INNOVATIVE EGG TO HARVEST SOLUTION

Innovative egg to harvest solution to bring transformative benefits to aquaculture. Ocean Supercluster Announces $27M Integrated Operations And Real-Time Analytics Project.

Together with project partners, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced the Integrated Operations and Real-Time Analytics Project. Led from Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, the almost $27 million project will bridge gaps between land, sea-based, and processing operations that exist in the aquaculture industry today by providing real-time information, analytics and environmental connectivity to improve overall operations. Through its development, the project will create 138 new jobs, including 20 at project implementation.

The innovative system developed and commercialised through the Integrated Operations and Real-Time Analytics Project will provide technology that will enable global control over operations, from egg to harvest, including feeding fish and monitoring of fish, equipment and personnel.

Through data exchange and collaboration between partners, the project will result in a suite of technologies that will enable game-changing capabilities in aquaculture and offshore marine operations as well as connectivity to the environment that is transformative for the region and its fishing and aquaculture industries.

The Integrated Operations and Real-Time Analytics Project, led by Grieg Seafood Newfoundland with its partners Innovasea, SubC Imaging, AKVA Group, and High-Tech Communications, will enable companies to have complete control of operations in areas where this would not have been possible due to lack of connectivity. Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is contributing close to $12 million to the project with $14.8 million coming from industry.

The project will benefit its partners, OSC members, industry, and customers by allowing for better planning and decision making through:

Enhanced containment monitoring;
Better fish health monitoring;
Advanced equipment monitoring;
Broadened environmental monitoring;
Increased storm preparedness;
Improved crew safety, and
Innovative network capabilities and farm system software.

The Integrated Operations and Real-Time Analytics Project will promote sustainable use of ocean and freshwater ecosystems by developing and providing technology solutions for egg to harvest open ocean aquaculture and supporting the Ocean Supercluster’s focus on building Canada’s ocean economy in a digital, sustainable, and inclusive way.

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said:

“As a country surrounded by three oceans, Canada has the potential to drive innovation and be a world leader in the ocean economy. Thanks to the project announced today, participating aquaculture and fishing companies will have access to a wealth of information in real time, which will allow them to remotely feed and monitor fish, better prepare ahead of storms, and improve crew safety. This shows how Canada’s Ocean Supercluster truly is changing and modernising how aquaculture is done.”

Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, says:

“We are thrilled to announce the $27 million Integrated Operations and Real-Time Analytics Project led from Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. This is a real game-changer for the aquaculture industry and for the region, and we are excited to see not only the transformative benefits that it brings to operations but also from an environmental, safety, and economic perspective. This has been a challenging year for ocean sectors, but today’s project and the almost 50 others we have approved to date point to the incredible opportunity in ocean for economic recovery and long-term, sustainable growth.”

Perry Power, Director of Human Resources and Communications, Grieg Seafood Newfoundland, says:

“The staff and management of Grieg Seafood Newfoundland welcome today’s announcement of the Integrated Operations and Real-Time Analytics project. It’s a significant step for the aquaculture industry in Atlantic Canada to embrace such a comprehensive analytics approach. Having data infrastructure at this level enables us to embrace predictive modelling, which in turn allows us to enhance both fish welfare and environmental sustainability. Thanks to Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, Placentia Bay is poised to becoming a modern hub for precision fish farming.”

Tim Stone, Vice President of Product Development, Innovasea:

“This project marks a significant milestone in the evolution of aquaculture, and we’re excited to continue to develop the leading-edge technologies required for remote fish farming. This will help farm operators make data-driven decisions in real time from anywhere so they can increase efficiency, improve operations and ensure optimal conditions for fish health and well-being.”

Chad Collet, Founder and CEO of SubC Imaging, says:

“Our involvement in this incredible project is to provide machine vision camera systems that will automatically measure net health. The real-time image processing will detect any change in the mesh of the net, including tears or changes in size, and flag for immediate intervention by people who are monitoring the health of the fish and the farm. This will greatly reduce the potential of fish escaping, when compared with the existing methods. The damage and degradation of nets used for fish farms is a common concern in all aquaculture operations, anywhere in the world. Companies invest heavily in the production of healthy fish, and any loss of those fish due to escape or predators is obviously less than desirable. In addition, there is an environmental impact if fish escape into the wild. Our contribution to this project is to develop a solution to this problem.”

Murray Caines, President and CEO, Hi-Tech Communications Ltd., says:

“Hitech Communications Ltd. is honoured to be working on this project with Grieg Seafood Newfoundland and other partners. Hitech Communications Ltd. has extensive knowledge in the wireless industry, focusing on high-speed data and internet connections.  Being a participant in this project will help us further expand our knowledge and expertise in the aquaculture industry, especially related to sensor technology and control centre design and setup. Being a member of this project team will open new opportunities in the aquaculture and fish harvesting sector to complement what we are doing today in the mining, wireless home internet, and municipal sectors.  Participating in this project will allow us to transfer the new knowledge, technology, and experience to other sectors such as forestry and mining.”

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