Raising Healthier Fish

Better temperature controls promise healthier, more sustainable salmon farming

 

Because salmon account for more than 75 per cent of Canada’s $800 million aquaculture industry, improvements in salmon-farming methods can have huge benefits for both the Canadian seafood industry and consumers. With research funding through NSERC’s Discovery Grants initiative, Mount Allison University animal physiologist Dr. Suzie Currie is helping to understand the impact of temperature on salmon, eggs and larvae. Successful aquaculture hinges on a detailed knowledge of early development in fish; yet, surprisingly little is known about salmon development. Temperatures may affect the health of the eggs, the time that they hatch, and health and growth of the resulting larvae. With the support of an NSERC Engage Grant, Dr. Currie partnered with AquaBounty Technologies to improve the productivity of salmon farms by better controlling temperatures used when rearing and shipping salmon, eggs and larvae. By providing a better understanding of temperature impacts, Dr. Currie’s research will help this important industry grow and transport salmon more cost-effectively while providing a consistently high-quality, sustainable product.

For the period 2007-13: NSERC contribution, $245,200; industry partners and others, $12,000.