Feds provide $250k to build sugar kelp industry on C.B.

PETIT-DE-GRAT, N.S. — Three Cape Breton sea farms will explore market opportunities into the seaweed aquaculture industry over the next few years.

The federal government, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, announced earlier this week in Petit de Grat, Richmond County, that it would provide $248,816 in support of the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia’s development of a burgeoning sugar kelp industry in Cape Breton.

The association will conduct on-site trials at Premium Seafoods in Arichat, Bounty Bay Shellfish in St. Anns and Louisbourg Seafoods’ Cape Breton Bivalve Inc. facility in Englishtown.

It’ll be the first attempt to establish a sugar kelp industry in the province, said Allan MacLean, a senior operations manager at Louisbourg Seafoods.

“We’re looking to see whether or not our aquaculture operations can diversify outside what we’re doing now to actually grow seaweed. In this case, sugar kelp,” he said by phone following the announcement.

The Cape Breton Bivalve Inc. aquaculture operation currently produces a haul of 300,000 to 400,000 pounds of mussels at four sites each year, MacLean said.

The Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia will assist with market research and the science of growing export-quality kelp.

Cultivating seaweed has the potential to add new revenue streams for aquaculture businesses. The product has export demand from the United States, Europe and particularly Asia.

Seaweed has applications as a food, in nutraceuticals and cosmetics, natural health supplements and agricultural fertilizers.

The aquaculture association has developed a partnership with Merinov, the Québec Centre for Innovation in Aquaculture and Fisheries, established in 2010.

“There are a number of successful projects in Quebec,” said MacLean, who added that Louisbourg Seafoods officials have visited aquaculture sites in that province.

“We’re using their experiences in Quebec to help better us as we progress.”

The association says it will be working closely with Merinov on the project.

MacLean said it’s unknown at this point how much sugar kelp can be produced.

The companies will be using their own on-site labour, materials and infrastructure as part of the three-year trial, he said.

“We’ve been watching carefully the growth of seaweed in the marketplace. It’s really difficult for small companies to do a lot of the research and development, even on the marketing side.

“The Nova Scotia aquaculture association has been a big supporter. They did the work to get this project on the road and we’re anxious to get it started and see where it leads.”