Sturgeon: Canada's Diversified Freshwater Aquaculture Industry

Summary:
Target Marine Hatchery Ltd’s innovation, to develop a successful white sturgeon aquaculture industry in Canada, has passed through various stages of research, development, and early commercialization over the past twelve years.  There is potential for this species to help diversify the freshwater aquaculture industry in Canada.  Two main boosters are essential to enable this development: 1) a reliable and consistent supply of fish for production, and 2) a successful model for white sturgeon culture.  The objective of this project was to continue to develop innovative technologies and management techniques which would work towards those boosters.  There were four main goals to work towards in order to accomplish these objectives:

• Refine techniques to advance maturation
• Transfer and develop technologies for non-invasive sexing and staging techniques
• Develop finishing diets and environmental parameters to optimize flesh and caviar quality
• Develop management techniques to minimize stress and the impacts of sturgeon viral diseases

The project met most of its goals and objectives. The objective of spawning a wild captive female at the hatchery was completed, though the overall spawning event was not successful. Nevertheless, much expertise was gained and the company is in a better position to successfully carry this out next season. Outdoor recirculation and reuse systems were designed for the sturgeon tanks. The design of this system is repeatable on other existing reuse tanks and will result in systems that enable control of the rearing environment, conserves water, and conserves heating energy in an outdoor environment.  The new system being implemented combines benefits of both of the existing systems and will hopefully result in an advanced maturation rate. The retrofit on two existing outdoor reuse tanks commenced with the culture fish already in the tank. The techniques learned here will be valuable in the future as it opens up the possibility of converting large numbers of tanks without having to remove the fish. Changes in management techniques have been implemented for the 2010 generation and older generations of sturgeon. Some of the hatchery procedures and protocols that were changed include: updated biosecurity, new feeding regime, different temperature profiles, improved handling methods, and the timing of fish movements. These changes have resulted in a reduction of stress and an improvement in the efficiency of sexing and staging the fish.  Diets and environments have been compared in terms of fish performance and will soon be compared for their effect on caviar quality. After 11 years, a small percentage of the first production population of domestic female white sturgeon have matured and developed eggs to the stage of caviar production, and soon to the stage of spawning.  The completion of this step will represent a major milestone in the development of the white sturgeon aquaculture industry in Canada.

AIMAP funding has helped to enable this project which will assist in facilitating the production of white sturgeon caviar, thus contributing to the sought-after diversification of the Canadian freshwater aquaculture industry. Canada is now one step closer to becoming a new competitor in the global farmed caviar trade while easing the pressure on endangered wild stocks.

Recipient: Target Marine Hatcheries Ltd.

Total Project Cost: $588,500
           
DFO-AIMAP Contribution: $162,000

Other Financial Support:

• Recipient: Target Marine Hatcheries Ltd.
• University of California – Davis - http://www.ucdavis.edu/index.html
• PRAqua Technologies - http://www.praqua.com/
• Vancouver Island University - http://www.viu.ca/

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