The overall project goal is the adoption of ensiling and aerobic bioreactor system used within recirculating aquaculture systems, a developing industry within aquaculture. RAS, produce waste streams incorporating various fish wastes. Some RAS operations integrate fish processing facilities onsite, further increasing waste products. Currently waste products form these systems are disposed of through outside contractors […]

Many First Nation communities are now exploring and developing post-harvest livelihood activities related to the purchase, transformation, and sale of catch from band harvesters. This research will assess post-harvest businesses currently operating within NS Mi’kmaq communities, and new livelihood opportunities currently being considered by Mi’kmaq Band Councils and entrepreneurs. This assessment will focus on the […]

Orange-footed sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) is the most common sea cucumber found in the North Atlantic Ocean. This species is mainly fished for its edible body wall and other remaining body parts are discarded as processing waste. However, all the body parts are rich in protein and production of protein hydrolysates is identified as an […]

Agricultural producers are concerned about producing food, increasing productivity, and making sustainability, while drones along with governments, technology leaders, and industry are playing an important role as a part of solution of this [9]. This drone imagery is for farmers so that, they can fly their fields, and not only pinpoint issues such as, irrigation […]

The most common sea cucumber found in the North Atlantic Ocean is orange footed Cucumaria frondosa. Sea cucumber is packed with numerous high-value nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. During sea cucumber processing, visceral by-products are discarded as waste, representing around 50% of the sea cucumber biomass. These by-products are rich sources of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and biologically […]

Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) located off the east coast of Nunavut (Arctic Canada) are currently harvested by factory freezer vessels using bottom trawls. This fishery is a major contribution to the territory’s economy. However, bottom trawling is not without its ecological impact. Bottom trawl’s footgear, located below the fishing line […]

Fisheries are the main global threat to elasmobranchs (sharks and rays). Elasmobranchs commonly display conservative life history traits (slow growth, long life, late sexual maturity and low fecundity), making them extremely vulnerable to non-natural mortalities. However, there is significant variation, with some species exhibiting life history traits more resilient to exploitation. In order to assess […]

The sub-Antarctic region hosts rich waters created by the current systems originating from Antarctica meeting the warmer water of the tropics. The convergence of those two water masses, combined with the complex bathymetry of certain sub-Antactic regions, creates distinctive aquatic habitats where the marine fauna is abundant. However, these current systems are very sensitive to […]

Salmon stock in BC have declined substantially since the 1990’s. A US/Canada Coded Wire Tag (CWT) fishery monitoring program was implemented in the 1980s with the intention of helping managers understand salmon stocks in order to make decisions about harvesting. The program relies on the fishing community return salmon heads so managers can retrieve CWT […]

Salmon are inarguably one of the most culturally, ecologically, and economically important fish in British Columbia, however, their stocks have been declining since the 1990’s. The Cohen Commission of Enquiry expert panel emphasized that juvenile mortality during the first months at sea was the most likely cause of fishery declines. This Mitacs project represents Phase […]

Shellfish aquaculture production has been growing steadily for the past several decades, and is expected to continue to do so. Three groups of the most commonly cultivated shellfish are mussels, oysters, and scallops. This research is focused on how these three families of shellfish capture different sizes of particles (e.g. phytoplankton) for ingestion. It has […]

Bivalves (e.g. mussels, oysters, and scallops) are valued for both their economic and ecological importance. As filter-feeders, bivalves remove suspended matter (e.g. phytoplankton) from their environment to ingest. There is potential that filter-feeders change their feeding activity based on their digestive processes. This feedback between feeding and digestion would be an important link to help […]