Presented by Canadian agencies and organizations currently undertaking aquaculture research in Canada CANADIAN AQUACULTURE R&D REVIEW Includes 150 summaries of recent research projects on salmon, trout, charr, oysters, mussels, marine species plus special full length features on completed projects across the country. CANADIAN AQUACULTURE R&D REVIEW Bridging research, development CONTENTS and commercialisation Improving awareness of aquaculture R&D key components are a new internal DFO FINFISH - FRESHWATER ......................3 activities in Canada and increasing transfer of Program for Regulatory Research (PARR) and knowledge and technology to the aquaculture core funding for the Centre for Integrated sector has been the goal of the aquaculture Aquaculture Science, a DFO virtual Centre of FINFISH - SALMON .............................9 R&D review since its inception in 2004. It grew Expertise based in St. Andrews, NB that focuses out of efforts by the federal and provincial on ecosystem-based approaches. The objective governments to improve aquaculture R&D of AIMAP is to improve the competitiveness FINFISH - MARINE ............................15 coordination and communication in Canada. of the Canadian aquaculture industry by This third bi-annual edition continues to encouraging an aquaculture sector that build on the success of the first two editions. It continuously develops and adopts innovative POLYCULTURE ..................................18 summarises about 150 R&D projects that have technologies and management techniques been underway since spring of 2007 until now to enhance its global competitiveness and that have received funding from governments. environmental performance. As well, the SEA LICE ..........................................20 It is available in both English and French, in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research print as well as in various electronic formats Council (NSERC) received new funds for on several web sites (Aquaculture Association a special initiative on natural resources SHELLFISH .......................................25 of Canada, AquaPort.ca, Fisheries and Oceans including fisheries and aquaculture. This Canada). This has enabled the summaries to has allowed NSERC to issue a special call reach and inform many interested people. for Strategic Grants and Networks. Both of MISCELLANEOUS .............................42 The current edition captures the breadth these initiatives in DFO and NSERC further of aquaculture R&D activities across the enable collaborative approaches to conducting country, including marine and freshwater R&D and further addresses a way to narrow ORGANIZATION finfish, salmonids, shellfish, seaweeds, wild- the R-D-C gap in ensuring that a complete cultured interactions, integrated multi-trophic innovation cycle is achieved for the aquaculture LISTINGS ..........................................47 aquaculture, and fish health. It reflects an sector in Canada. impressive diversity and depth of research The production of this issue was again a expertise across the country. coordinated effort among Dr. Tim DeJager, Over the past two years, the landscape has DFO – Aquaculture Science Branch, and Peter changed significantly with respect to how and Chettleburgh (Capamara Communications The Canadian Aquaculture Research and Development Review where aquaculture R&D is funded and takes Inc.). Tim was responsible for overall has been published with support and funding provided by Fisher- place. The funding mandate of two significant coordination and external communications, ies and Oceans Canada – Aquaculture Collaborative Research and organizations was completed: AquaNet (a Tricia Gheorghe (DFO) was responsible Development Program (ACRDP) and British Columbia Innovation Network Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture) for coordinating all DFO submissions and Council -- British Columbia Aquaculture Research and Develop- and the Pacific Salmon Forum (PSF). In part, arranging for translation of all the project ment Committee (BCARDC). the AquaNet experience highlighted the descriptions and Peter was responsible for importance of a multi- and inter-disciplinary production. A special thank you is extended Submitted materials may have been edited for length and writing approach in fostering innovation across the to these three, as well as Corina Busby (DFO) style. Projects not included in this edition should submit material country. The PSF was successful in developing and Ingrid Burgetz (DFO) who assisted with in time for the 2011 edition. collaborative approaches to addressing key reviewing the publication and James Lewis for issues of wild Pacific salmon and aquaculture design. Funding for this edition was provided interactions on the west coast of Canada. by the DFO Aquaculture Collaborative R&D In Budget 2008, there were two important Program (ACRDP) and the British Columbia Project Coordinator initiatives for aquaculture R&D. Within Aquaculture Research and Development Tim DeJager, Ph.D. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), there Committee of the BC Innovation Council. co3 Consulting were new resources for an aquaculture regulatory science program and funds for the Jay Parsons, PhD, Aquaculture Science Branch, Produced and Distributed By Design by James Lewis Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Fisheries and Oceans Canada Capamara Communications Inc. Capamara Program (AIMAP). The regulatory research Al Castledine, PhD, BC Ministry of 4623 William Head Road, Victoria, Communications Inc. program aims to increase the availability and Agriculture and Lands BC, V9C 3Y7 accessibility of research to support aquaculture siting and environmental management. Two Tim DeJager, PhD, co3 consulting FINFISHFINFISH - freshwwater - FRESHWATER Researchers quantify nutrient fluxes from fish farms in fresh water Perceived risk of altering the trophic status of lakes is cur- rently limiting the development of Canadian freshwater aquaculture. This perception persists despite the operation of fish farms and extensive environmental monitoring by farms in the North Channel for more than 20 years. They have yet to document detectable increases in nutrient con- centrations. At the same time there is a lack of sound scien- tific knowledge regarding aquaculture’s potential effects on receiving waters and sediments. Organic loading from fish cage farms increases the total nutrient content of the sediments and it can also increase the concentration of soluble forms that can be released into the overlying water. However, the fate of those nutrients (burial or release back to the water column) and the factors Summer 2008 field season in the North Channel (Photo: K. Boulton) regulating that fate in sediments affected by aquaculture wastes are poorly understood. Researchers are conducting investigations to quantify the effects of sediment chemistry and water temperature on the nutrient release rates from Ontario team the sediments affected by fish wastes. investigates what Duration: Mar ‘07 – Mar ‘08 Funded by: DFO-ACRDP Co-funded by: Aqua-cage Fisheries Ltd. happens to rainbow Project team: Paula Azevedo (DFO), Cheryl Podemski (DFO), M. Robin Anderson (DFO), Gord Cole (Aqua-cage Fisheries Ltd.) For information contact: Paula Azevedo ([email protected]) trout that escape net In situ N and P fluxes measurement pens In the North Channel of Lake Huron farmed rainbow trout are being marked and released to emulate both small- and large- Research advances the fight against scale ‘escape events’. Through the release of small numbers of farmed rainbow trout outfitted with telemetry transmitters, coldwater disease on Ontario trout farms scientists hope to determine the spatial extent of escapee move- ments and their potential for interaction with native fish species based on habitat selection. Bacterial coldwater disease is caused by An additional objective of this work is to In the summer of 2008, the team implanted farmed rainbow Flavobacterium psychrophilum and is the primary raise antisera to these proteins of interest. trout with telemetry transmitters and released equal numbers of disease of concern for raceway operations that The project also involves a treatment trial fish (20) at two farms. Preliminary results show that many of the use groundwater. Researchers are preparing to to determine the efficacy of florfenicol as a escaped fish remained in close proximity to the farms, and also conduct autogenous vaccine trials for coldwater therapeutic measure to blunt the impact of that these fish were susceptible to predation and angling. disease. But in order for this strategy to be coldwater disease. Florfenicol is used to treat In the 2009 field season, researchers plan to extend the effective, more research is needed. outbreaks of coldwater disease and appears telemetry research and conduct large-scale releases of farmed The strains of F. psychrophilum specific to be effective in the short term. What is not rainbow trout (1000 at each farm). Recapture data are expected to Ontario must be identified. The growth known is if treatment in early stages (<1 g) can to provide survival and growth rates for escaped fish, which are conditions required for optimum expression produce long-term improvements in fish health critical to understanding the potential impacts on native fisher- of virulence and immunogenic proteins must and farm productivity. ies and food webs. be characterized and effective production monitoring systems developed to ensure that Duration: Aug ‘07 – Mar ‘09 improved performance can be evaluated.