MBL Conference Call

This afternoon, took a conference call with aquaculture go-to guys Scott Lindell and Bill Mebane at Marine Biology Laboratories. 

I was interested in doing a piece for Hatchery International on their Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative that brings methods and technologies for fish farming developed in the Woods Hole labs to fish farmers down in Haiti. Found out most of the work now is being done down on the island.

Marine Resources Manager and Director of the Scientific Aquaculture Program at MBL, Lindell said lack of foundation funds during the current economic downturn has taken a hit on the project as well.

“We’re at a stasis point right now,” said Lindell. “There is a lack of funding as part of the overall economy.”

Most of their current work is being done in the shellfish aquaculture sector, including disease resistance research and the black mussel farming project on Martha’s Vineyard.

I did get a heads up on some upcoming fin-fish stuff coming up in the summer that I pitched to the editors at the mag.

May be an interesting story to see what other impacts the down economy has had on the industry. Stay tuned.

 

Connecting Aquaculture and Wind Farms?

In a recent email discussion with Cliff Goudey, Director Offshore Aquaculture Engineering Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), I was surprised to find out that he leads an effort to develop aquaculture technology that would allow for open ocean farming in conjunction with ongoing renewable energy initiatives.

"I am also leading an effort aimed at developing fish and shellfish culturing technologies that can operate synergistically with offshore renewable energy projects (wind & wave)," he wrote.

This reminded me of an earlier blog post in 2005 when I wrote about similar efforts to enable aquaculture projects using existing oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Goudey, was quick to correct this comparison.

"The motivations down there are somewhat different and partly driven by O&G wanting to avoid decommissioning costs.  Furthermore, site selection was purely based on O&G resources, not environmental criteria or suitability for fish," Goudey wrote.

I plan to reach out to Cape Wind proponents who plan to build a wind farm in Nantucket Sound and find out if any similar proposals have come out of the recent final public comment part of the project. 

Stay tuned.

Salmon Aquaculture Discussion in Boston

In brief, the WWF's self described "Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue" closed session in Boston over the weekend.

The participants, made up of producers, nongovernmental organizations and other stakeholders, were asked to assess the environmental impact of diseases and parasites and pull together current knowledge on preventing and mitigating these effects on farms and on the environment.

To learn more about each impact related to salmon farming, the Steering Committee for the World Wildlife Fund-initiated Dialogue created technical working groups (TWGs) that drafted a series of “State of Information Reports.” Each report assesses existing research related to an impact, identifies gaps or areas of disagreement in the research and suggests a process for addressing the gaps.

To view the full report, go to http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/PageNavigator/SalmonSOIForm.

Reports have been completed for chemical inputs, nutrient loading/carrying capacity, feed, escapes and benthic impacts/sitting.

 

Maine town opens aquaculture fish plant

A new lease on life for working waterfront towns?

Downeast Maine community Machiasport recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Cooke Aquaculture salmon fish processing plant, according to a company press release posted on the online seafood industry site FIS.com.

The plant originally closed its doors in 2004 when the local decline in farmed salmon caused a drop in production. In 2006, the Canadian-based firm Cooke Aquaculture purchased two multi-national aquaculture firms and promised to work with the Maine state government to collaborate and maintain a viable aquaculture industry in the area. With the $6 million dollar restructuring of the plant, the family-run firm fulfilled that commitment, according to the announcement.

Maine governor John Baldacci praised the fish processing plant as a good example of private, state and local collaborative achievement.

New England-FMC Supports Flounder Aquaculture

The New England Fisheries Management Council recently unofficially backed a plan in New York for farm-raising and releasing flounder into the wild.  The proposal is the brainchild of Capt. Norman Edwards Jr., a commercial fisherman and East Hampton, NY, town trustee.

According to recent press reports, Edwards’ plan got its biggest boost when it got overwhelming official approval from  NY’s Marine Resources Advisory Council. Regardless of these gains, however, Edwards has gotten the cold shoulder from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEC).

Despite that hurtle, Edwards plan seems to be catching steam and could act as a model for similar programs to supplement wild ground-fish stocks throughout New England.

Winter flounder - sold in markets as flounder or lemon sole - went into serious decline in North East waters in the 1980s, taking with it a major commercial and recreational fishery. Despite stringent fishing regulations, it's estimated that it could take more than a decade for winter flounder to regain its once-robust place in New England coastal waters.

Winter flounder first came into the national aquaculture spotlight in 2007 when researchers at the University of new Hampshire’s Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center found that winter flounder is a good candidate for stock enhancement, in which juvenile fish hatched from wild brood stock are raised in captivity and released into the wild.

"We're studying winter flounder because we think they are an excellent local candidate for stock enhancement," said UNH researcher Elizabeth Fairchild, in a press announcement in 2007. "We know how to raise them, and we've learned how to release them in a way that maximizes their survival."

Raising the juvenile flounder is, in many ways, the easy part, according to UNH researchers. 

The process begins in what Fairchild calls the "honeymoon tank" in UNH's Coastal Marine Laboratory in New Castle, NH. Commercial fishermen provide the wild brood stock; Fairchild and colleagues expertly gauge their readiness for releasing sperm and eggs then give the males and females their privacy: "We let the fish spawn on their own," she said, noting that stock enhancement is most effective when the raised fish are as similar as possible to the wild fish they'll ultimately breed with.

The work gets tricky - and makes for fascinating research -- when the juveniles reach the size of a potato chip and are ready to join their wild brethren in the shallow coastal waters where winter flounder naturally spawn. "Hatchery-bred fish are different than wild fish," says Fairchild. They haven't been exposed to predators, for instance; nor have they had to forage for food. "For stock enhancement to work, the raised fish must be as fit as the wild fish." Much of her research turns on the challenge of making the cultured fish more wild.

Studies continue on how to best make sure farm-raised flounder can make it in the wild. For instance, Fairchild and other researchers have tested the effectiveness of acclimatization cages, marine halfway houses that give hatchery-raised fish a protected introduction to the wild blue sea, according to UNH reports.

Edwards’ plan in NY and any others in New England will depend heavily on UNH’s continued research.  New England Aquafarmer will continue to cover and keep you posted as news develops.

 

Going to Woods Hole to reseacrh MBL

On a quick day trip to Falmouth for some shopping needs, I decided to include a stop off to check out the Marine Biological Labs in Woods Hole. My first story for Hatchery International is going to be on the ongoing Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative (SAI) run out of the institution. 

SAI looks to bring affordable, low-scale aquaculture technology and practices to 3rd world nations where people struggle from malnutrition. 

For the mag, I'll have to focus on the hatchery side of things which takes place in Woods Hole. But the global angle of the initiative is what interests me and highlights the great impact aquaculture can have beyond just the balanced replacement of over-fished wild fisheries. Aquaculture can also play a role in meeting the nutritional needs of impoverished people around the world.

Here on the blog, I will illuminate more on how this takes place--from the hatcheries at MBL to the sustainable fish farms in Haiti and Sub-Saharan Africa, where the pilot program has begun taking form.

The Beginning is Now

Just launched and linked this blog to a sister page on Facebook. New England Aquafarmer now has a Facebook presence and is gathering steam as aquaculture professionals from as far away as Singapore have befriended the page. 

This is the first step in building what has been a long held dream of mine to build an online resource for the growing aquaculture industry in New England and beyond. 

What I will try to do is build on my research and writing I do for Hatchery International and Northern Aquaculture on the regional industry as well as keep on top of national and global industry news and discuss with whoever wants to discuss. 

This is a start. I know it will not be perfect. But I am very excited to at least be putting into action a dream I have had since my young reporter days right out of BU Journalism School. 

In the future we hope to connect blogs, podcasts, and other Facebook members with New England Aquaculture interests together for online discussion, knowledge sharing and just community building. 

Stay tuned. Thanks for checking us out. 

First pitches approved

My dream of being an esteemed media expert on the New England Aquaculture industry just got that much closer as many of my first pitches have been approved by Peter Chettleburgh, editor and publisher of Hatchery International and Northern Aquaculture magazines. 

The Victoria, Canada-based media company --Capamara Communications--that publishes the magazines has tasked me with covering the New England beat for their international audience. Without giving away to much, I will first cover one of the oldest trout hatcheries in the country. Located in historic Plymouth, MA a 140-year old trout hatchery has been hatching, growing, and farming brown and rainbow trout for almost two centuries. the mag wants a hatchery profile.

I am also going to do a feature on a a sustainable aquaculture project out of the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole.

These will, hopefully, be the first of many articles I write on a growing regional, national and international industry that looks to provide nutrient-rich and healthy seafood to the masses from safe and sustainable farmed resources. 

 

I'm back...

I have been off and away for a while, writing for other publications that have nothing to do with the aquaculture industry. That said, I'm now getting ready to pitch some new story ideas to a new gig at Hatchery International and Northern Aquaculture magazines.

After emailing with editor Peter Chettleburgh a couple of weeks ago he tasked me with research the New England aquaculture industry to start writing stories for them down here. Did I say they are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada? They cover the international aquaculture industry and wanted a writer in this area of the US Eastern Seaboard. I told him I would take it from New Engalnd and take it from there. 

Very excited. I hope this will open up other opportunities in this area and also provide fodder for content for this blog. Keep checking for regular updates on my situation as well as more on our growing aquaculture industry here in Massachusetts and beyond.

Stay tuned.

Maine lobstermen and aquaculture farm clash

A Casco Bay mussel farmer wants to expand to a new location near Hope Island, raising concerns by Chebeague Island fishermen that they'll be forced out of prime lobster grounds.

this marks the latest local skirmish in the ongoing battle between existing fishermen and the growing aquaculture industry. The battle has been waging throughout New England, which has long had a historical fishing industry and has, over recent years, seen an increase in new aquaculture business. What has to be found is a balance between the two industries. Federal, state, and local governments have to establish guidelines for better relations between the two industries in order for the two to coexist. We will keep an eye on this latest skirmish in Maine and keep are readers posted.

e.l.

Bush Administration pushes offshore aquaculture

This week, the Bush administration sent its national offshore aquaculture legislation to Capitol Hill for Congressional action. The President pledged to propose this bill as part of his U.S. Ocean Action Plan, which outlines near-term and longer-term actions to protect the oceans and marine resources.

The bill grants the Secretary of Commerce authority to issue permits for marine aquaculture operations in federal waters, which cover about 3.4 million square miles from three to 200 miles off the coasts of the United States.

This makes a lot of sense. Such an effort could free up the industry from local restrictive red-tape, while giving more control to the federal government. Before the bill should be made into law though, further efforts need to be made to develop federal standards and guidelines for the industry. This would help with legal confusion and provide a knowledge base for safe and financially viable aquaculture business.

e.l.

Red Tide plagues New England waters

Stormy weather causes red tide outbreak in New England

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Scientists are blaming the recent stormy weather for a massive bloom of toxic red tide that has forced shellfish beds to close along much of the New England coast from Cape Cod to Penobscot Bay.

Toxic microscopic phytoplankton that normally remain far offshore cause red tide. But scientists say three blustery storms that have passed through the Gulf of Maine this month, combined with unusual ocean currents, have driven the phytoplankton to the coast.

This weather is not only causing havoc on land, the continuing stormy weather is also harming shellfish farming a long the coast line. I am currently trying to find out how long shellfish beds and fams need to bouce back after being struck by Red Tide. If any of you have any answers, please feel free to comment.

e.l.

Would this work on off shore Windmills?

Mon Apr 4,11:39 AM ET

Science - AP

By CAIN BURDEAU, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS - Thousands of oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico could be converted into deep-sea fish farms raising red snapper, mahi mahi, yellow fin tuna and flounder, under a plan backed by the Bush administration.

After reading this off the wire, I started wondering if this could work on the proposed offshore wind turbines that are planned for the local waters off of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The Cape Wind Project is the first offshore wind park in the United States. It will be built on Horseshoe Shoal, five miles off the Cape Cod shore in Massachusetts. The wind park will consist of 130 wind turbines.

The project has been at the center of a heated debate between critics, who say the wind farm will harm the environment and ruin the open ocean view from the Cape. It's supporters counter by arguing that the farm will provide a renewable energy resource.

I propose that the turbines could be used as platforms for offshore aquaculture farms. I will try and contact Cape Wind sponsors to see if this has been considered and blog my findings. best wishes,

erich

Latest tsunami toll on aquaculture and fisheries

NEW DELHI, FEB. 19. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has put the tsunami losses in fisheries and aquaculture at $ 520 million.

The updated damage assessment from southern Asia is throwing a new light on material losses suffered by fisher-folk in the December 26, 2004 tsunami strike as well as financial costs involved in rehabilitating the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

Jeremy Turner, head of the FAO's Fishery Technology Service said: "The current estimate for direct losses in the fisheries sector is now around $520 million.

The figures refer to only India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.''

As per the FAO's estimate, 1,11,073 fishing vessels were destroyed or damaged with an estimated replacement cost of $161 million; 36,235 engines were lost or damaged beyond repair with replacement costs projected at $73 million; 1.7 million units of fishing gear (nets, tackle, and similar equipment) were destroyed with an estimated replacement cost of $86 million and the cost of repairs of other damages to the fisheries sector, such as to aquaculture operations, fishing industry infrastructure and harbours are estimated to be in excess of $ 200 million...... [as reported in a recent edition of the The Hindu]

I know. This is not a New England story. Over the past ten or so weeks since the horrible tragedy that struck South East Asia and the Indian Ocean I have been waiting to write something about the damage done to the aquaculture industry in that area of th4e world. I thought it would make sense to wait until the UN had time to finalize some of the numbers.

Though this story does come from half a world away, anyone who makes a living on the sea can understand how tragic the disaster was and how hard it will be for these people to get their lives back.

Natural and man made disasters are real for anyone who makes a living on the ocean. In this are of the world, hurricanes, oil spills and sea born diseases and viruses can destroy fish stocks and aquaculture grounds. What can be taken away from this latest disaster is a need to understand the natural threats around your businesses as well as ways to prepare for the worst. Following in that vain, New England Aquafarmer will dedicate upcoming posts to natural disaster preparation and awareness for the New England Region.

E.L.

Wellfleet shellfish have a bug

A parasite has struck the shellfish farms of this Cape Cod town, according to the Cape Cod Times.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clams will have to be destroyed as part of an effort to save Wellfleet's multimillion dollar quahog aquaculture industry from the tiny parasite known as QPX, or quahog parasite unknown.

The parasite destroys the meat of the clams, but is not harmful to humans or other species of shellfish raised in the same area, such as oysters and soft-shelled clams.

State Department of Marine Fisheries chief shellfish biologist Michael Hickey said the outbreak of the parasite is confined to Egg Island in Wellfleet Harbor. Three of the 25 aquaculture operations there have been infected.

In 1995, the Provincetown, MA aquaculture operations were decimated by the bug. It was found in wild quahogs in Chatham in 1992 and in Duxbury in 1995, and in farmed clams in Orleans and Barnstable in 2001.

With this bug spreading in Cape Cod waters, I put the call out there for a task force to be set up by local state governments, aquaculture companies, and individual farmers to research, study and publicize the problems to the public. It’s better to head this off now before it gets worst.

Holiday slowdown

I know... I know... It has been a few weeks since my last post, but the Holiday season is on us big time. I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the rush of the season. Anyway, while perusing the Web for aquaculture headlines worth sharing with you all I cam across yet another article highlighting the concerns of environmentalists about aquaculture. The short piece from a Scotland-based mag. quotes a Green party member of Scottish Parliament chastising aquafarmers over there for not doing the right things to protect the environment and wild fish populations.

It got me thinking about what governments can do to help the industry worldwide as well as regionally and locally. If you know of any government/private sector achievements or projects that work to address the industry's sustainability, please feel free to comment. I am on the hunt myself and promise to post some findings. Good luck,

erich

Farming "Lobies" in Australia

On the wires late yesterday, news of one of the first hatchery bred lobster to come out of Australia.
It appears, farmers at Tasmania's Aquaculture Institute are celebrating the production of the country's first hatchery-bred rock lobster. Researchers have successfully reared a larval lobster from eggs spawned in captivity at the Marine Research Laboratories near Hobart, according to the Australian Broadcast Channel.

While thousands of larvae have been bred, one which transformed into a tiny rock lobster at 1:00am yesterday is the first to survive, according to the story.

This got me to thinking about the struggling wild lobster fishery here in New England, and wondering if there are any private farmers here in the region trying to farm our tasty version of the lobster family. Growing up on Martha's Vineyard, I know that the state has funded, on and off, the Lobster Hatchery here. But I am sure that is a government funded program. Those lobsters, once grown, were returned to the sea to restore the wild stock. I was looking for private sector programs that farmed and then sold directly to the market. I am contacting some experts in the field and hope to get back with more. If you know of any New England aquafarmer's doing lobsters let us know. Thanks,

E.L.

Will US based aquaculture companies go elsewhere to do business?

After reading a recent press release from Boca Raton, Fla. based aquaculture tech firm Neptune Industries, saying the company had inked a memorandum deal with the Cook Islands in the Pacific which "paves the way for international application of Neptune's revolutionary new eco-friendly, aquaculture technology," I got to thinking about the international playing field for US aquaculture companies on the whole. Would the growing pressure from critics of the aquaculture industry here in the US, force US based companies to take their business out of the country in order to get out from under any new regulations that may come down from the government controlling the way aquaculture industry does business? I have posed this question to a number of industry analysts and I am awaiting their reply. Until then, please feel free to add your two cents.

E.L.

The new challenge

Although there has been a boon in the aquaculture industry here in the US over the past decade or so, there is a recent wave of critics coming from the private sector, some in government, conservation groups, and individuals who do not have enough facts to make any real informed decision on the matter. Although a recent science report from the Pew Oceans Commission found that there are many benefits to come out of aquaculture, the industry has to stay in check.

Aquaculture has a number of economic and other benefits. But if it is done without adequate environmental safeguards it can cause environmental degradation. The main environmental effects of marine aquaculture can be divided into the following five categories: 1) Biological Pollution: Fish that escape from aquaculture facilities may harm wild fish populations through competition and interbreeding, or by spreading diseases and parasites. Escaped farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are a particular problem, and may threaten endangered wild Atlantic salmon in Maine. In the future, farming transgenic, or genetically modified, fish may exacerbate concerns about biological pollution. 2) Fish for Fish Feeds: Some types of aquaculture use large quantities of wild-caught fish as feed ingredients, and thus indirectly affect marine ecosystems thousands of miles from fish farms. 3) Organic Pollution and Eutrophication: Some aquaculture systems contribute to nutrient loading through discharges of fish wastes and uneaten feed. Compared to the largest U.S. sources of nutrient pollution, aquaculture’s contribution is small, but it can be locally significant. 4) Chemical Pollution: A variety of approved chemicals are used in aquaculture, including antibiotics and pesticides. Chemical use in U.S. aquaculture is low compared to use in terrestrial agriculture, but antibiotic resistance and harm to nontarget species are concerns. 5) Habitat Modification: Marine aquaculture spreads over 26,000 marine hectares, or roughly 100 square miles. Some facilities attract marine predators, and can harm them through accidental entanglement or intentional harassment techniques.

To read more of the report go to: http://www.pewoceans.org/oceanfacts/2002/01/11/fact_22988.asp

This is the new challenge facing the industry globally and in our region here in New England. From salmon farms in Portland, Maine to shellfish beds in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, aquafarmers have had to change the way they do their work or stop work all together in order to find this balance between protecting the environment and finding a viable business model to make a living. One of the missions of this blog is to find information and ideas from companies, individuals and government agencies that will help the industry in New England meet this challenge.

E.L.