VOLUME 9 IS SUE 3
MAY/JUNE 2018
PROFILE
AQUACULTURE EDUCATION IN ACTION Special Feature on Training and Education.
Six for farmed fish orth American aquaculture has its fair share of challenges ranging from complex regulations to worker shortages, rising costs and growing environmental concerns. But it also has serious talent in its corner: young entrepreneurs and innovators who are putting their stamp on the industry. They’re passionate about fish, they have their fingers on the pulse of the market, and they’re always looking for better ways of growing more fish for the planet. Six young entrepreneurs, students, and farm managers speak to us about their enthusiasm for aquaculture. Special section on Aquaculture Education and Training begins on page 20.
Crayfish farming taking root in British Columbia Project aims to start first commercial farming of signal crayfish in Canada BY TOM WALKER
eljko Djuric reaches into the chilly 5˚C water and brings out a small plastic cage. He deftly lifts the lid and nimbly grabs a small crustacean mid-body to avoid the waving pinchers. “Look at how healthy they are,” beams Djuric as he A mature berried female from Djuric’s turns the berried broodstock. The red on the underside female over to reveal of the claws identify the signal crayfish, a belly covered in a freshwater species indigenous to eggs. “You can tell by Pacific Northwest fresh waters the clean and bright exoskeleton and the way they hold their tails up.” It’s a local freshwater signal crayfish (Pasifastacus leniusculus), indigenous to Vancouver Island, BC and Pacific Northwest lakes and streams. “The food of nobles,” Djuric notes. Crayfish can fetch up to $150/kg in European markets, he says. Local, minimal water use, sustainable feed, low environmental impact and high market value would make the signal crayfish an ideal candidate for aquaculture. Indeed, it is farm-raised in Sweden (from imported North American stock) and other European countries, but not in Canada. Djuric hopes that a recent startup with a local First Nation will help him move into commercial production. Together with members of the Malahat nation, located some 50 kilometers north of Victoria, BC, Djuric is working to install a juvenile rearing and pond grow-out system on Malahat land. “The Malahat nation are always looking for economic opportunities that they can do in their community,” explains Marguerite Parker, Director of Development with the Aboriginal
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Research manager Lisa Vollbrecht of Kampachi Farms, LLC, Hawaii. ‘My vision of aquaculture is production done in harmony with the environment,’ she says
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Removing the blinders on land-based aquaculture re you thinking about shifting to land-based aquaculture but don’t know where to start? If you, like many others, find it hard to quantify adequately the risks and rewards of a land-based recirculating business, who better to ask than someone’s who’s been through the process of building one? Samuel Chen has, over the past five years, led the development of Hudson Valley Fish Farms, one of the first commercial land-based recirculating farms in North America. During this time, he had the opportunity to evaluate numerous aquaculture facilities from net pens to the full range of closed-containment farms. His role has been to oversee business development, marketing, sales, regulatory affairs, and HR. Samuel doesn’t sugarcoat it for you. Starting a land-based farm, which he likens to “birthing,” isn’t easy. There’s a steep learning curve, he writes, and the Financial Office plays a crucial role from Day 1. See Viewpoint on page 12.
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