The population is continually increasing
while consumers are become ever more health conscious and the
demand for lean proteins, specifically, fish products
continues to soar. Fish farming now accounts for about 50% of
global fish production and has grown to at least a $220
billion industry over the past few decades. Largely,
this industry grew in response to the fact that natural
resources such as lakes, rivers, and oceans can only satisfy
so much demand. Aquaculture companies, recognizing this
natural deficiency, are becoming major players in the fish
food industry by breeding and cultivating fish distinctively
earmarked for consumption.
Their solution lies in innovative technologies and farming
techniques aimed at quality and efficiency. Still,
current farming techniques are limiting the industry’s ability
to keep pace with demand. Opportunities exist for
innovators whose design processes satisfy both consumer and
industry concerns while maximizing efficiency. Federal
and state R&D tax credits can help support these
efforts. This article will discuss the most innovative
technologies in the aquaculture industry and present the tax
credits available to support ongoing R&D efforts.
The chart below demonstrates the
expansion of aquaculture in response to the growing global
fish demand which will soon surpass wild fish food production.
The Federal Research
& Development Tax Credit
Enacted in 1981, the federal Research and
Development (R&D) Tax Credit allows a credit of up to 13
percent of eligible spending for new and improved products and
processes. Qualified research must meet the following four
criteria:
New or improved products,
processes, or software
Technological in
nature
Elimination of uncertainty
Process of experimentation
Eligible costs include employee wages, cost of supplies, cost
of testing, contract research expenses, and costs associated
with developing a patent. On January 2, 2013, President Obama
signed the bill extending the R&D Tax Credit for 2012 and
2013 tax years. A similar extension is expected for
2014.
Technological
Innovation
Aquaculture is still somewhat of an
emerging industry—far behind its counterparts in the
pre-existing livestock/agriculture/farming industry.
Opportunities exist for innovative technology such as
state-of-the-art nets, disease control technology, innovative
feeding systems, and low-impact production processes.
Some of these opportunities are detailed below:
Innovative
Advancements
Fish farmers, many of whom are actually
pioneers in the industry, are quite clever. They have
devised many creative ways to grow fish. Some of these systems
include the following:
Closed Systems
which look like backyard swimming pools
Raceways which
involve long man-made flowing streams (as pictured) tailored
for growing trout or other stream fish
Suspended Aquaculture which involves hanging ropes or
mesh bags in natural settings to harvest oysters, mussels
and clams
Open-Net Systems which utilize natural water reserves
to allow for the free and unregulated exchange between the
farm and the surrounding environment.
Some other less traditional methods
include the following:
Container Fish Farms
Some
innovators are beginning to develop mini farming units
designed around shipping containers, which can be used to
efficiently produce food in urban settings. Perhaps more
innovative is the fact that the container holds an aquarium
for fish farming, while above it, a greenhouse is constructed
to grow vegetables. With this, the system uses fish
waste and carbon dioxide produced in the aquaculture part of
the container to boost the growth of the plants in the
greenhouse container above. Moreover, the water that
goes into the system is used twice – first for the fish tank,
and then for the plants. The real benefit lies in the
fact that both of the species provide nutrients for the other.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is the combined culture of fish
and hydroponic vegetable crops in a closed-loop system.
In aquaponics, fish provide the nutrients that plants need to
grow, and the plants act as a filter to improve the water
quality for the fish. Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems, Inc.
(Sanford, NC) has been instrumental in helping commercial
operations around the globe integrate their traditional fish
farms and plant production with its re-circulating aquaculture
system (RAS) solutions. Designed to be energy efficient
with minimal waste, the resulting benefits include cost
savings on filtration and fertilizer, the elimination of soil
borne disease in vegetable production, and the potential to
meet organic standards.
Traditionally, fish farming has taken place near water
systems. But modern aquaponics make it possible to create fish
farms in a variety of places such as old industrial factories
and buildings. One example is Urban Organics, a large-scale
indoor aquaponics farm located in the historic Hamm's Brewery
building in St. Paul, Minn. Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems and
its team of experts including engineers, horticulturists, and
biologists, work with Urban Organics to design, install and
engineer the world-class-system. It is one of the
largest and most advanced aquaponics facilities in the
country. The system will eventually house eighteen
3,500-gallon fish tanks and generate more than 720,000 pounds
of greens and 150,000 pounds of fish annually.
Since it opened in April 2014, Urban Organics recently
produced kale, Swiss chard, Italian parsley and cilantro as
its first crops to be grown alongside and in an integrated
system with tilapia. All produce and herbs are 100 percent
organically certified by the USDA National Organic Program.
Innovative Fishing
Nets
Fishing nets have a significant innovation
opportunity. One idea involves designing better systems
for containing the fish. When large waves rise higher
than the nets, fish are given an opportunity to leap
out. When this happens fish farmers lose revenue from
the reduced catch. Some solutions involve nets that rise
higher than the waves, up to thirty feet high; but these ideas
are often costly. Still, the larger platforms hold
significantly more fish which serves to offset the cost
effect. Nonetheless, the increased fish population
creates a concern for disease since it spreads quickly in
larger fish communities. Some researchers combat the
issue by designing elaborate environmental controls including
indoor facilities with controlled aqua environments that use
these “pools” to regulate temperature and water flow.
Non-Farm Mercury
Concerns
Although many consumers are concerned about
the quality of farm raised fish, in many contexts the results
can actually be quite beneficial. Being able to control
the environment provides an opportunity to tailor fish
products to consumer specifications. While some
consumers still prefer the wild fish, innovation provides an
opportunity to overcome this preference. For example,
farmed tuna has significantly lower levels of mercury than
wild caught tuna and there is a real possibility to further
lower the level, paving the way for all consumers to partake
with greater confidence.
Cold Blooded Anatomy
and Antibiotics
Antibiotics are used in many fish farming
practices to battle disease and parasites. Most of these
antibiotics are non-problematic and do not pose serious health
risks. Some have marginal concerns. Whatever the case,
some consumers associate farm raised fish with high levels of
hormones or antibiotics which can have a negative effect on
product reputation. Therefore, it is important that
scientists arrive at an effective and efficient means of
reducing antibiotics. The good news is that in the
United States, antibiotic drug use on fish farms is on the
decline due to the development of vaccines and better
management practices, a result of innovative solutions driven
by R&D. Still, innovators are under constant
pressure from environmentalists to reduce further antibiotic
and hormone levels in the fish. While progress is
underway, certain challenges arise from the fact that fish are
cold-blooded creatures whose anatomy is not as widely
understood as that of say humans or chickens and cows.
Improved knowledge on these cold-blooded creatures will
eventually allow scientists to develop more efficient vaccines
while their collaboration with engineers will simultaneously
improve disease prevention management systems.
Genetics and Breeding
Like many challenges in the agriculture and
traditional land farming industries, in fish farming, fighting
disease is an important concern. However, unlike those
two industries fish farming is still an emerging
industry. Science, however, is accelerating
progress. Researchers in Japan are gathering genetic
information and developing innovative breeding methods to
develop strains of fish less susceptible to disease. The
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), recently traveled to
Chile to work with faculty members at the University of
Antofagasta to develop a research and academic curriculum
focused on preventing the spread of diseases and parasites
among farmed fish or to the wild fish population, without the
use of potentially harmful chemicals. Some researchers
use mathematical modeling to study the complex social and
biological systems behind the spread of disease. With
this, scientists can peruse a range of factors relative to the
disease – such as ecological impact or human behavior and
develop a mathematical model which can be used to explore the
effect of each factor.
University/Research
Center Efforts
Maine Aquaculture
Innovation Center (MAIC)
MAIC's office is located in Corbett Hall on the campus of the
University of Maine, in Orono and at the University’s Darling
Marine Center in Walpole. In support of its mission,
MAIC promotes applied aquaculture research, assists in the
formulation of policies favorable to industry growth, serves
as a clearing house for aquaculture information, and liaises
with government organizations, aquafarms and the general
public.
With the decline in wild ground-fish populations, there is
considerable interest in developing efficient techniques for
raising cod, halibut, and haddock on fish farms. Researchers
at the University of Maine are studying both the nutritional
needs of larval cod and haddock and the type of food needed to
maximize healthy growth in the early stages of these fish. The
University of Maine's Center for Cooperative Aquaculture
Research is experimenting with different ways of hatching and
raising haddock and halibut on a commercial scale.
Biotech Benefits at
MAIC
In addition, the bio-technology industry may benefit from
salmon farming. Serum from fish blood, one of the
by-products of harvesting salmon and steelhead trout, can be
used by scientists in bio-medical research and may offer
advantages to researchers over the more commonly used
mammalian serum. A way to extract large quantities of
uncontaminated fish serum for use in laboratories is
currently being developed.
Innovative Rafts at
MAIC
While there has been some growth in mussel production using
rafts along the Pacific Northwest, there was no significant
industry in New England until a recent start-up effort
involving the MAIC mussel working group and Great Eastern
Mussel Farms. There were several obstacles to overcome at
first, and solutions were tested. In order to increase
the acceptability of suspension culture of mussels along the
Maine coast; small lease sites were used, and rafts were
selected as the structure of choice.
In addition to providing a stable platform for working,
rafts produce high volumes of mussels in small areas (40 x
40 foot raft yields to 30 tons of mussels per year).
Still, this benefit was somewhat offset by some obstacles
during the project involving ducks. These obstacles,
however, were averted through the use of a duck predator
net. The net was especially important to overcoming the duck
problem since Maine has one of the largest recovering eider
duck populations in the world (over 3,000 rafting ducks
inshore from December to April). Rafts are beneficial
because they can take advantage of the vast areas of
ice-free deep water along the coast of Maine. Additionally,
the mussels grown on rafts are thought of by many as being
of superior quality to wild mussels. Finally, raft produced
mussels provide more edible product than wild caught
mussels. Wild mussels yield only about 10 pounds of meat per
bushel while raft grown mussels produce an average of 24
pounds of meat per bushel.
Beals Island Regional
Shellfish Hatchery
Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery, is a nonprofit,
government- subsidized educational and research operation
located on Beals Island in Maine. The hatchery has
been instrumental in studying soft-shell clams and educating
the public about this resource. The hatchery produces
millions of 1/4 to 1/2-inch soft-shell clams each year by
spawning broodstock and raising the juvenile clams through
to transplant size. To induce spawning, broodstock clams are
"shocked" by moving them from 50 degrees F seawater to
seawater warmed to 70 degrees F. The change in temperature
causes clams to release eggs and sperm into the water.
Fertilized eggs (a two-inch female clam may contain 1
million eggs) are collected and placed in large tanks in the
hatchery where they are raised until the clams are 1/15 inch
long. They are then placed in floating trays, 15,000 clams
per tray, and are transported to the Mud Hole, three miles
from the hatchery. The young clams are then left in the
trays to grow until they reach transplant size. Much
of this process often involves significant R&D because
many times project developers generate novel ideas to
improve the process.
Marine and Freshwater
Aquaculture Research
The Marine & Freshwater Aquaculture
Research Program (Sarasota County, Florida) is developing
innovative technologies to produce fishes and invertebrates to
meet the growing national demand for seafood while restocking
depleted recreational and commercial stocks. Research is
directed toward designing and testing filtration technologies
for sustainable re-circulating systems and toward developing
spawning, larval, fingerling and growout culture methods for
marine or freshwater species. Mote's Marine & Freshwater
Aquaculture Research Program conducts research at the 200-acre
Mote Aquaculture Research Park (MAP) in eastern Sarasota
County and at Mote’s Tropical Research Laboratory in the
Florida Keys.
Spawning and rearing technologies for marine fishes and
invertebrates have been investigated for a wide range of
species, including Common and Pacific snook, Florida pompano,
southern flounder, greater amberjack, red drum, red snapper,
zebrafish, sturgeon, abalone, shrimp, hard corals and
long-spined sea urchins.
Re-circulating systems that filter and reuse water are
environmentally compatible, conserve precious water resources,
provide bio-security to protect farmed animals from disease,
and ensure good water quality conditions for farmed species.
The opportunity to develop and expand marine fish farming to
inland locations using re-circulating technology addresses
both land and regulatory constraints facing Florida's
aquaculture producers. The need to move marine aquaculture
inland is based on skyrocketing coastal property costs and the
need to develop sustainable production methods that are safe
for the environment.
Research is directed at designing and testing filtration
systems that operate with minimal water loss to support the
establishment of inland marine fish farms. Recent studies have
integrated fish and wetland plant production in order to
utilize high-nutrient waste to produce a secondary crop.
Future studies will focus on expanding saleable products,
incorporating alternative energy into system design and
increasing the economic feasibility of re-circulating systems.
Conclusion
Aquaculture is a fast emerging
industry. Industry leaders confront many important
challenges. Although aquaculture is a challenging and complex
industry, scientists hope to provide solutions through
innovation and R&D. Federal and state R&D tax
credits are available to stimulate the innovation efforts
within the industry.
Closed Systems which look like backyard swimming pools
Some
innovators are beginning to develop mini farming units
designed around shipping containers, which can be used to
efficiently produce food in urban settings. Perhaps more
innovative is the fact that the container holds an aquarium
for fish farming, while above it, a greenhouse is constructed
to grow vegetables. With this, the system uses fish
waste and carbon dioxide produced in the aquaculture part of
the container to boost the growth of the plants in the
greenhouse container above. Moreover, the water that
goes into the system is used twice – first for the fish tank,
and then for the plants. The real benefit lies in the
fact that both of the species provide nutrients for the other.
