A commercial crop for Scotland?

Offshore harvest

Two projects indicate the growing renewal of interest in seaweed as a crop

Aseaweed nursery in Argyll is set for growth after securing investment funding of up to £75,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

The £150,000 project aims to expand and commercialise the nursery at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). The nursery will be operated by SAMS Enterprise, the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of SAMS, at the European Marine Science Park, Dunstaffnage.

The investment will be used to increase production capacity, improve effi ciency, advance the Institute’s applied research capabilities and support the rapidly growing seaweed farming industry throughout the UK.

The nursery premises have been reconfi gured to optimise production with refi tted laboratories, upgraded seawater supply and installation of specialist equipment.

Morag Goodfellow, HIE’s area manager for Argyll and the Islands, said: “The seaweed nursery at SAMS Enterprise, which of course is backed by the global scientifi c expertise of SAMS itself, is both innovative and crucial to the growth in Scotland’s seaweed industry. It may also attract new investors into the EMSP business cluster, which would strengthen our regional economy.”

SAMS says the seaweed industry is the world’s fastest growing area of global aquaculture production, currently worth over £11bn a year.

The economic potential for seaweed is also being explored at a site adjacent to Mowi’s salmon farm at Scalpay, an island in the Outer Hebrides connected to Harris by a single track bridge. The farm at Scalpay is part of a study involving the University of Stirling, local shellfi sh partners and sustainable seaweed farming company KelpCrofting. Ultimately, the study should help to determine if locating a salmon farm adjacent to a seaweed and shellfi sh farm can benefi t different species of marine life.

Mowi’s newsletter The Scoop quotes Laura Tulip, an Environmental

Photo: Alasdair O’Dell SAMS

JUNE 2021 ISSUE

THE SCOOP

Scalpay

First seaweed harvest at Scalpay

Just a couple of months after our first salmon harvest at Scalpay, which delivered a superior grading rate of 96.67%, the very first crop of sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) has also been harvested at the adjacent seaweed farm by KelpCrofting Ltd.

This is another important milestone for the sites which are pioneering the use of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) at a commercial scale.

The farm at Scalpay is part of a study involving the University of Stirling, local shellfish partners and sustainable seaweed farming company KelpCrofting. Ultimately, the study should help to determine if locating a salmon farm adjacent to a seaweed and shellfish farm can benefit different species of marine life.

The Scoop spoke to Environmental Analyst, Laura Tulip, to find out more: “This is another important milestone at Scalpay. The team at KelpCrofting is pleased with its first harvest and whilst we need a control to scientifically prove that the growth and quality of the seaweed has benefited from the nutrient enrichment from our salmon, the early signs are promising. Later this year, KelpCrofting will install a new kelp farm in the waters of South Pabay. Located away from the salmon farm, this will give us a point of comparison to determine whether the seaweed is directly benefitting from its proximity to salmon.”

KelpCrofting ensures that nothing is wasted from the seaweed, as Kyla Orr, Co-founder and Scientific Director of KelpCrofting, explains: “So far, we have harvested over eight tons of food grade sugar kelp from Scalpay. It is evident that the kelp is growing rapidly with each week that passes, and some fronds are nearly two metres long after only four months at sea! We will continue to harvest weekly into June and look forward to seeing how much more this super crop can yield.”

“The kelp being harvested during May and June is part of a collaborative Innovate UK project with Oceanium and Efficiency Technology. After each landing, the batches of high-quality kelp are delivered locally to Kyle of Lochalsh for primary processing (chopping), after which it is transported to Oceanium’s trial biorefinery in Cheshire for further processing into nutritional supplements, plant-based protein and biodegradable packaging.” Yvonne Booth and Laura Tulip

Sugar kelp

Introducing the Aqua Skye, the largest wellboat in Scotland

We have a long-term contract with DESS Aquaculture Shipping to use the Aqua Skye, which has already cared for approximately 10,000 tons of salmon since it arrived in Scotland earlier this year.

The largest wellboat in Scotland, here’s what you need to know: already been used at several sites for freshwater treatments, thinning down and moving fish.

• It is just over 84 metres long and 16m wide • It has a net well volume of 3,900m³ • It is fitted with a reverse osmosis plant that can produce up to 4,500m³ of fresh water in a 24-hour period. • It has self-cleaning fish tanks and a separate counting system. • It is equipped with a “waterfall” system for de-lousing during unloading.

Head of Marine Operations, Sean Anderson, spoke to The Scoop about how the Aqua Skye is performing so far: “It has “The Aqua Skye will be used across all of our seawater sites to provide a freshwater remedy against gill damage and tiny skin parasites. With the addition of this vessel, we can provide more non-medicinal health solutions for our fish.

“Because of the sheer size of the vessel, we can now load and treat much more fish in one go than we’ve ever been able to before. This means we can complete farms much quicker than before and move on to the next farm to stay ahead of the game.”

“It is evident that the kelp is growing rapidly with each week that passes”

From the top: SAMS Seaweed Nursery; Morag-Goodfellow; The Scoop, Mowi newsle� er; Yvonne Booth (le� ) and Laura Tulip (photo: Mowi) Analyst with Mowi: “The team at KelpCrofting is pleased with its fi rst harvest [of sugar kelp] and whilst we need a control to scientifi cally prove that the growth and quality of the seaweed has benefi ted from the nutrient enrichment from our salmon, the early signs are promising. Later this year, KelpCrofting will install a new kelp farm in the waters of South Pabay. Located away from the salmon farm, this will give us a point of comparison.”

KelpCrofting ensures that nothing is wasted, as Kyla Orr, Co-founder and Scientifi c Director of KelpCrofting, explains: “So far, we have harvested over eight tons of food grade sugar kelp from Scalpay. It is evident that the kelp is growing rapidly with each week that passes, and some fronds are nearly two metres long after only four months at sea! We will continue to harvest weekly into June and look forward to seeing how much more this super crop can yield.”

Each batches of harvested kelp is delivered locally to Kyle of Lochalsh for primary processing (chopping), after which it is transported to Oceanium’s trial biorefi nery in Cheshire for further processing into nutritional supplements, plant-based protein and biodegradable packaging.

An Economic Feasibility Study on Seaweed compiled by Enscape Consulting for Crown Estate Scotland (March 2021) looked at the prospects for seaweed farming in Scotland and concluded that a small farm – around eight hectares – could achieve a payback within three years, but only at prices of more than £1,000 per ton of seaweed (wet weight).

This, the report says, is a price level “which might not be achievable without added value being incorporated in the business model”.

This could mean investment in processing infrastructure and, the authors suggest, collaboration between small producers. The report also recommends that the example of the Scottish Shellfi sh Marketing Group could be followed in terms of encouraging co-operative ventures and providing guidance for farmers. The report also suggested streamlining the licensing process. FF

Talking sensors

Atotal of 157 par� cipants from 33 countries a� ended the webinar on the Applica� on of Sensors in Precision Aquaculture (#aquasensors).

Hosted by Swansea University’s Centre for Sustainable Aqua� c Research (CSAR) in collabora� on with the Waterford Ins� tute of Technology on 25 of May 2021, the webinar is now available on YouTube and the talks can be downloaded from the website.

Dr Sara Barrento, marine biologist and science communicator at CSAR, introduced the webinar topic and noted the mo� va� on behind the need for precision aquaculture for real-� me sensor technology to facilitate sustainable management of aquaculture facili� es as they increase in size and become more advanced, locate further off shore and aim towards restora� ve aquaculture.

Dr Barrento also introduced the Access2Sea project pilot case study on lumpfi sh welfare. The team at CSAR is developing the Lumpfi sh Welfare Watcher a web-based applica� on that will calculate the Lumpfi sh Opera� onal Welfare Score Index (LOWSI) based on four visual indicators (skin damage, eye condi� on, caudal fi n damage and suc� on disk deformi� es), and the rela� ve weight. The applica� on will also have a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator, funded by the Seafood Innova� on Fund, the calculator allows to determine the propor� on of lumpfi sh that are emaciated, underweight, and normal, along with recommenda� ons for ac� on.

Professor Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, director of CSAR at Swansea University, introduced the STREAM (Sensor Technologies for Remote Environmental Aqua� c Monitoring) project. The project is monitoring Coastal and Estuarine environments around both Ireland and Wales using cost eff ec� ve sensors to support the coastal industry (including aquaculture), environmental and climate science.

Dr Sofi a Teixeira of the Tyndall Ins� tute in Ireland presented on smart sensors for wellness and health in aquaculture. These sensors are non-invasive and provide rapid tests to monitor health by measuring indicators, such as cor� sol, that have wide applica� ons in the assessment of the immune competence, stress, growth, and behaviour.

Professor David Gethin, of the Welsh Centre for Prin� ng and Coa� ng (WCPC) at Swansea University, gave a brief overview of commercial sensors and highlighted the benefi ts of printable sensors; they are less expensive and can measure a range of parameters in an integrated system. However, printable sensors need to be calibrated against laboratory and commercial devices, and their durability s� ll needs to be tried and tested. Professor Gethin also provided an overview of the methods used to print the sensors being developed for the STREAM project.

in the area during previous sampling programmes and projects. Mr O’Loan concluded by reitera� ng the pressures faced by the Aquaculture industry and the need for more aff ordable, spa� ally, and temporally sophis� cated real-� me monitoring with no� fi ca� ons if a parameter goes outside a pre-defi ned level.

Paul Shanahan, of the Na� onal Mari� me College of Ireland (NMCI), highlighted the advantages that coastal radar systems provide, such as accurate local weather informa� on which can be disseminated to social media and coastal stakeholders who can make choices on whether it is safe/ suitable to carry out an ac� vity/ opera� on on a given day. Mr Shanahan explained the type of radar in use, its characteris� cs, loca� ons and showed the data it generates talking the audience through the various characteris� cs of the radar display. The STREAM project is hoping to deploy one of these radars in Swansea, Wales in the near future.

Paul Howes (top le� ), Manager of the Centre for Sustainable Aqua� c Research, alongside Dr Pete Jones (middle) and

Dr Josh Jones (bo� om), researchers working on the STREAM projects at Swansea University, did a talk on the research taking place in CSAR using sensors. Mr Howes focused on the unique facili� es and projects taking place in CSAR, using a variety of species from microalgae to fi sh, and topics such as aquaponics and aqua biotech. Dr Pete Jones focused on experimental lab work using sensors for determining preference and avoidance thresholds for marine organisms.

Dr Josh Jones focused on the mapping opportuni� es and challenges for aquaculture and fi sheries, using relevant data from sensors.

Gyopár Elekes, of fap� c.xyz, focused on the use of machine vision technology that can access lumpfi sh clinging behaviour. The technology uses underwater cameras to record stereoscopic images, the AI and deep learning algorithms allow collec� ng key data which will then inform on the number of fi sh, defi ne thresholds for fi sh density and, in the case of lumpfi sh, access the propor� on of fi sh clinging and swimming.

Chris� an Berger, of PEBL – Plant Ecology Beyond Land, focused on the importance of monitoring low trophic sea farms: the data can be used to inform on the ideal loca� on of new aquaculture sites, create op� mized harvest schedules, provide early warning and troubleshoo� ng and validate sustainable objec� ves (carbon, nitrogen, biodiversity). He presented the SeaLens: a low-cost sea farm monitoring tool and a case study on a proposed seaweed and shellfi sh farm in Skye.

The webinar on the Applica� on of Sensors in Precision Aquaculture had the support from the European Project Access2Sea funded by the Interreg Atlan� c Area Programme through the European Regional Development Fund and STREAM: Sensor Technologies for Remote Environmental Aqua� c Monitoring funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Coopera� on programme. FF

Brian O’Loan, of Bord Iascaigh Mhara gave a very informa� ve presenta� on on the shellfi sh aquaculture industry in the SE of Ireland. He began by explaining the value of shellfi sh aquaculture in the region and the impacts that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the industry. Mr O’Loan then discussed the commercial sensors he had used in the past outlining the good and bad points of each. Mr O’Loan presented data that he had recorded