Aquabyte completes $25 million financing round

Aquabyte recently announced the completion of its series B financing of US$25 million, led by SoftBank Ventures Asia. Aquabyte, which uses computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to give fish farms insight into the health and growth of their fish, says that the funding will be used to continue its mission of transforming aquaculture to meeting growing global demand for sustainable protein.

By 2050, it is estimated that there will be a 50 percent protein gap worldwide, and farmed fish is the most sustainable and efficient protein source to fill that gap. Aquabyte has built international, cross-disciplinary teams working in fish welfare, AI and engineering, using practices drawn from salmon farms in Norway.

"Before Aquabyte, it was virtually impossible for fish farms to monitor the health of their underwater fish," explains Bryton Shang, Founder and CEO of Aquabyte. "Our engineering team solved that problem with a smart underwater camera that can accurately detect lice, monitor other welfare indicators, and identify and weigh individual fish without removing them from the water."

"Our fish welfare biologists work with our AI teams to transform those images and underwater signals into real-time data … Farms can take immediate action to improve the health and growth of their fish with less waste and fewer treatments," Mr Shang adds.

Sherman Li, Partner at SoftBank Ventures Asia, expressed that he was "proud" to be supporting Aquabyte in their journey. "By combining machine learning and computer vision with fish welfare insights, Aquabyte is leading a transformation in the aquaculture and food industry," he says.

The Nature Conservancy and Westerly Wind also joined the round as new investors.

"We firmly believe embracing technology is the solution for a more sustainable future," explains Karim Abdel-Ghaffar Plaza, Managing Partner at Westerly Winds. "Aquabyte in our opinion is a clear leader, enabling the path towards a healthier aquaculture industry needed to feed the growing world population. We're tremendously excited to be backing the team and business in the years to come."

Original investors New Enterprise Associates, Costanoa Ventures, ArcTern Ventures, Struck Capital and Alliance Venture participated in the round as they pointed out Aquabyte's achievements since its Series A funding in 2019.

Since the funding, the company now has hundreds of systems installed worldwide monitoring salmon and trout, established offices in the US, Norway and Chile, has processed over 300 million fish images, and was the first to receive approval for automatic sea lice counting by the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities.

"Mass market appeal and the potential for positive global impact make for very exciting investment opportunities – Aquabyte has both," says Greg Papadopoulos, Venture Partner at NEA. "We're thrilled to continue partnering with the Aquabyte team to go through this next phase of growth."

With this Series B round of funding, Aquabyte has raised a total of US$46 million since its founding in 2017. It will use the financing to scale its business, to monitor more species in more countries and help fish farms sustainably feed the world.

"It turns out that when you improve fish welfare and sustainability, you solve problems in efficiency as well," concludes Mr Shang.

For more information on Aquabyte visit their website, HERE.

Taste of BC achieves developments in RAS facility

Seafood company Blue Star Foods' wholly owned subsidiary Taste of BC Aquafarms has achieved "recent developments" and "key operating performance metrics", according to the company in a recent press release. These developments are related to the land-based farm Taste of BC is currently operating where it produces steelhead trout.

In the second quarter of 2022 the company hatched its first batch of Chinook Salmon, which are currently performing well in growth trials and demonstrating good food conversion rate (FCR), growth and low mortality. The intention is to raise them to an average size of three kilograms as it evaluates potential species diversification within the Pacific Salmon family.

Over the last six months average fish harvest weight has been 1.94kg, with the target being 2kg for the steelhead salmon it produces. The total harvest downgrade, which measures number of fish at harvest that weren't brought to market at full price in the last lifecycle, was 1.3%.

Construction of the new, state-of-the-art hatchery will be done in the third quarter of this year, which gives the company an opportunity to evaluate performance of next generation designs planned for its large-scale expansion before they are finalised.

Plated steelhead trout.

"The first six months of 2022 have been focused on increasing standing biomass within our pilot facility as we continue to limit test system capabilities," explains Ben Atkinson, the President of Taste of BC. "At the end of Q2-2022, we finished with a standing biomass of 40MT in our facility … without compromising water conditions or fish performance."

"We are extremely pleased with the capabilities of our pilot system which provides a solid foundation upon which we are designing our forthcoming expansion," he concludes.

Blue Star Foods recently began operating its soft-shell crab division in February of this year, having picked HTH Engineering & Equipment as its RAS technology provider for its Atlantic crab farm in South Carolina. You can read more about that and its recent report on RAS operations, HERE.

For more information on Blue Star Foods visit their website, HERE.

Several land-based projects in the pipeline, Samherji reports

According to a financial report released by fish farmer Samherji, who is in the process of constructing a land-based fish farm in Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, has reported a total investment of EU€400 million into the project, among other investments.

According to Samherji's CEO Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, the company has 'faith' in land-based fish farming but expressed the cost of the investments.

"All development in the sector is very costly. Therefore, the company must be financially strong now as before. The consolidated financial statements show that this is the case," Mr Baldvinsson explains.

Once the land-based facility is complete, the company expects for annual production to sit around the 40,000 tonnes mark. The facility will comprise of a hatchery, breeding farm, processing plant and service buildings, all of which have had a total investment of US$340 million.

"The total investment in aquaculture is estimated at around EU€400 million," says Mr Baldvinsson. "The Board of Directors of Samherji hf. has decided to provide funding for the project's first phase in Reykjanes by increasing the share capital … up to EU€50 million."

Image credit: Samherji

Other challenges face operation of their facilities as the price of oil "skyrockets" due to the conflict in Ukraine, and is the second highest cost in fish farming next to employee wages.

"How prices will develop in the future is entirely uncertain and will be affected by many external factors," he remarks.

Also in the company's project pipeline is another land-based facility which will be built in Öxarfjördur, northeast Iceland. Samherji is a main producer of Arctic char, but the facility marks its expansion into salmon production. The site produces 1500 tonnes of salmon annually but is expected to increase to 3000 tonnes when the facility is complete.

"The site in Öxarfjördur can be considerd a 'pilot project' for the development in Reykjanes," explains Mr Baldvinsson. "Next fall, construction will begin for a new hatchery in Stadur in Grindavík. The estimated cost for the project is around EU€6.6 million."

You can read in more detail about the construction of the facilities, HERE.

For more information on Samherji visit their website, HERE.

Mørenot in the process of developing system to tackle ocean plastic

Tackling what it calls "one of the most pressing environmental problems of our age," Mørenot is currently involved in a project to develop a 2.5km-long ocean clean-up system to clear the ocean of marine plastic.

Working cooperatively with Dutch non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup, they developed a prototype in 2021 that proved to be highly successful and has collected large amounts of plastic in the Pacific Ocean. The Ocean Cleanup develops and scales technologies to clear the world's oceans of plastic. A new, improved version is under development in a project titled 'System 03' for which Mørenot was the chosen supplier.

Following on from the testing of System 002 in harvesting plastic, it has highlighted key areas where System 03 can improve related to overtopping – referring to when plastic rides waves and evades capture – as well as challenging conditions at sea, requiring consideration of timing extractions and choosing where to deploy the system.

According to CEO of Mørenot, Arne Birkeland, the company can lend their expertise in the aquaculture industry to the project.

"With more than a century's experience from the fisheries and aquaculture industry, it's great that we can now use our technology and know-how to help The Ocean Cleanup develop System 03, which is three times as big the previous system," he explains. "We're really enthusiastic about the project and are proud to be a part of it."

A size comparison of System 03 with System 002.

System 03 is three times the size of System 002 and has been specially designed and tailored for the purpose of cleaning up plastic. It measures four metres deep and is designed as a funnel with an opening at the bottom to ensure fish and other marine life aren't trapped when trawling for plastic.

Two offshore vessels will be pulling the net between them. The net will clean up an area the size of a football field every 15 seconds, with potential to be cleaning the equivalent of 6000 football fields a day.

In addition to being three times the size of System 002, it is also capable of capturing much larger quantities of plastic at a lower cost per kilogram on a year-round basis. Costs for The Ocean Cleanup are related to support vessels, so by expanding the size of the system to remove more plastic per vessel and employing a rotating third vessel allows for the company to drive down anticipated cost per kilogram of plastic removed.

"Around one to two million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year, posing an immense threat to all marine life," adds Mr Birkeland. "As part of an industry that depends on the ocean, this project is extremely important to us, and we will always continue to challenge ourselves to do even more to protect the oceans as an important food source for future generations."

The company aims for System 03 to be in operation in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch near the end of summer this year. You can keep up with developments of the project, HERE.

For more information on Mørenot visit their website, HERE.

For more information on The Ocean Cleanup visit their website, HERE.

Image credit: The Ocean Cleanup

 

Collaboration between Regal Springs and Ace Aquatec for stunning solutions

Tilapia producer Regal Springs is collaborating with aquaculture technology provider Ace Aquatec, to introduce stunning solutions to their main processing facilities following on from successful trials in Mexico.

The collaboration comes after the producer was looking for a stunning solution to harvest their tilapia, one that would address growing demands for responsibly sourced foods. According to research conducted by OpenText, nine in ten consumers prioritise buying from companies with ethical sourcing strategies in place, and 83 percent willing to spend more on a product if it meets certain criteria.

The project, which took place in Mexico, has been two years in the making and began after Ace Aquatec was given UK£1 million in funding from the Humane Slaughter Association to provide stunning equipment to farms with no humane harvesting in place for finfish.

The company then approached Regal Springs, collaborated with Nautilus Collaboration and The Centre for Responsible Seafood (TCRS) to provide full EEG results to certification bodies to validate unconsciousness of fish and provide regulators with evidence to advocate for welfare improvements in the supply chain.

"This is a huge step forward from thermal stunning to a more humane and controlled stunning process, and with this towards better fish welfare," comments Emily McGregor, sustainability manager at Regal Springs. "As a side effect also process and quality parameters improved: reduced bruising, better quality of the fillets, better working conditions for staff. This supported Regal Spring's decision to move from pilot trials to immediate uptake of the equipment, and proliferation across their business."

Image credit: Regal Springs

Nathan Pyne-Cater, the CEO of Ace Aquatec called the project a "unique challenge", and one that provided them with a "general acceleration" for fish farming.

"We are now working with Barramundi farms in Australia, prawn farms in Europe and the trout sector in Canada as consumers and regulators insist upon more humane farming processes," he adds.

Using the pilot Humane Stunner Universal System (HSU) enabled Regal Springs to experience the huge improvements high welfare in-water stunning of fish brings.

"Sustainability has been at the heart of our Regal Springs business since the beginning over 30 years ago and in the spirit of continuous improvement we stand proud of pioneering new ways here with fish welfare," says Petra Weigl, Managing Director for Europe at Regal Springs. "Of course, retailers can be confident in accessing the very best in tilapia fish protein made viable through the way we raise and now harvest the fish – our ASC certification being testament to the quality we offer."

Ace Aquatec's HSU technology continues to be supplied to and used by fish farmers globally. In June of this year, smolt farmers Sævareid Fiskeanlegg signed an agreement with Ace Aquatec for their first in-water smolt stunner, and back in May Fresh by Design became Ace Aquatec's first distributor in the APAC region.

You can read about the smolt farmers story HERE and the supplier story HERE.

For more information on Regal Springs visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Ace Aquatec visit their website, HERE.

Garware launches new net which can be painted with antifouling paints

 As one of the leading textile suppliers in aquaculture, Garware has launched a new, high-density polyethylene net, which can be painted with water-based antifouling paints. The Star V4 polyethylene nets are the latest product of the company's and currently only net on the market that can be 100 percent painted with traditional, water-based antifouling paints.

"Before this technology, HDPE was not paintable," explains Marcos Jofré, Business Associate Garware Chile. "With its development, the nature of the fibre surface is modified, allowing traditional paint to be perfectly fixed with complete compatability."

"Today over 50 percent of salmon companies are conducting tests or permanently using the Star V4 nets, yielding good results, both in impregnation and antifouling," Mr Jofré adds. "And not only have they been impregnated, but in several cases, they have been re-impregnated, surpassing the second cycle of impregnation. For this reason, we ensure that Garware's V4 technology impregnates HDPE with traditional water-based antifouling paints, confirming its effectiveness."

On top of this, the Star V4 nets have all the characteristics of the orgiianl raschel nets as they are knotless even after 10 years of use after aggressive in situ cleaning conditions. Loss of tensile strength is 15 percent after four years, compared with nylon which loses 40 percent or more.

Other characteristics listed by the company include the net's ability to not elongate, high resistance to abrasion in humid conditions, incorporates anti-UV additives and has the highest manufacturing standards worldwide.

"Polyethylene with antifouling does not lose resistance over time, which provides great flexibility in the strategic process of cleaning the nets, since it is possible to migrate from impregnation to cleaning in situ or vice versa, with ease to deliver the better conditions for salmonids complying with the new regulations required by the sectoral authority," says Mr Jofré.

Paints for polyethylene can technically paint any nets but the cost is higher and there are no more than three brands in Chile.

In situ cleaning in Chile is still a complex process in aquaculture, due to logistics – distance from farms, availability of services, cost – meaning the majority of aquaculture companies operating in Chile prefer to use nets with antifouling, compared with other countries where in situ cleaning reduces the use of antifouling. 

For more information on Garware visit their website, HERE.

Successful application of hydrenesis tech at barramundi farm

NaturalShrimp reported on July 14, 2022, that their hydrenesis technology has been successfully applied to Hanilu Farms, a commercial aquaculture facility based in Cutler, Indiana.

Hydrenesis 'Redox' water treatment technologies work by affecting water chemistry and have proven efficient technologies for scaling hatchery and nursery systems while positively impacting health and growth metrics. In doing so, the company is able to produce fresh shrimp without using antibiotics, probiotics or chemicals.

Since 2017 Hanilu Farms has provided locally grown barramundi as its indoor RAS facility. The facility consists of 34 tanks and produces more than 900 kilograms of live fish per week, annually. Natural Aquatic Systems which is an owned subsidiary of NaturalShrimp works closely with Hanilu Farms. Founder of Hanilu Farms, Lealand Meador, has made vital contributions to research, data collection, automation and improvements of the hydrenesis technology particularly the hardware and its ruggedisation.

Independent RAS testing centre Marineholmen RASLab in Norway recently completed a trial where they evaluated the effectiveness of hydrogas and electrocoagulation technologies compared with traditional methods of using a biofilter when raising salmon. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the former, and NaturalShrimp expects 'technology licensing opportunities' for salmon and finfish producers globally.

"Our success with our early aquaculture partner Hanilu Farms using hydrogas technology supports the significant potential for commercial licensing of the technology as an additional revenue stream," explains Gerald Easterling, CEO of NaturalShrimp. "The ability to increade health and survival rates in commercial facilities opens our opportunity to additional worldwide seafood markets, including salmon, barramundi and other freshwater fish."

Hydrogas works to eliminate industrial and biological problems which are caused by oxidation in production facilities. It is able to solve a number of issues related to corrosion, low oxygenation, ammonia, bacterial growth, and so on.

"Hanilu has noted that while using Hydrenesis, mortality rate goes down, the feed conversion ratio improves, and the fish grow faster. We are incredibly thankful for Hanilu Farms' input as they utilised ur technology, and we look forward to working with them as both companies scale operations," concludes Mr Easterling. 

For more information on NaturalShrimp visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Hanilu Farms visit their website, HERE.

The Kingfish Company's quarterly report shows strong sales and production

Sales for The Kingfish Company doubled in the second quarter of 2022, according to a press release the company put out. This is due to strong demand for sustainably grown Yellowtail Kingfish in the European and American markets, as the company is planning to construct a land-based facility in Maine.

"The second quarter of 2022 was a strong quarter for The Kingfish Company, seeing sales doubling, average sales prices increasing by 12 percent YoY, while achieving record production and sector leading productivity," says Ohad Maiman, CEO of The Kingfish Company.

The company also produced a record number of 402 tonnes of high-value Yelllowtail Kingfish, compared to a lower figure of 340 tonnes in the first quarter. Approximately one million fish have been produced in the company's hatchery.

It is continuing expansion of its facilities in Europe as system installation and construction enter its final stage. In the US, all state and federal permits have been secured for the new facility in Maine, which will produce an estimated 8500 tonnes of fish.

In Europe, construction of EU phase two is nearing completion, which includes an expanded hatchery, second pumphouse and seawater pipelines. System capacity being constructed has upgraded from a projected number of 1750 tonnes to 2000 tonnes per year, bringing total installed capacity in the Netherlands to 2500 tonnes per year.

"While having been able to avoid significant cost overruns in the first 1.5 years of construction, given current supply chain issues and inflation, we anticipate some additional cost and potential delays for the remaining work to completion," explains Mr Maiman. "Strict cost control measures are in place to limit the impact of global market circumstances."

Purchase of land for the Maine facility took place in December of last year. You can read about it HERE.

For more information on The Kingfish Company visit their website, HERE.

Andfjord Salmon, Skretting and Zooca facilitate use of zooplankton in feed

Andfjord Salmon, Skretting and Zooca have signed an agreement to facilitate the provision of a specifically designed salmon feed for Andfjord Salmon as well as a long-term cooperation to increase incorporating zooplankton Calanus finmarchius in salmon feed.

Calanus Plus, by Andfjord Salmon, marks the first salmon feed that uses the zooplankton Calanus finmarchius as a raw material ingredient. It also contains algae oil as an alternative to fish oil. The zooplankton is one of the most abundant animal species on the planet with a reproduction of 300 million tonnes. It is Norway's largest harvestable and renewable marine resource. Current rates show that Zooca only harvests 0.0005 percent of total volume per annum.

"Calanus finmarchius is nature's own 'starter' feed. It is a natural prey that is biologically adapted to provide optimal nutrition for fish. Adding Zooca Hydrolysate … will be very useful to stimulate the fish's appetite in the transition to seawater," explains Mads Martinsen, Director of Product Development and Sustainability at Skretting.

Andfjord will be the first salmon farmer in the world to use a commercially developed feed with Calanus. Earlier in February, Andfjord entered into a feed supply agreement with Skretting. The agreement has overseen the development of a feed tailored to the company's flow-through technology which ensures optimal water quality, fish welfare and growth conditions.

Image credit: Andfjord Salmon

Andfjord recently released the first smolt into its site at Kvalnes at the end of June this year, reporting that smolt had adapted quickly and biological conditions were as expected. The site utilises flow through technology which enables the producer to simulate wild salmon's natural habitat in a land-based facility. Read about the first smolt release, HERE.

Martin Rasmussen, CEO of Andfjord Salmon who was involved in releasing the first smolt, refers to "ambition" when referring to the feed. "Our ambition is to develop the world's most fish friendly and sustainable aquaculture facility of its kind. Having our own specially designed feed, with unique ingredients from a local supplier, is another important building block towards realising this ambition."

'The fish has settled quickly and has already demonstrated a healthy appetite, which continues to improve daily. Fish mortality rate is extremely low, so it has been a promising start,' Mr Rasmussen adds.

Zooca is responsible for supplying the Zooca Hydrolysate to Skretting, which processes Calanus finmarchius at its facility at Sortland, nearby to Andfjord's site at Kvalnes. The company has, for the last 20 years, researched and developed technology that can sustainably harvest and process the zooplankton.

"By sustainably harnessing high-performing, high-quality nutrients from Calanus finmarchicus, there is a large potential to improve long-term human health and ensure superior animal nutrition around the globe. We are delighted to secure this commercial breakthrough within salmon feed together with Andfjord Salmon and Skretting," says Hogne Abrahamsen, International Account Director at Zooca.

"We look forward to using Calanus Plus by Andfjord Salmon at our Kvalnes site and to the long-term cooperation with Skretting and Zooca," concludes Martin Rasmussen.

Purchase of 1100 acre fish farm to expand Mainstream's operations

Mainstream Aquaculture has now purchased a 1100 acre land-based fish farm located in Arizona, US. This acquisition will help facilitate one of the largest producers and suppliers of Barramundi expand its growing portfolio to include domestic production for the US market.

Currently, the company's growing aquaculture business in Australia provides a model for a successful business in the US that can be grown to meet domestic market demand. The farm in Arizona marks Mainstream's first international acquisition and a step towards globalising its seafood business model.

Mainstream will be adding this farm to its growing business, which includes three hatcheries to supply the global Barramundi industry with fingerlings from its selective breeding programme. This business exports to 27 countries across 5 continents. It also has two state-of-the-art farms based in Melbourne, which utilise closed containment aquaculture technology and three saltwater pond farming sites. Two farms are located between the Wooroonooran Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.

Image credit: Mainstream Aquaculture

"Barramundi is a delicious, nutritious and sustainable fish ideal for aquaculture," explains Boris Musa, Mainstream Aquaculture Group MD and CEO. "We are immensely proud to expand our operations in the USA after several years market testing the product and operating a pilot scale Barramundi farm in Arizona."

"By applying the capabilities we have developed over 20 years in Australia, we are confident the venture will establish Barramundi as a premium, sustainable, ethically produced and widely appealing white fish in the USA," Mr Musa concludes.

In recent news, Mainstream Aquaculture was awarded a government grant for a planned facility in Latrobe Valley co-located with paper manufacturer's Opal's mill. This can be read about, HERE.

For more information on Mainstream Aquaculture visit their website, HERE.

Start-up company Banoo addresses water quality

Imperial College student start-up Banoo has won the university's top prize for women entrepreneurs. The start-up, which was co-founded by Selly Shafira, has overseen the development of affordable technology for fish farms to monitor and resolve issues around water quality.

The UK£15,000 prize, which was awarded on June 22, is part of a women's entrepreneurship programme WE Innovate, designed to inspire and accelerate the progress of women entrepreneurs. Over the last eight years the programme has provided a number of opportunities to women including developing business ideas and entrepreneurship skills.

Banoo's solution to the growing water quality risks caused by climate change is an affordable and integrated technology which allows fish farmers to monitor and troubleshoot water quality issues. This included a microbubble aeration system, water quality sensor and dedicated mobile apps. Farmers can no longer rely on traditional methods to predict weather or water quality, the company explains, hich can lead to profit losses.

Image credit: Imperial College London

The system can be installed in fish farms, producing micro-sized bubbles to increase dissolved oxygen in the water which improves water quality. In doing so, the metabolism of the fish is improved and their appetite is increased, reducing fish food waste.

The sensor monitors the quality of the water and signals when the system should turn on or off based on the oxygen levels in the farm. The system is powered by solar panels which means it can be installed anywhere including rural parts with little electricity infrastructure.

"The biggest thank you is for my team back in Indonesia," says Selly Shafira, co-founder of Banoo. "They are the ones who are making the impact and breaking the status quo. And thank you to the farmers – we keep going because we know that you need our technology."

"This programme has been helping us so much, from IP to customer discovery. We've launched thanks to WE Innovate," she concludes.

For more information on WE Innovate visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Banoo visit their website, HERE.

Viking Aqua becomes AquaBioTech's RAS supplier

Viking Aqua signed another partnership agreement with AquaBioTech to become the company's RAS supplier for a land-based salmon farm due to be built in Gulen, Norway. It previously signed a partnership agreement with Framo, a supplier of cargo pumps as well as an agreement with Overhalla Betong on the construction of a grow-out and smolt facility.

Viking Aqua strives to be the leading company for land-based aquaculture with a mission to design and build the next generation of RAS facilities for Atlantic salmon. This is achieved by finding professional partners and collaborating.

"We are very excited to have been selected to join the Viking Aqua project partnership, which aims to develop one of the most sustainable land-based salmon RAS farming operations," says Shane Hunter, CEO of AquaBioTech Group. "Viking Aqua has clustered a very strong group of companies with the collective aim of achieving significant breakthroughs in marine RAS development that seek to significantly lower the energy requirement and overall production cost, whilst achieving the highest levels of sustainability and fish welfare standards."

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From left: Ray J. Muscat, COO Engineering, ABTG, George D. Mantas, Business Development Director at ABTG, Shane A. Hunter, CEO of ABTG and Stein Inge Larsen, COB at Viking Aqua.

"The Viking Aqua facility we will develop and showcase how intensive, yet environmentally conscious, sustainable aquaculture can be achieved using the next generation RAS technology," Mr Hunter adds.

In a private placement approved at a general meeting on June 20, existing and new owners have raised right below as new business capital for the company.

Ingar Valvik, CEO of Viking Aqua, expressed her happiness with the team in charge of realising the project.

"We have established dedicated and complementary partnerships with the aim to achieve something great," says Mr Valvik. "But not least ensured the involvement of competent persons, with a common vision and the right values for developing and operating a fish farming company where efficient industrial processes, fish welfare and sustainability will reach new levels."

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

For more information on AquaBioTech visit their website, HERE.

Image credit: AquaBioTech

Joint venture will establish land-based production in Japan

Japanese giant Mitsubishi Corporation has agreed with seafood company Maruha Nichiro Corporation to establish a joint venture company to specialise in the land-based production of salmon. Their company, Atland, will be based in Nyūzen, Japan.

Mitsubishi is investing 51 percent in the project to Maruha Nichiro's 49 percent. The land-based facility will have a capacity of 2500 tonnes with the aim of beginning operations in 2025 and performing the first delivery in 2027.

The project has been in the works since March 2021 and is expected to develop a sustainable and stable land-based production system, efficient tech-based operations, local production for consumption and progressing towards decarbonisation.

The majority of salmon is produced in Norway and Chile due to the requirements of farming salmon being low seawater temperatures, mild weather and wave activity. Global demand for animal protein will continue to increase, which can be met by establishing land-based facilities for local consumption.

Kurobe River in Japan.

By establishing local production in Japan's salmon industry, the facility is expected to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared with importing salmon to Japan by air. Land-based aquaculture using recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) is also compatible with technologies which are able to control and manage the farming environment.

In addition, Atland's facility uses water from the Kurobe River and seawater from Toyama bay, which is known for its cleanliness and stable temperature, making it possible to reduce the amount of energy required to create an environment suitable for land-based production. Utilising special technologies means water will be circulated in and out of tanks where the fish are being raised, which is treated, removed of waste and cleaned before it is pumped back into the tanks.

For more information on Mitsubishi Corporation visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Maruha Nichiro Corporation visit their website, HERE.

Cermaq equips all sites with forecasting tool

Ocean analytics provider Scoot Science is now operating forecasting platform SeaState across 26 of Cermaq's sites in Canada, it announced in a recent press release.

By connecting sensor data with ocean and weather models, SeaState is able to provide fish farmers with all the necessary information they need, including any early warnings of fish welfare. It includes the Scoot Integrated Welfare Index (SIWI) which takes into account health risks such as oxygen, mortality, lice to provide farmers with a comprehensive answer about how their fish are doing.

"SeaState has the power to change the way ocean-based salmon farming operates. Our tools increase survivability, profitability, and sustainability of salmon farms anywhere in the world," explains Dr Jonathan LaRiviera, Scoot Co-Founder and CEO. "We're collaborating with Cermaq to expand our ocean intelligence toolset to their specific needs. This is the approach we take with all of our clients."

Cermaq has access to data related to temperature, salinity and oxygen levels across its 26 sites. This is alongside publicly available data which produces forecasts of regional and site-specific ocean conditions. Ocean conditions are constantly fluctuating and as a result, are updated four times a day in order to give farmers adequate warning to improve welfare, ensure survivability and operate more profitably.

Thanks to the flexibility of SeaState, farms are able to adopt sensor technologies and integrate them with systems that have been operating onsite for years. As the 'backbone' of forecasting and analytics, farmers are given actionable intelligence to assist with decision making.

"We've needed an innovative system that not only connects our variety of data streams, but also makes our data useful," adds Dr Kathleen Frisch from Cermaq. "Scoot Science's work is giving us a new level of understanding of how the ocean conditions affect our salmon and our operations in context of the local environment and our interactions with it."

Scoot Science's customers reside in Canada and Norway which includes Grieg Seafood, Cermaq, and others. They recently released a white paper "Green Sharpe: Making Oceans Investable with Integrated Risk & Impact Modelling" which explores solutions available to farmers and investors interested in advancing sustainable production. It can be read HERE.

For more information on Scoot Science visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Cermaq visit their website, HERE.