The ocean research world is not short on great ideas. What it is short of, is the funding that’s required to put those great ideas to work.
And that’s where the Ocean Frontier Institute’s (OFI) Seed Fund comes in. It provides awards that range from $10,000 to $30,000, supporting innovative projects that have the potential to advance research, commercial or social concepts relating to the ocean. The ideas stem from projects initiated by Dalhousie and Memorial University students or faculty. OFI’s role is to help these unique ideas move forward — and grow.
Planting seeds at Dalhousie University
Christopher Algar, Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University, has a project that’s benefiting from OFI’s Seed Fund. He’s examining the potential for microbial electrochemical cells to remediate organic matter in the ocean. His focus? Use science to reduce the amount of organic waste that gathers in fish farms. “If we reduce the amount of waste that accumulates, we can help reduce marine pollution and eliminate the risk of disease,” says Chris.
And that in turn would support the growth of Canada’s aquaculture industry.
“An effective solution to the problem of organic matter loading would greatly increase the amount of coastline that could support aquaculture facilities in an environmentally sustainable manner,” said Chris. “That means we can put more people to work, responsibly farming the fish the world needs.”
Allison Chua, a PhD student at Dalhousie University, is using her Seed Fund award to test the viability of new technology that she hopes will allow scallop harvesters to farm with less of an impact on the ocean floor. Invented and constructed by Marcel Boudreau, a welder fabricator from St. Andrews, Nova Scotia, the equipment requires further analysis to ensure it can deliver what both the fishing industry and government regulators require: a low-cost technology that equals or exceeds current harvest rates while minimizing seabed disturbance.
“It could be a game changer,” says Allison. “To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no alternative harvesting method available that succeeds in mitigating the destruction caused by scallop draggers yet matches present-day catch rates.”
Allison’s role is to use the Seed Fund to work with the engineering and scientific community to validate the concept, building on the invention created by Marcel.
Planting seeds at Memorial University
Natalia Prieto Vidal, a postdoctoral fellow with the Boreal Ecosystem Research Initiative wants to reduce the amount of waste mussels that are discarded and disposed in landfill sites because they don’t meet the aquaculture industry’s criteria for consumer sales. Her work examines the feasibility of extracting oils enhanced with omega-3 fatty acids from the waste mussels which she would then infuse with Newfoundland wild berries extracts with superior antioxidant content.
“This could create high-value secondary products from an aquaculture industrial waste product, which will contribute to a sustainable exploitation of mussel aquaculture. This innovative high-value product could be marketed as specialty products in fine dining applications,” says Natalia.
Brad deYoung, professor, Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography at Memorial University, is overseeing a Seed Fund award to evaluate the feasibility of using underwater gliders to monitor for hydrocarbons in Placentia Bay. “Placentia Bay is one of six regions in Canada that are included in the Ocean Protection Plan, and this work will help us better understand environmental baseline conditions — essential information in the event of a major oil spill.”
A complete list of Seed Fund recipients, and funding application information, can be found on here ...
