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Renewable energy and shellfish farming, using solar energy to grow oyster seed that will then sequester ocean CO2 – what’s not to like? Our first post about our new demonstration Solar Powered FLUPSY (Floating Upweller System). We’re very excited about this project and as performance data becomes available we will be reporting a lot more but for now a rather longish post and photo essay about the design and construction. Read the rest of this entry »
Industry, regulators and scientists got together at the Field Station on June 16th to talk about Sea Cucumber Aquaculture. Organized by Albert Wu, the Station hosted a delegation of Chinese Sea Cucumber Culture Experts who spoke to the attendees about Sea Cucumber Culture in China.
Vancouver Island University
NEWS RELEASE
Jan. 27, 2011
The Vancouver Island University Deep Bay Marine Field Station will host its inaugural culinary event Saturday, Jan. 29, with a feast of locally grown sustainable shellfish served to international seafood experts who are gathering for SeaWeb Seafood Choices 2011 Seafood Summit.
Photo by Jon Rowley – Bill Taylor white shirt, leading a previous tour.
We get exposed to a lot of news stories and media relevant to our mission every week. When we get a chance I’ll post a few and try and make it a regular thing. This week several videos: two from Washington State and one from our friend Brent the “Oysterman” on Cortes Island. Viewed as a group to provoke thought about how Baynes Sound relates to these three and the linkages between caring for the marine environment and producing local food in a sustainable manner.
We are seeing very promising results for developing the native basket cockle (Clinocardium nuttallii) as a new species for aquaculture in BC. For several years now research teams at the CSR have worked on developing hatchery and now grow-out techniques.
Cockles in off-bottom tray culture on the Deep Bay Field Station Farm site.
More project details follow. Read the rest of this entry »
The CSR developed the FLOW – Future Leaders On the Water program in response to community concerns that First Nation youth were increasingly losing their cultural connection to the ocean. The FLOW leadership program, which is based in traditional knowledge, marine sciences, and environmental stewardship and conservation will spark enthusiasm in youth for preservation of the environment while pursuing marine related careers and eventually fill the jobs in community owned shellfish aquaculture ventures. This will be our third year of piloting and developing this program for integration into the Deep Bay Field Station’s regular programming.
Elders and First Nations youth on the deck of the Chetlo during 2009 program looking at plankton just collected from a tow. Read the rest of this entry »
Archaeological investigations indicate that the the Baynes Sound region has been continually occupied for more than 5000 years and that shellfish have sustained the peoples of Baynes Sound during that entire time as they continue to do today. What do shellfish, the humble oysters, clams, mussels and scallops mean for Baynes Sound, and BC coastal communities as a whole? Read the rest of this entry »
We made the Front Page (and page 5) of the Nanaimo Daily News today. The web version is available here: Hopes High for BC Shellfish Culture Industry
Last week we began launching new prototype rafts for shellfish aquaculture which we hope will lead to increasing the productivity and sustainability of the shellfish industry. Older raft designs in use are mostly constructed from wood and coated Styrofoam (like many older docks). These can degrade with age and in extreme weather conditions may be at risk up resulting in losses of crops and creation of marine debris. In 2006 unusually large storms resulted in large losses of rafts and we have been working with the shellfish industry since to develop new designs. With assistance of the Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program we engaged Dynamic Systems Analysis Ltd. in Victoria to help develop new designs through advanced engineering methods and virtual prototyping.
The video below is a virtual simulation of three of our new prototypes in an extreme weather environment.
This technique has allowed us to “virtually” model and test a variety of construction materials and over 30 designs before settling on the current prototypes.
Follow the link below for a photoessay on the actual prototypes getting built. We are now going to test the variations of our prototypes at the Deep Bay Field Station research farm and then later release the plans to industry.
This excellent new video from the Pacific Shellfish Growers Association in the USA where the industry is much larger, gives an excellent primer on the west coast shellfish industry and its relationships with community and the environment. Developing and improving this relationship and its opportunities is for BC coastal communities is a prime focus of our work at the Centre for Shellfish Research.
Part 1: “Farming the Tidelands”
Part 2: after the jump Read the rest of this entry »
