Ocean Era/Center for Aquaculture Technologies

Ocean Era’s Mission: 

To be on the cutting edge of healthy, environmentally responsible seafood by discovering and commercializing ways that marine aquaculture can feed humanity and mitigate climate change.

Grant Project Goal(s):

To continue research and testing into macro-algae (PDMA) carbon-negative feed trials as a more environmentally responsible feed alternative for farmed fish.

Background:

There is growing interest in the culture of seaweeds (macro-algae) for its environmental and socio‐economic benefits. Seaweed culture requires no land area, freshwater, or fertilizer, and absorbs carbon dioxide—reducing ocean acidification, greenhouse gasses, and yielding a carbon‐ negative product.

However, expansion of seaweed culture is constrained by the limited commercial uses in animal feeds. There is an ongoing focus to reduce the environmental footprint of diets for farmed fish, but seaweed is not usually considered a feed for fish because its long polysaccharide chains are relatively indigestible.

Ocean Era (in collaboration with National Renewable Energy Laboratory ‐ NREL, and Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy ‐ ARPA‐E), has developed a process for fermentation of seaweeds to render them more digestible by fish. Ocean Era has tested partially digested macro-algae (PDMA) in tilapia diets, with encouraging results. Additional trials with shrimp and yellowtail are pending.

Immediate Objective(s):

To expand the partially digested macro-algae (PDMA) carbon-negative feed trials to include farmed Atlantic salmon (salmonids).

Key Learnings:

In progress. 

Learn more at Ocean Era/Center for Aquaculture Technologies