Ocean Supercluster funds tech upgrade for Grieg Newfoundland salmon farms
Salmon farmer Grieg Seafood Newfoundland is to outfit six sites with a suite of advanced precision aquaculture technology, software, and equipment as part of a CAD 6 million (£3.2m) initiative sponsored by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC).
The Enhanced Aquaculture Technology for Marine Health Project is aimed at improving fish welfare, boosting sustainability and optimising production through innovative solutions, and will use technology supplied by Boston-based Innovasea.
As part of the project Grieg will install Innovasea’s fully automated aeration system, aquaControl, along with Oxygen Forecasts – a new feature that predicts low dissolved oxygen (DO) events for individual pens 48 hours before they occur.
Automated responses
Real-time information from these systems will be available in the Realfish Pro Platform, enabling Grieg to remotely track, analyse and act on data around the clock. The fish farmer can also automate various actions to counteract poor water conditions and promote overall fish health and growth.
“Our technology is designed to enable farms to make smarter, faster decisions through real-time monitoring and predictive insights,” Innovasea vice president Tim Stone said in a press release. “We want farms to be able to anticipate issues and respond automatically to address them before they occur.”
This is the second joint initiative between Innovasea and Grieg under the OSC. Previously, the companies collaborated on a comprehensive project to better connect land, sea, and processing operations in aquaculture through real-time data and analytics. As part of the project, Innovasea installed aquaMeasure environmental sensors at Grieg’s Red Island farm site in Newfoundland to accurately monitor and capture changing water conditions in real-time. Following the initiative's success, Grieg moved to use Innovasea's aquaMeasure sensors at multiple sites.
Grieg Seafood Newfoundland R&D manager Laura Dwyer said the project would enhance fish welfare, create learning opportunities for its employees, and contribute valuable information to help support a sustainable aquaculture industry.
Increasing value
The new project was announced at the OSC’s Ambition 2035 Summit, and is part of the ocean community’s ongoing mission to grow Canada’s ocean economy five-fold to CAD 220 billion (£118bn / US $159bn) by 2035.
“Sustainable aquaculture is an important economic area of growth globally that contributes to climate action priorities and commitments under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” said Kendra MacDonald, chief executive of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. “By co-investing in innovative technologies that improve fish health, we’re enhancing operational efficiency, creating new revenue streams, contributing to our own food security, and helping feed the world.”
The Enhanced Aquaculture Technology for Marine Health Project will run until the end of October 2027, with the first set of equipment set to be installed later this year.
The support from OSC will be a welcome boost for Grieg Seafood Newfoundland following its Norwegian parent company’s decision to focus capital spending in its home country to return to profit after losses caused in part by biological issues.
