Building and Installing a Farm Sub-surface Automated Feed Delivery System

Summary:
Sablefish Canada was awarded $200,000 in AIMAP funding to develop, build, install, and commission a farm sub-surface automated feeding delivery system for Sablefish aquaculture. The goal was to reduce both the labour required for feeding, and the stress on sea pen grown Sablefish during feeding. This was done by replicating the natural environment where Sablefish usually feed. The feed system was designed to ensure that feeding fish stay in stable temperatures, high salinity and low light levels. To facilitate this, feed had to be delivered to a depth below the established thermocline at Sablefish Canada’s pen site.

The feeding system is tailored to the unique biological requirements of Sablefish. The sub-surface feeding machine, which was designed by Sablefish Canada and built by Canadian Feeding Systems, is performing to its designed specification. This technology incorporates a precise, no-waste feeding regimen that aligns Sablefish farm-feeding labour costs, and feed delivery with the salmon industry standard. The equipment is expected to last ten years with a projected labour saving of over $650,000 over ten years and a feed savings of $600,000, and a ten-year return on investment of about 6.3 times the initial investment.

The result of this new technology will increase fish quality and decrease farm production costs so that farmed Sablefish is profitable at wild Sablefish prices. A third benefit not anticipated when the project was conceived is that underwater feed dispersal and variable feed flow equipment that was incorporated into the design will increase overall feed use efficiency. This project improved Sablefish Canada's environmental impacts by reducing the amount of waste feed that ends up on the ocean floor. The project utilizes cameras to control the rate of feeding to ensure that the feed they disperse is all eaten. Development of the farm sub-surface automated feeding delivery system contributes value-added benefits to the Sablefish aquaculture industry by decreasing production costs and increasing ecological performance.

Project Lead: Sablefish Canada Inc.

Total Project Cost: $1,947,934
           
DFO-AIMAP Contribution: $200,000

Other Financial Support:

• Recipient: Sablefish Canada Inc.

For more information please contact the regional coordinator.

Pacific Region: Sean.Irvine@dfo-mpo.gc.ca