What’s New in Aquaculture: UBC Update April 2021


 

 

Certificate Updates

UBC’s Graduate Certificate in Aquaculture program is now accepting applications for the fall 2021 term. Note that the program will be a hybrid model again this year, with classes on-line combined with in-person field trips.

 

News and Views

Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO): You may have been following the political saga of the federal DFO and net pen salmon farming in the Discovery Islands region of B.C. – but if not, here is a brief summary of what has been going on since last fall.

  • The DFO determined last fall that the industry does not have more than a minimal impact on wild fish. The industry planned significant investment into B.C. Sea West News
  • Subsequently, the DFO Minister prohibited stocking of those farms and gave an 18 month eviction notice to the farms from that region: Sea West News
  • Recently, a Federal Court judge suspended the ban on stocking those farms: CBC

We are staying tuned to see what happens next.

Sustainability is front and centre in aquaculture: As production continues to grow globally, so to does interest in how aquaculture can supplement wild fish stocks. Here is an article published in Nature last month highlighting the improvements in sustainability over the past 20 years and what is still needed: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03308-6.

There have been some interesting perspectives arising from this article.

As with many species, farming can take pressure off of their wild counterparts – for tuna, the sooner the better! This article in Hakai Magazine updates the status of the wild tuna fishery: Tuna’s Last Stand

So, can we farm tuna instead? Yes – although there is still more research needed, as noted in this update on the farming side of tuna: First tuna hatchery established in North America

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) will also be covered in the program. Here is an excellent example from Norway, that could be used here in BC: Utilization of feed and waste from salmon aquaculture by great scallop juveniles