INNOVATION SHOWCASE
The first day of the Summit provided an opportunity for innovative businesses in the aquaculture space to present their pitch to an experienced panel and the Summit audience, who selected the winning presentation.
THE WINNER: Observe Technologies
Observe uses artificial intelligence (AI) to give actionable insights on fish farm performance. Marketed in association with Akva to fish farmers in Canada, Chile, Norway, UK, and Australasia, Observe applies principles of “precision farming” – with the emphasis on feed optimisation – to aquaculture. It uses existing hardware to allow remote management and “smart alerts”.
RUNNERS UP AquiNovo
AquiNovo has developed a peptide-based additive for feed, with a potential multi-species application – fish, poultry and livestock. The aim is a better feed conversion ratio (FCR), with biomass for less feed, which is also better for the environment. For tilapia, the company says, AquiNovo’s non-GMO and non-hormonal feed additives result in significant improvement in both growth and FCR.
Local Ocean
Set up to produce shrimp in Europe (to produce an environmentally friendly and better tasting shrimp, because most of the shrimp imported to Europe was too bland, the founders say), Local Ocean’s production is land-based. The company ultimately aims to license its technology to other producers “but to do that, we needed a working shrimp farm”.
The business is self-funded and has had to temporarily close its plant in Lithuania due to high energy costs.
Luminis Water Technologies
Every drop of water contains millions of viruses and bacteria – most of which are benign. Water treatment in RAS fish farms and aquariums kills 99%, however. AquaGENius sampling kits from Luminis make it easy to take a sample and send it for analysis, so users can see what’s in the microbiome.
Seawater Solutions
Coastal wetland “agricologist” Alec Neiber introduced Seawater Solutions, an enterprise that “turns deserts into wetlands”, growing crops of halophytes (salt-loving plants), for human consumption and aquafeed. The enterprise has also built a shrimp farm in reclaimed wetland. Seawater Solutions operates in Vietnam, Africa and Pakistan.
Seneye
Seneye produces water quality monitoring sensors, initially for the home aquarium market but now also for commercial aquaculture. Seneye is a “biological fire alarm” that detects ammonia levels. Its replaceable slide media means that, unlike some other systems, no recalibration is needed and the system is easy to use. Seneye aims to add dissolved oxygen, CO2, turbidity and conductivity to its parameters.
Volare
Finland-based Volare is producing protein meal and lipids from black soldier fly larvae, an insect which feeds on almost any organic waste. For 2023-24 the company plans to scale up to a full scale production plant in Finland. The idea is to establish the business as a producer first, then license the technology.
Next Tuna
Atlantic bluefin tuna could be the next species to be farmed in RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems)
Next Tuna has designed a “floating RAS system” and will be running its own breeding programme, at a site near Valencia, Spain. The company is working with Spanish academic institutions on the technology, with the University of Wageningen, in the Netherlands, on breeding and also with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. It does not reach full production until 2028.
” Seafood is especially vulnerable to fraud