The Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture (SEAfood) System

Transcription

1 COMOX VALLEY SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 2015 The Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture (SEAfood) System using Nature s Design to develop an organic approach to modern aquatic food production Stephen F. Cross, Ph.D., CEO SEA Vision Group Inc. Associate Professor / Director Coastal Aquaculture Research & Training Network UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA - CANADA. NSERC Industrial Research Chair Sustainable Aquaculture Centre for Applied Research Technology & Innovation NORTH ISLAND COLLEGE.

2 Canadian Aquaculture Potential Z Canada: 9,093,507 km 2 (891,163 of that is freshwater) Coastline > 200,000 km

3 Canadian Aquaculture Potential Z

4 Canadian Aquaculture Potential Z

5 The Problem Fish farming, as currently practiced, has a number of real and/or perceived social and environmental issues. Nutrient/Waste Effects Sea Lice Interaction Fish Escapes Effects of Antibiotics Feed Composition Fossil Fuel Usage

6 Our Solution Work with Nature to create a Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture system that eliminates (or minimizes) these risks. Nutrient/Waste Effects Z Sea Lice Interaction Fish Escapes Effects of Antibiotics Feed Composition Fossil Fuel Usage

7 The Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture (SEAfood) System using a very old approach with an innovative higher-tech twist Z

8 Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture? Social Environmental SEA an approach that achieves the goal of Sustainability by using the principles of Ecology in its design and operation. Cross, S.F The Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture (SEA) System. IN: Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science. Economic

9 Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture? Social Environmental Economic Ecological Design and Operation Integrated Energy Alternatives Reduced Carbon Foot-Print Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Model Reduced Nutrient (Waste) Load Best Organic Practices No chemicals, antibiotics, etc.

10 Fate and Effects of Fish Waste Loading the basis for IMTA System Design Z

11 Simple IMTA Design Objectives Interception placement of extractive species How is the organic waste within released? the various waste streams of a fed component (dispersion pathways) to facilitate the removal of these wastes. Z Extraction select a combination of species, at appropriate stocking densities, that will jointly maximize the extraction of the organic and inorganic wastes generated by the fed component Conversion - ensure that the extractive species chosen are able to use the various wastes in the generation of additional farm production (they are of commercial value)

12 Farm Site British Columbia CANADA Our first SEAfarm Located along the northwestern coast of Vancouver Island, this farm has served as the precommercial R&D site for our SEAfood System. It now holds the first commercial aquaculture license of its kind in Canada.

13 Our Multi-Species License Sablefish Blue/Gallo Mussels Pacific Oyster Japanese Scallop Cockles Green/Red Urchins Sea Cucumber Kelp/Seaweed Fed Component Organic Extractive Component (filtration) Organic Extractive Component (deposit) Inorganic Extractive Component High valued commercial species WITH complementary ecological roles

14 System Design - Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture

15 System Innovation - The new SEAfood System - infrastructure life cycle - component compatibility - handling efficiencies - increased productivity - reduced COP - integrated production components - particulate transfer considerations (fluid & hydrodynamics) Scalable Residual Tidal Flow

16 System Innovation - The new SEAfood System - infrastructure life cycle - component compatibility - handling efficiencies - increased productivity - reduced COP

17 Operational Innovation Employing Sustainable Energy Alternatives SEA-Power

18 Operational Innovation SEA-Power in reality

19 Fuel Cost per Dozen Shellfish Operational Innovation SEA-Power benefits Diesel Fuel Price/Litre (CDN) $2.00 $1.80 $1.60 $1.40 $1.20 $1.00 $0.80 $0.60 $0.40 $0.20 $2.00 $1.80 $1.60 $1.40 $1.20 $1.00 $0.80 $0.60 $0.40 $0.20 $0.00 $0.00 Jan-93 Oct-95 Jul-98 Apr-01 Jan-04 Oct-06 Jul-09 Apr-12 Estimated operational fuel savings over traditional shellfish raft culture methods for each SEAfarm facility: 0.24 litres fuel/dozen oysters or scallops $76,000 - $100,000/year

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21 System Benefits Product diversification Improved environmental performance Reduced operating risk with multiple species Reduced CoP with shared labour pool, SEA- Power and SEA-Hatchery Organic approach meets growing market demand

22 Market Potential Increasing seafood demand globally (>2.5% annually) and growing per capita consumption in North America Growing Eco-ethical consumer base looking for fresh, sustainable, wholesome food choices and willing to pay (organic niche) Prices of high-valued species projected to continually increase (>20% by 2020)

23 Growing interest National Geographic A Better Way to Grow a Fish (June 2014)

24 Growing interest National Geographic A Better Way to Grow a Fish (June 2014)

25 Growing interest National Geographic A Better Way to Grow a Fish (June 2014)

26 the next step in SEAfood production? ` merci de votre attention sfc sfcross@seavisiongroup.ca