SPEAKERS
Lourdes Gant, Chris Pearce
Lourdes Gant 0:05
As a business owner of an aquaculture company, how can you take the first step to be profitable and sustainable at the same time? That’s what we’re going to be talking about in this episodes. Hello, and welcome to the business of agriculture podcast. This is the podcast for the Sustainable Business movement in the Aqua farming and ocean ranching industries. This podcast aims to amplify the voices of entrepreneurs addressing the United Nation global goals, aka Sustainable Development Goals. Number 14. To conserve and sustainably use the oceans and the seas, listening to fellow business aquaculturists in their journey in this new model of food production, of making their business sustainable, and help the oceans ecology, while also making a profit all at the same time. Get inspired to learn how even small to medium businesses can make an impact, save the seas, leave a legacy and have a better quality of life. One of our goals is to take away a nugget of wisdom that will help your business move from the industrial revolution to business 5.0. Our vision is that of collaboration in the aquaculture industry. I’m Laura Gant your host.
Lourdes Gant 1:25
as an aquaculture and seafood advocate. How do you share your expertise in the industry and your niche? This episode is dedicated to answering that question. So listen in and I hope you enjoy this episode. If you listen to Episode Seven we talked about how Aqua spark is being a trailblazer in a global fund investing in sustainable agriculture businesses, building a portfolio ecosystem of companies all along the aquaculture value chain working to solve industry challenges to develop the optimal aquaculture food system of the future. Welcome to episode eight Season Two of the business of agriculture. This episode I’m delighted to have Dr. Chris Pierce, who is a research scientist for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Welcome to the show, Chris and thank you for being here.
Chris Pearce 2:12
Thanks for having me, Lord. It’s great to be on.
Lourdes Gant 2:15
Chris, the research interests include aquaculture of marine invertebrates, including abalone, clams, cockles, oysters, CQ Converse and sea urchins. Integrated multi trophic aquaculture, invasive to negates ecosystem and agricultural interactions, ecology of sea urchins and abalone and settlement and metamorphosis of benthic marine invertebrate larvae with special emphasis on biochemical physical mechanisms of metamorphic induction. He’s also an adjunct professor at Vancouver Island University, and University of Victoria. He accepts graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in his research program. So thank you again for being here, Chris. Let’s get started. Okay, Chris, tell us what current government programs are supporting the development of aquaculture?
Chris Pearce 3:08
Sure, that’s that’s a great question. We have the agricultural Collaborative Research Development Program, or a crdp. That’s been going for a number of years now, which is money through Fisheries and Oceans Canada that allows UFO researchers to partner with industry proponents. And the money is meant to be for research and development. That has to be some sort of research that’s tied to environmental sustainability, and or fish or shellfish health. But it’s a fairly good program because the industry partner only has to put in a minimum of 7.5% cash into the program. And that program has been running for a number of years and I’ve worked with a number of companies over the years, including your company, Matthew Holdings Limited, and it’s a fairly good program for research and development needs. And then, the federal government also fairly recently announced a program called sack tap, which is the Fisheries and Aquaculture clean technology adaptation program. And what this program is meant to do is help shellfish and finfish farmers increase their environmental sustainability.
Chris Pearce 4:29
And so a lot of the BC shellfish grower companies have made use of this program in order to get rid of things like styrofoam or certain plastic materials that are harmful to the environment and replace them with more environmentally sustainable materials. So that’s another program that the federal government fairly recently announced that’s helping out the shellfish and finfish aquaculture industries. And then there’s the DC shrimp program which stands for British Columbia salmon restoration, and Innovation Fund. And that’s been going on for about three or four years now. It’s mostly for helping salmon populations rebound. And so there’s a lot of habitat related stuff that they find, but they also do fund agriculture related projects as well. And I know that the BC shellfish Growers Association has received some funding to increase their environmental sustainability through that pot of money. So there’s there’s a number of programs that we have out there that helps farmers.
Lourdes Gant 5:43
Well, thanks for sharing all that. It’s fascinating because we actually applied for all three of those programs. And it’s quite great to know how our government as well as supporting, I guess, farmers and aquaculturists, in terms of their environments and sustainability that you mentioned, is there some kind of, I guess, step that you can give our audience in terms of what do you think are the most successful applications? Intel? When you write this for them? What is it that they’re looking for other than, of course, the criteria that it has to be either clean technology, it has a research component that can help the overall industry? What tip Can you give them,
Chris Pearce 6:24
I would say that they have to look carefully at the priorities and objectives of each program and make sure that the proposal fits within those priorities, they have to make sure that they fill out their proposal correctly. So they fill out all the relevant sections, a stay within the word limit, things like that. Most of these programs require some sort of cash or in kind input the company or organization. And so the bigger the contribution, the most more favorable, the review will be. So for culture cloud Research and Development Program, for instance, I had mentioned a minimum input of 7.5% cash from the organization. But if the company was willing to put say more than that, that would be done very favorably. There’s also making the right connections. So you know, free crdp, you do have to have a DFO, researcher on board as the principal investigator, so the company should make sure that they develop a good connection with that researcher, oftentimes, proposals that have other organizations, other companies, other researchers involved in the project that is tended to look on favorably as well. So if you had like, academic partner, or First Nations partner involved in the proposal, I think that would be looked on favorably as well.
Lourdes Gant 8:06
Oh, those are really great points in terms of when people want to take advantage of these programs. It’s definitely helped us in terms of having you on board when we apply for this because you are the expert in that category of work in this whole gamut of ecosystem in aquaculture itself. So I like the word that you use, right connections, because I’ve been a proponent in terms of this collaboration, that there’s this sustainable partnerships that needs to happen, not just in our industry, but I think in any business, this is crucial for anybody to go to their next level. So my next question to you then is, what are you seeing as the trends in terms of programs and work that aquaculturists Small Business farmers in British Columbia in terms of adapting to the program? So what’s something that you’re seeing maybe in the next three years?
Chris Pearce 9:00
That’s a great question, it’s obvious that you know, aquaculture is not going away, it’s only going to increase. So we’re looking to feed a global population in 2050, that’s 60%. Higher than than what we have now the food demands will be but 60% higher. And a lot of the traditional forms of food production, you know, cattle, poultry, pork, and terrestrial vegetable crops. They’re almost tapped out now and in terms of the amount of production that we can do based on arable land and freshwater supplies. So it’s clear to me that aquaculture is here to stay and it’s probably only going to gain more importance over the years, just because there’s so much ocean and freshwater space available. First of all, second of all, FinFET fish, shellfish production is one of the most sustainable forms of food production on the planet. Just because of the low feed conversion ratio, the fact that it doesn’t take fresh water for them to drink or, or to water the plants. So I think aquaculture is only going to grow in the future. The trends that I see are low trophic level aquaculture. And what I mean by this as culturing animals that are low on the food chain, animals that don’t require external feeds, for instance. So we’re talking like, by Thao, we’re talking macro algae.
Chris Pearce 10:46
We’re talking invertebrates that don’t require animal proteins such as sea urchins, abalone, prawns, things like that I see as being sort of the wave of the future. I like macro algae especially because, first of all, you don’t have to see them. Second of all, they’re sucking up a lot of excess nutrients in the ocean. So they’re clarifying the waters, they provide habitat for a number of animals. And they can also help reduce the problem of ocean acidification because they’re taking up co2. So I see low trophic level agriculture’s as being a thing of the future. I also see a land based aquaculture as increasing in the future as well, just because in a number of areas around the globe, there are concerns about impacts of ocean based farming on the environment, more of an issue, perhaps with salmon farming. And so there’s been this push to move ocean land. And I don’t think the technology and the economics is there yet, especially for finfish species like salmon, to move them on land. But I think this is something that’s going to have a lot of research into it in the future, and something that will be looked at and developed probably in the next 10 to 20 years. So both land based aquaculture, low trophic level aquaculture, and perhaps offshore aquaculture as well. So farming further offshore. Those would be the three big trends, I think,
Lourdes Gant 12:41
Oh, those are wonderful. Thank you for saying that. Chris. I love it. Specifically, you mentioned about the Lord trophic level aquaculture because as you know we’re into by evolves. But one thing that I really like about what you share there is which you actually answered my next question is what’s one thing that will not change? And you already mentioned agriculture is going to be here, more than normal. And because there’s this feeding the global population, because as you mentioned, most of the sources that we have right now is being over use. And so there’s this new wave of agriculture that’s happening that has gotten way more impact in the last two years compared in the last 10 years. Can you say that? That’s a fair thing to say?
Chris Pearce 13:25
Yeah, no, that’s a great point. You know, I think we’ve reached the level now where globally, agriculture is producing more fish protein than wild fisheries, right? And what basically, wild fisheries have reached their limit globally. And a number of populations and fisheries are declining just because of overfishing. So it’s clear, you know, that we’re not going to be able to produce much more fish protein via wild capture. And I think wild capture of various fish species will decline over the next 50 to 100 years as we move more towards farming. And you just have to look at human history to see how that has happened with terrestrial farming. And, you know, we used to hunt different animals for food. And gradually over time, we shifted towards more of a farming system, right? And I think that will happen in the oceans and freshwater of the world as well, that will shift more towards farming. And I think that’s a good thing. Because, you know, as I mentioned before, it’s it’s one of the more sustainable ways of producing animal protein on the planet. You know, I mentioned the food conversion ratio.
Chris Pearce 14:55
And what food conversion ratio is basically is the amount of animals protein that you put in, in terms of feeding an animal to the amount of animal protein, you get out for human consumption. And if you look at cattle, for instance, that food conversion ratio is about eight. So you’d need eight kilograms to feed in to produce one kilogram of beef. For pork, it’s 3.9. Chicken, it’s the 1.9. And for salmon, it’s about 1.3. So for for salmon, you only need to put in 1.3 kilograms of animal protein to get out one kilogram of fish, which is phenomenal. And they developed some seeds that are more vegetable based now and reduce the amount of fish protein that’s needed in the fish diet. So they’re getting that feed conversion ratio down, even lower than 1.3. closer to one, in fact. And then if you look at filter feeding shellfish, or invertebrates that are eating, say, macro algae that don’t require any animal protein in their feeds, you’re looking at a season version ratio of zero. So you don’t have to put any animal protein in. And so to me, that’s really the future of feeding an increasing global population is getting towards more production of these lower trophic level animals, shellfish, macro algae that don’t require any animal protein.
Chris Pearce 16:36
At best, they require some sort of maybe vegetable protein or Mac Well, we’ll protein, they are cleaning the water. So if you look at my valves, for instance, they are filter feeders, so they can actually clean eutrophic waters, taking up some of the particles that are in the water column, they produce habitat for other animals. And any shellfish grower will know that, you know, if they’re growing oysters in trays, that this habitat becomes home to a variety of different invertebrates, and even different fish species as well. So all these items point towards what culture is only increasing in the future. And I think especially in primitive rates, and macro algo culture as being the way to go.
Lourdes Gant 17:29
Wow, I really love that you mentioned all those statistics specially on that feed conversion ratio. I didn’t even think about that way in terms of how the impact of each species has in the whole gamut of things. You know, you mentioned several things land based agriculture, or ocean based farming and offshore aquaculture. This is my last question. What is you think the status in terms of vertical farms in Canada it was just because this is on top of my head today? Because there’s just one article I was reading about the world’s largest vertical farm work by robots sending food production onwards and upwards somewhere in Europe or in they have like 148,000 square feet of growing space, it started the rafters with LED lit crops. Where are we there?
Chris Pearce 18:16
So you’re talking about land based aquaculture that has different vertical layers of tanks.
Lourdes Gant 18:25
It’s not tanks, but they’re basically using this for food, not specifically for shellfish, but it’s like a garden that they have in England, we’re in their main objective is that in every part of the country there, they want to improve food sustainability, reducing food miles and reducing use of pesticides and allowing everyone to grow locally. Yeah. Yeah. So we’re, we’re there.
Chris Pearce 18:49
I think in North America, we’re a long way from that they’re in terms of aquaculture production. But I like the idea of folks having their own sort of backyard small scale aquaculture systems to produce fish. shellfish might be more difficult because you need the salt water. But you know, lots of people have small backyard vegetable gardens. One day, we might see folks having small scale backyard fish production systems, probably predominantly freshwater, producing, maybe like tilapia. And that would be amazing because it’s locally produced, right? So you don’t have to ship it. You don’t have to burn fossil fuels to truck the product to market or supply the product to market. It’s all produced locally.
Lourdes Gant 19:55
And in a way you already mentioned about the low profit level aquaculture so in my head that translates to what’s we’re doing subtitling compared to land base where they were talking about vertical farming. And it’s now becoming like a global movement. We’re in there revolutionising the way the world grows produce. And it’s the future, but also at the same time, you know, land and water, you know, the Earth is a big part of the of that is the ocean. And so definitely hear what you’re saying about that in the low trophic level aquaculture.
Chris Pearce 20:29
I would say that, you know, I liked your point about vertical structuring of food production. And of course, if we looked at growing animals in the ocean, naturally, we can have a three dimensional farm, right? Not not just the on the surface area of the ocean, but also vertically structured as well. And you can have different organisms growing at different depths depending on you know, where they like to grow the most. Whereas you can’t have that on terrestrial farming, right? You just have a two dimensional area. Basically, if you look at growing cattle, or pork or chicken or terrestrial vegetable crops, it’s only two dimensional. So per unit surface area of Earth, you can get more production out of aquaculture, then you can agriculture because of this vertical structure that you can have in the ocean.
Lourdes Gant 21:39
Yeah, yeah, that this is a really great discussion. I’m so happy to have you as one of my guests. I love talking about numbers in terms of where all these are because it kind of grounded us into the practicality of things. So thanks for being a guest on my show. My biggest takeaway from this episode is the feed conversion ratio. And when Chris was talking about the priorities and objectives of the program, if you’re applying for funding, where can they get in touch with you, Chris?
Chris Pearce 22:06
I work at the Pacific Biological Station in the dymo on Vancouver Island. And my email address is Chris. Ch, ri s thought Pierce p A RC at bfo dash m p o.gc.ca. Thanks
Lourdes Gant 22:29
again, Chris. And to our subscribers do leave a review of the podcast so we can get more people to be aware of the value our guests are providing in these conversations. If you’re new to the podcast, I’d like to hear from you. Thanks, everyone. Thanks, Grace.
Chris Pearce 22:42
I really appreciate it. And you know, I listened to a number of the podcasts and they were all great. And I think you’re doing an excellent service for the community.
Lourdes Gant 22:50
Thank you. Thank you so much. Bye now.
Chris Pearce 22:53
All right. Bye. Bye.
Lourdes Gant 22:57
Thank you for listening, and I hope you are inspired from this episode. You’ll take a moment and share this with your friends and colleagues and rate and review the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway from this conversation has been? What are you going to do differently? Please share your thoughts across social media and tag us for links and Show Notes for this episode, visit our website www duck sustainable aquaculture.ca slash podcast. Thank you again. I hope you will join me on the next episode and together we can help create a better business in aquaculture
