Fall 2020 Update: Meet Laura, Our New R&D Coordinator!

I am excited to introduce myself as the new Research & Development Coordinator with the AANS! I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many of you through our ongoing research projects, and I look forward to continuing to meet our members, whether virtually or (hopefully, soon) face-to-face.

Our ongoing research and development projects aim to promote the innovation and technology of Nova Scotia’s aquaculture industry. We have developed three exciting projects through NRC-IRAP, where we work directly with farmers on smaller-scale initiatives:

• We are working with an oyster farmer to diversify their business to include seaweed cultivation directly on their existing oyster lines. This project involves developing alternative methods of sporulating seeded lines using resources available provincially.

• We are building a strategy to implement Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for the shellfish sector in Nova Scotia. We are working to develop an analysis to see how we can help move the shellfish farmers to achieve certification requirements. Keep a look-out for our short questionnaire that will be sent out soon!

• We are working with a shellfish farmer to develop a plan to assist in the development and growth of their business and to better understand the stages of business development that exist among oyster farming and processing.

A proposal for the AANS Strategic Plan has been developed through Labour and Advanced Education to support capacity building and to develop programs focusing on the attraction and retention of youth and skilled workers to the aquaculture industry. This is being proposed as an aquaculture sector initiative.

We have many other projects on the go, as well. If you are interested in learning more, or have a project idea, please don’t hesitate to reach out to rdc@seafarmers.ca.