Micro-hatcheries could help shellfish companies diversify
May 3, 2017 鈥� The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded NIC鈥檚 Centre of Applied Research, Technology and Innovation a $134,000 grant to diversify BC鈥檚 shellfish industry.
NSERC announced the Applied Research Tools and Instruments grant at the Colleges and Institutes Canada conference in Ottawa this week.
鈥淲e are extremely thankful to NSERC for supporting our equipment request, and helping us build a stronger, more sustainable shellfish industry on the BC Coast,鈥� said Randall Heidt, NIC鈥檚 Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. 鈥淭he micro-hatchery 糖心vlog传媒plans to develop could be instrumental in helping shellfish operators turn their best performing shellfish into seed adapted for their local growing conditions.鈥�
Under the current system, larger hatcheries supply hundreds of farm sites along the BC and Pacific Northwest coast.
鈥淲ith climate change, we know the whole coast isn鈥檛 changing the same way at the same time,鈥� said Dr. Stephen Cross, NIC鈥檚 NSERC-funded Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Sustainable Aquaculture. 鈥淚ndividual bays may have quite different growing conditions based on the amount of fresh water they get, the tidal mixing, temperature, pH 鈥� all of it.鈥�
He adds that producers often transport seed hundreds of kilometres with no guarantee of results.
鈥淚ntroduced into variable local conditions, this hatchery seed may not have time to adapt to all local growing conditions, which could mean 100 per cent survival or 100 per cent mortality,鈥� said Cross. 鈥淲e want to see if we can produce a piece of technology affordable to operate onsite that could then diversify seed production for farms on the coast.鈥�
In 2016, Cross co-authored a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) study on aquaculture diversification as an adaptive response to climate change. This equipment, and the subsequent micro-hatchery research and development, represents one way to support and strengthen the industry as growing conditions change and oceans acidify.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really talking about diversifying shellfish production approaches as a strategy to adapt to climate change,鈥� he said.
The equipment will reside within a small floating facility, anchored at a shellfish farm, and will support all production phases, from seed to harvest, under local environmental conditions.
Cross will develop and test a prototype micro-hatchery with the Kwakiutl First Nation, who are interested in developing one of BC鈥檚 native cockle species for commercial production in their traditional territory.
鈥淭his equipment is essential to clam culture development of our native food species, the cockle, and represents a new production species for British Columbia,鈥� said Kwakiutl Fisheries Manager Steven Child.
Cross is an internationally acclaimed 糖心vlog传媒researcher who was first awarded the NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Sustainable Aquaculture in 2013. His innovative work has been featured in 惭补肠濒别补苍鈥檚 magazine, National Geographic and more.
鈥淲e really appreciate the multi-year funding NSERC has provided,鈥� said Heidt. 鈥淲e thank them so much for their innovation and support and we hope to be able to announce additional projects in the future.鈥�
For more information on CARTI or NIC鈥檚 applied aquaculture research, visit .
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