Commercial Scale Deepwater Holding and Pre-Harvest Finishing System for Oysters

Summary:
In 2006, Odyssey Shellfish Ltd developed a prototype ‘finishing’ system for oysters that assisted in mitigating occasional spikes in water quality, and therefore added an extra layer of food safety confidence. The prototype system pumped cold seawater from a 25 metre depth (below the thermocline), and circulated it in holding tanks by pumping water through microbubbler units, ultraviolet (UV) lights, and sand filters for 48 hours immediately pre-harvest. These methods proved effective in their objective, and the proponent decided to scale up and improve the system for increased production efficiencies at a commercially viable level.

This AIMAP funded assisted project involved (1) the scaling up of the prototype system (from roughly 7,000 dozen oysters per week) to a more efficient, process integrated, and commercially viable system (able to process over 20,000 dozen per week); and (2) the promotion of the system across the industry as a model for an additional proactive level of food safety for cultured shellfish. This project contributes to the advancement and competitiveness of the Canadian aquaculture industry by pro-actively addressing a potential threat to food-safety through an industry-driven shellfish quality assurance process. The second-generation (commercial scale), highly energy efficient system will be showcased as an innovative husbandry process that could be scaled up or down, or made modular to suit any and/or all shellfish growers’ needs.

Recipient: Odyssey Shellfish Ltd.

Total Project Cost: $413,400
           
DFO-AIMAP Contribution: $100,000

Other Financial Support:

• Recipient: Odyssey Shellfish Ltd.
• Federal Government: National Research Council-Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) - http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/ibp/irap/about/index.html

For more information please contact the AIMAP regional coordinator
Pacific Region: Sean.Irvine@dfo-mpo.gc.ca