from her previous role as Senior Director of Sustainability at Thai Union North America, where she led wide-reaching initiatives for responsible aquaculture and traceability as part of Thai Union's global sustainability team. She has worked in multiple sectors, from environmental non-profit to international corporations to founding a startup, to address the complex challenges facing global fisheries and ocean conservation. In each role she has focused on solving complex challenges with a triple bottom line approach, leveraging cross-sector partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaboration to drive social and environmental performance alongside profits. She holds a masters degree from Duke University in Environmental Management and International Development.

'Roxanne is a leader for change in the seafood industry and we're thrilled that she has joined XpertSea at this time of growth for our company," says Valerie Robitaille, XpertSea's CEO. 'With her vast experience driving implementation of responsible practices across global supply chains, Roxanne will play an important role in helping XpertSea achieve its mission of bringing more traceable and sustainable seafood to the world."

'Working at the intersection of technology, finance, and seafood operations creates a fantastic opportunity to drive change in the industry," says Ms Nanninga, XpertSea's Chief Sustainability Officer. 'The world is increasingly connected and demands healthy, responsibly-produced food to feed our changing planet. I believe that we, at XpertSea, can empower farmers, buyers, and seafood consumers to produce and consume more responsibly by realigning incentives and bringing a new level of transparency.'

'We are thrilled with the appointment of Roxanne Nanninga as Chief Sustainability Officer of XpertSea,' says Amy Novogratz, co-founder and managing partner at Aqua-Spark and an XpertSea board member. 'Roxanne's track record in guiding some of the world's largest seafood companies to taking a sustainable path, combined with XpertSea's commitment to increasing sustainable seafood production while powering a transparent global shrimp marketplace, makes it clear that shrimp is moving toward a more ecological and socially just future.'

In 2021, XpertSea raised $20M USD in a Series B funding round and was ranked as one of Canada's fastest-growing companies by Deloitte Fast 50 and The Globe and Mail newspaper.

For more information about XpertSea visit the website, HERE.

The deadline for AquaFarm’s R&D award has been extended

Along with the postponement of the trade show, Pordenone Fiere decided to extend the deadline for submitting the application for the AquaFarm R&D award contest. The new deadline is April 20th.

The contest is addressed to researchers and start-ups from all over the world to reward projects, products and services that aim to improve productivity in aquaculture.

All participants of the AquaFarm contest will be able to exhibit a poster of the project during the show. The first three classified will have the opportunity to present their research or innovation in front of the audience of the event and will receive a cash prize to support their business. 

The jury is composed by experts in technology and economics as well as representatives of producers' associations, who are most interested in the adoption of the innovations presented:

• Fabio Massa, Senior Advisor Aquaculture
• Pierantonio Salvador, President of API (Italian fish farmers association)
• Giuseppe Prioli, President of AMA (Mediterranean Aquaculture Association)
• Paolo Anselmo, President of IBAN (Italian Business Angels Association)
• A representative of Pordenone Fiere

For more information visit the AquaFarm website, HERE. 

First harvest of iFarm project

 Cermaq's iFarm project is now overseeing the deliverance of the first fish produced on the farm, Cermaq announced in a press release dated today. Results from the harvest demonstrate the maintenance of good health and welfare of the fish, which were stocked in the sea site in Martnesvika, in the later half of 2020.

The iFarm project looks to run over five years, as it utilises latest technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning in order to identify fish in the pen and track their health and wellbeing. Phase one focused on adapting iFarm equipment in the pen to the fish's behaviour, which was tested in the Martnesvika sea site. This resulted in important information on camera arrangement, lighting and data processing to ensure detailed health records for each fish.

The project successfully reduced the need for delousing at farms by 50 percent compared with conventional pens, scoring highly on welfare indicators throughout the project.

"The fish behaviour we have observed in phase 1 tells us that the fish is doing fine with the iFarm equipment in the pen," explained iFarm project manager, Karl Fredrik Ottem. "This is further supported by the results from the harvest. The fish has had a good life in the iFarm pens."

Image credit: Cermaq

Phase two of iFarm was reached last year, as an entire sea site was equipped with an iFarm setup following on from stocking the fish in autumn, which is taking place in Vesterålen. You can read that news, HERE.

"We have learned a lot that we have already implemented in phase 2, and we have received a number of answers that take us to the next step. An important part of the innovation work is to find out what works and what does not work," Ottem commented.

As the project is ongoing and developing, it invites several uncertainties. The concept cannot include ordinary underwater feeding equipment, and as shown by the harvest results, the existing underwater feeding system needs to be further developed.

The iFarm fish were harvested at the Steigen processing plant and will be delivered to customers in Europe and Asia.

For more information on Cermaq visit their website, HERE.

WSC picks PR Aqua for RAS facility

West Coast Salmon (WSC) has decided to go with PR Aqua from Vancouver, Canada, in its ongoing RAS project designed to supply the West Coast market of the US with healthy and sustainably produced Atlantic salmon, for the environmentally conscious West Coast customers. PR Aqua specialises in RAS and provides water treatment and fish handling solutions to the US market.

WSC had previously chosen AquaMaof, a technology supplier, in October, 2020, to provide its RAS technology to the project but has since changed to PR Aqua due to a "thorough review" of the company which reflected its design and execution strategy, West Coast Salmon explained in a press release.

Owing to PR Aqua's experience, it provides the company with a solid platform to continue with its project of building and running an industrial-scale land-based operation close to Reno, Nevada. In the first stage of the project, it will be capable of delivering 14,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon by the first half of 2025.

The project promotes sustainability by ensuring a continuous supply of healthy and fresh farmed salmon with a longer shelf life, and comparatively has a smaller carbon footprint when compared with salmon transported by air from Chile and Europe. The project will follow three development phases, reaching a total of 50,000 tonnes in production in the final stage.

Image credit: Andrea Pokrzywinski on Flickr

Morten Nielsen, the COO of West Coast Salmon said of the project: "We are very impressed by PR Aqua's strong team, expertise, and track record, as well as the initial work they have performed. The WCS team is excited to have secured an agreement with PR Aqua and we look forward to executing our plan in partnership with KC Hosler and his team."

"We are extremely proud to take part in this large-scale project and to support the West Coast
Salmon team and owners on their mission to supply the US West Coast market with fresh, healthy, and sustainably produced salmon," concluded KC Hosler, PR Aqua's General Manager and CTO.

The facility will feature the latest RAS technology as well as specialised RAS feed supplied by Skretting.

For more information on PR Aqua visit their website, HERE.

New agreement between Graintec and ImpactMarine to establish RAS facilities

Graintec, a technology supplier for the aquaculture industry, and ImpactMarine, have entered into a deal to establish and construct a number of land-based aquaculture facilities.

The agreement between two companies is to help facilitate the development of ImpactMarine's aquaculture businesses and enable the installation of Graintec's RAS technology into new markets, Graintec explained in a press release.

They are planning on delivering a minimum of four facilities, as Graintec will be provided access to new markets for their RAS technology and ImpactMarine will have access to design resources for any future projects.

From left: Jens Jensen, Business Developer and Michael Mortensen, CEO, Graintec and David Hampton, CEO, ImpactMarine

CEO of Graintec, Michael Mortensen, said of the agreement: "We are very excited to partner with ImpactMarine. They have an ambitious plan and a business model with a fantastic ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) proposition. The strategic cooperation provides a strong foundation for us to deliver on our commitment to developed reliable and sustainable farming solutions to support the production of better fish for more people."

Echoing his sentiments, the CEO of ImpactMarine David Hampton remarked: "The strategic cooperation agreement with Graintec is an important step in the development of ImpactMarine. Having a long-term agreement with Graintec provides ImpactMarine with access to industry leading expertise in RAS and will also ensure that we are able not only to deliver our immediate plans but also that both we and Graintec are seen as leaders of the blue revolution over the coming years."

ImpactMarine is developing a number of controlled environment aquaculture facilities utilising its RAS technology, and has sites established in eastern Mediterranean, Oceania and Southern Africa. Graintec as a supplier of aquaculture technology, has been involved in the design of aquafeed factories for over two decades, having celebrated its thirty-year presence in the aquaculture industry in 2015. 

Graintec signed an agreement with SalmoTerra back in November, to supply them with their first land-based fish farm for the primary species that they farm, Atlantic Salmon. You can read more about that, HERE.

For more information on Graintec visit their website, HERE.

Image credit: Graintec

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