WEAREAQUACULTURE issue nr1
Issue nr WEAREAQUACULTURE In-depth journalism, interviews, industry insights and case studies covering the aquaculture sector like no one else.
Issue nr WEAREAQUACULTURE
In-depth journalism, interviews, industry insights and case studies covering the aquaculture sector like no one else.
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First Edition | march - june 2023<br />
wEAREAquAculturE ®<br />
BE INSPIRED!<br />
wEARESEAFOOD ®<br />
wEAREFISHERIES ®<br />
wEAREFEED ®<br />
AN INSIDE LOOK AT<br />
AQUACULTURE SUPPLIERS<br />
COMPETING FOR SUCCESS<br />
IN NORWAY’S THRIVING<br />
AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY<br />
PASSION
Your<br />
Executive<br />
Search &<br />
Recruitment<br />
Partner.<br />
Finding the best people for your<br />
aquaculture and seafood business<br />
critical roles.<br />
aquaculturetalent.com<br />
2 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
AquacultureTalent is a leader<br />
in search and headhunting<br />
consultancy, with headquarter<br />
and offices in Norway, Spain,<br />
UK and the USA, we operate<br />
at a global level in 4 core<br />
sectors; aquaculture, seafood,<br />
fisheries and feed.<br />
Norway, Trondheim Office<br />
Falkenborgvegen 9, 4. etg.<br />
7044 Trondheim<br />
USA, Sacramento Office<br />
101 Parkshore Drive, Suite 100<br />
Folsom, CA 95630<br />
Scotland Office<br />
272 Bath Street<br />
Glasgow<br />
G2 4JR England Office<br />
CAI Building, Coble Dene, Royals<br />
Quays<br />
North Shields<br />
NE296DE<br />
Spain Office<br />
Carrer de Ruiz Zorrilla, 1,<br />
12001 Castelló de la Plana,<br />
Castelló<br />
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+47 45 000 920<br />
+1 (916) 385-7214<br />
+44 (0) 739 840 3927<br />
+34 609 861 275<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 3
<strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE<br />
WHY <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong><br />
06<br />
STRENGTHEN THE SHRIMP INDUSTRY<br />
08<br />
AN INSIDE LOOK AT<br />
AQUACULTURE SUPPLIERS<br />
14<br />
COMPETING FOR SUC-<br />
CESS IN NORWAY’S<br />
THRIVING AQUACULTURE<br />
INDUSTRY<br />
IN SALMON WE TRUST<br />
19<br />
22<br />
TALENTVIEW:<br />
SYLVIA WULF<br />
28<br />
TALENTVIEW:<br />
DEBRA HELLBACH<br />
36<br />
GENDER EQUALITY:<br />
WHY IS IMPORTANT<br />
46<br />
WHY THE FUTURE OF<br />
“BLUE REVOLUTION”<br />
CONCERNS ALL OF US<br />
50<br />
4 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
FEATURED ARTICLES<br />
28<br />
Debra Hellbach, is the Manager at<br />
Vancouver Island University Centre<br />
for Seafood Innovation and a<br />
real seafood advocate.<br />
36<br />
Talking to Sylvia Wulf, CEO of<br />
AquaBounty Technologies, about<br />
aquaculture is… ‘different’.<br />
19<br />
14<br />
Kontali, an independent world-leading provider<br />
of data and analyses covering large parts of global<br />
aquaculture and fisheries, publishes each year the<br />
Norwegian Aquaculture Supplier Report<br />
Interview with Ola Kvalheim, CEO of Ode (former<br />
Gadus Group) about the company situation and an<br />
outlook into the future.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 5
WHY<br />
<strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong><br />
Because you are not alone.<br />
We are a driven and creative aquaculture,<br />
seafood and fisheries community.<br />
And this will be our meeting place,<br />
edition after editon.<br />
Because it is our belief to Inspire<br />
progress globally where most<br />
important is people factor.<br />
Because we are super-professionals, not<br />
superheroes. And we are not afraid to<br />
show our human side, the one that makes<br />
us unique both at work and at home.<br />
Because we know you want to<br />
be up to date with what’s going<br />
on in the aquaculture, seafood<br />
and fisheries industry and be<br />
inspired, so we’ll revolutionize<br />
Storytelling, Employer Branding.<br />
Because we should repeat to ourselves<br />
every day how exciting it is to have<br />
on hand every day the most valuable<br />
resources that exist: people.<br />
From interviews, case studies, talent and<br />
companies stories, employer branding,<br />
industry insights and news to advertising,<br />
our mix of curated and exclusive original<br />
content is designed to bring awareness<br />
and provide creative solutions dedicated<br />
for the Aquaculture, Seafood, Fisheries<br />
communities.<br />
Because it ‘s not just about<br />
Aquaculture, Seafood, Fisheries<br />
industry, it’s also about us, about<br />
the people behind industry.<br />
WE ARE AQUACULTURE!<br />
WEAREAQUACUTURE<br />
Team<br />
6 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
MEET THE TEAM<br />
wEAREAquAculturE ®<br />
MARKETING AND GROWTH MANAGER<br />
Ruben Botn Jørgensen<br />
ruben@weareaquaculture.com<br />
EDITORIAL TEAM<br />
Editor<br />
Marta N. Gutiérrez<br />
Editor<br />
Louisa Gairn<br />
Ruben Botn Jørgensen<br />
MARKETING AND GROWTH<br />
MANAGER<br />
Marta N. Gutiérrez<br />
EDITOR<br />
Louisa Gairn<br />
EDITOR<br />
Journalist<br />
Carmen Maria Halpin<br />
Manages our company’s social<br />
media marketing, strategic<br />
partner programs and growth.<br />
Dedicated to aquaculture and<br />
seafood industry, contributing<br />
from day one to the design<br />
and communication of editorial<br />
projects, brand development,<br />
employer branding, industry<br />
insights and editorial<br />
advertising solutions.<br />
Storytelling is her passion since<br />
more than 20 years ago and<br />
these days she enjoys writing<br />
about the seafood industry and<br />
it is people. Native to a fishing<br />
village in northern Spain, fishing<br />
is part of her culture. She has a<br />
master’s and bachelor’s degree<br />
in journalism and radio.<br />
Experienced journalist and<br />
editor with international<br />
experience (Scotland, Finland,<br />
and Spain). In addition to her<br />
work as a professional writer,<br />
a published author, she is<br />
passionate about helping<br />
others tell their stories, and<br />
thrives on working with people<br />
from diverse fields, countries,<br />
and cultures.<br />
Content writer<br />
Rocío Á. Jiménez<br />
Images<br />
Adobe Stock<br />
CEO<br />
Cristian L. Popa Aved<br />
cristian@weareaquaculture.com<br />
SALES<br />
advertising@weareaquaculture.com<br />
sales@weareaquaculture.com<br />
EDITORIAL ADDRESS<br />
Falkenborgvegen 9,<br />
7044 Trondheim<br />
Cristian L. Popa Aved<br />
CEO<br />
Carmen Maria Halpin<br />
JOURNALIST<br />
Rocío Á. Jiménez<br />
CONTENT WRITER<br />
Norway<br />
+47 45 000 900<br />
Specialized in management,<br />
A journalist from the south of<br />
She always loved to tell stories.<br />
editorial@weareaquaculture.com<br />
executive search, recruitment,<br />
Andalusia where our ancestors<br />
This is the reason why she,<br />
and business development for<br />
have always given a vital value<br />
became a journalist. She had<br />
the aquaculture and seafood<br />
industry. Successful and<br />
to land and sea. Carmen comes<br />
with a bachelor’s degree from<br />
the opportunity to develop her<br />
career in different countries and<br />
WWW.<strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong>.COM<br />
proven business leader with<br />
over 15 years of experience<br />
in strategic and operational<br />
the University of Sevilla. As a<br />
communicator, she wants to<br />
share stories and show why the<br />
industries and subsequently as<br />
a Social Media Editor too. With<br />
her passion for word she now<br />
We Are Aquaculture magazine is a brand<br />
product of AquacultureTalent, published by<br />
<strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> AS.<br />
management at a senior level.<br />
At AquacultureTalent he is<br />
sea and everything related to<br />
it matter a lot. Communication<br />
writes daily news and stories<br />
from aquaculture and seafood<br />
ISSN 2704-0801<br />
responsible for developing<br />
is her passion and she has a<br />
industry.<br />
business strategies and driving<br />
the company to growth and<br />
success.<br />
strong belief that information<br />
is an important instrument of<br />
power that society must have.<br />
© Copyright 2023 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> AS. All rights reserved.<br />
Title is protected through a trademark registered with<br />
the Norwegian and U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Printed<br />
in the U.S.A & Europe. Reproduction of any material from this<br />
publication is strictly prohibited without the prior consent of<br />
the publisher.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 7
Strengthen the<br />
Author<br />
Rocio Álvarez Jiménez<br />
shrimp industry<br />
The pending task<br />
Today is trendy to talk about shrimp. There is not a day that goes<br />
by without news regarding this incipient sector about which little is<br />
known and much is wanted to be discovered<br />
There are even some who dare to<br />
ensure that after salmon, prawns<br />
are the main successors in terms<br />
of great aquaculture products.<br />
But the salmon business has changed a lot<br />
in the last 20 years. It has been developed,<br />
modernized, and customized. Instead, the<br />
shrimp sector looks like more to the Devil’s<br />
Triangle. Shrimp farms are small and belong<br />
in the majority of cases to the family business.<br />
Then, the final product is sold to a local<br />
processor. Consequently, the process of<br />
entering the highly complex global supply<br />
chain is almost impossible or at least<br />
challenging.<br />
Therefore, it seems more than pertinent<br />
to ask the most relevant experts for their<br />
opinions and solutions in this regard.<br />
WeAreAquaculture has had the privilege<br />
of peeking a little more into this emergent<br />
world.<br />
Firstly, the Vice President of Sales<br />
Aquaculture at RIMFROST AS, reminds<br />
us that the shrimp industry in the main<br />
producing countries like Ecuador and India<br />
is very fragmented. Incuding some large<br />
producers and many smaller companies.<br />
“I think consolidation is taking place through<br />
the commercialization and export of the<br />
products since many of the smaller producers<br />
don’t have the infrastructure and contacts to<br />
do the processing and exports. They do that<br />
through the processing facilities of the bigger<br />
companies. The market itself will push for<br />
consolidation, to channel all the increased<br />
production to the international markets.”<br />
Because of this fragmentation, a senior<br />
analyst at Kontali, Sander Visch remarks that<br />
the shrimp industry is harder to map in terms<br />
of data collection. Constant data surveillance<br />
is key to unlocking and establishing reliable<br />
data. Data are the building blocks of any<br />
successful analysis. From which forecast,<br />
and risk analysis can be established, and<br />
investments can be made to promote<br />
modernization in the sector, he highlights.<br />
8 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
To become a consolidated<br />
and modernized sector<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 9
we can consider shrimp farming sustainable.<br />
In the sense that it can continue over time<br />
without significantly affecting the natural environment<br />
beyond its present state.<br />
In the same line, Rico Wibisono, Chief Operating<br />
Officer at FisTx, adds we must reduce<br />
the lack of knowledge among shrimp farming<br />
holders by introducing technology with gradual<br />
steps. Second, we must be open mind for<br />
tech and data because data is new mining in<br />
the future. All, can reduce risk and optimize<br />
What about<br />
sustainability<br />
profit.<br />
Finally, consultant RAS shrimp farming,<br />
Philip Buike, advises technological advances<br />
take their time to develop. As we have seen in<br />
traditional shrimp-producing areas across<br />
the globe, technological advancement is neither<br />
linear nor rapid. While standard designs<br />
and procedures emerge these are the most<br />
optimum mix of resource use, financial risk,<br />
and complexity for each particular area be it<br />
Latam, South East Asia, or India.<br />
Regarding sustainability certifications, Visch<br />
notes that some farms have already gained<br />
them. However, there is also a group of<br />
agents who are more directly controlling<br />
farm operations or even their cash (flow),<br />
and unfortunately do not always have the<br />
best interest of the farmer at heart. But to<br />
change the sector, we need to involve them<br />
as well and provide a place for them in the<br />
supply chain, which is easier said than done<br />
as cultural and community structures are<br />
sometimes difficult to adjust.<br />
Moreover, he adds it is largely down to the<br />
farmers, and their commitment to improving<br />
their business operations. However, usually<br />
cost is involved which they cannot always<br />
bear. Therefore, third parties could provide<br />
assistance in providing sustainable loans<br />
or another way of financing. However, they<br />
need to have a good understanding of the<br />
risks involved, and that is where data analysis<br />
and information are key again.<br />
On the other hand, Buike focuses the debate<br />
on energy use. On the surface, it would<br />
appear that inland shrimp farming could<br />
successfully present itself as an ecologically<br />
responsible enterprise. It is important to note<br />
that most of the world´s shrimp currently<br />
come from simple phototrophic systems. The<br />
sun is the primary energy source to drive the<br />
system.<br />
Any move towards intensification requires<br />
some sort of external energy input. It is the<br />
relative cost of this energy versus production<br />
gains that will determine technological advance<br />
in any particular region, he explains.<br />
Companies are now more aware of the need<br />
to make the sector sustainable. Many of them<br />
are reforesting the mangroves and doing social<br />
work, López Alvarado recalls. At present<br />
10 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
In addition, the Chief Operating Officer at FisTx asks<br />
for a farming system with a minimum water exchange.<br />
A policy for wastewater treatment with mangrove zone<br />
with communal wastewater treatment. Finally, customer<br />
awareness of trigger prices is a reward for saving the<br />
environment.<br />
Shrimp farming in Europe<br />
One of the questions that arouse more curiosity today is<br />
how the old continent must compete against the other<br />
markets. How Europe can install and competent a consolidate<br />
shrimp industry.<br />
For shrimp farming to work in Europe, it must be extremely<br />
efficient in resource use. Particularly in two key<br />
areas, water use, and labor demand. In simple terms,<br />
if labor and real estate costs are high, you have to<br />
produce a lot in a small space with as few people as<br />
possible, Buike says.<br />
Labor use is minimized by automating many repetitive<br />
tasks traditionally done by relatively unskilled labor, and<br />
production per unit volume should be at least one order<br />
of magnitude higher than that achieved in semi-intensive<br />
open pond systems.<br />
Thus, the consultant RAS shrimp farming stage the<br />
challenge in both maximizing return per unit energy<br />
input and securing renewable means to provide that<br />
energy. Therefore it is premature to talk about the<br />
international market penetration of European-farmed<br />
shrimp.<br />
However, what is very clear, is the massive potential<br />
homegrown shrimp has within the domestic market. The<br />
question here is how could European shrimp compete<br />
with imports in this extremely lucrative market. The real<br />
key to the future of shrimp farming in Europe depends<br />
entirely on the size and robustness of this market, he<br />
states.<br />
The logical conclusion of this train of thought is what<br />
we are seeing at present with the new high-tech RAS<br />
operations throughout Europe. Theoretically, beyond the<br />
initial filling of the facility, water use is practically zero.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 11
Besides, López Alvarado alerts about the<br />
small size of the European production.<br />
Production costs are higher. In my opinion, the<br />
European producers should take advantage of<br />
being close to a very good market. Also, specialize<br />
in selling a fresh product, or even live<br />
product that does not compete with the products<br />
coming from South America and Asia.<br />
Alike, Wibisono encourages European farmers<br />
to take advantage of the market they can<br />
approach. I think that quality and higher prices<br />
can be achieved with RAS and biofloc model.<br />
Direct order, quality, freshness, taste, and zero<br />
waste can be good for promotion to European<br />
customers.<br />
Seeking for<br />
professionals<br />
Just by scratching a little, you can see how the sector is full of specialized<br />
people with a thorough knowledge of the system. However, Despite this, it<br />
is striking how the sector still has a long way to go to become professionalized.<br />
Educating and communicating seems a convulsive task.<br />
Lastly, Philip Buike shares his concerns about this. The main challenge in<br />
this area is the fact that often larger start-ups do not have experienced aquaculturists<br />
at the senior executive level.<br />
This potentially can be problematic. As the criteria needed to make critical<br />
decisions often has to come from third parties. Those whose own experience of<br />
shrimp culture be it intensive or otherwise, is limited.<br />
This has led to major design flaws remaining undetected until production has<br />
begun. Invariably leading to expensive refits and in some cases, loss of investor<br />
confidence. Whilst this is most definitely not unique in the aquaculture world,<br />
the situation contrasts sharply with Equador for example. Here all the major<br />
players have grown over many years. The executive teams have an intimate<br />
knowledge of their business, he underlines.<br />
12 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Local Knowledge,<br />
Global Reach.<br />
Your<br />
Executive<br />
Search<br />
Partner.<br />
Finding the best people for your<br />
aquaculture and seafood business<br />
critical roles.<br />
Norway Office<br />
Falkenborgvegen 9, 4. etg.<br />
7044 Trondheim<br />
USA Office<br />
101 Parkshore Drive, Suite 100<br />
Folsom, CA 95630<br />
Scotland Office<br />
272 Bath Street<br />
Glasgow, G2 4JR<br />
Spain Office<br />
Carrer de Ruiz Zorrilla, 1,<br />
12001, Castelló<br />
+47 476 32 721 / +47 45 000 920<br />
+1 916 385 7214<br />
+44 (0) 739 840 3927<br />
hello@aquaculturetalent.com<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 13
An Inside Look at<br />
Aquaculture<br />
Photo<br />
by Kontali<br />
Author Ruben Jørgensen<br />
Suppliers<br />
Costs, Competition and Concerns:<br />
14 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
About Kontali<br />
When it comes to<br />
aquaculture, beyond<br />
production, there is a<br />
network of suppliers<br />
that are also essential for the chain to<br />
continue functioning. Aware of this,<br />
Kontali, an independent world-leading<br />
provider of data and analyses covering<br />
large parts of global aquaculture and<br />
fisheries, publishes each year the<br />
Norwegian Aquaculture Supplier Report.<br />
We spoke to one of its analysts, Arild<br />
Stormer about the highlights of the latest<br />
edition, 2022.<br />
Kontali is an independent worldleading<br />
provider of data and<br />
analyses covering large parts of<br />
global aquaculture and fisheries.<br />
Their mission is to acquire a<br />
comprehensive understanding<br />
of the realm of aquaculture<br />
and fisheries, including the<br />
various species and their<br />
interconnections. By sharing their<br />
extensive knowledge of seafood,<br />
they aim to promote a more<br />
balanced world, both above and<br />
below the surface.<br />
Kontali’s Norwegian Aquaculture<br />
Suppliers 2022 report includes<br />
up to 14 different segments of the<br />
aquaculture supply chain:<br />
According to Arild, it appears that a trend<br />
is beginning to emerge. While there are<br />
variations among companies, a general<br />
trend towards consolidation within the<br />
supplier industry is becoming evident.<br />
Many companies are seeking economies<br />
of scale and greater access to a broader<br />
range of services and larger portfolio,<br />
resulting in a rise in mergers and<br />
acquisitions.<br />
This is something that is happening<br />
especially in the wellboat segment<br />
and Stormer gives us an example with<br />
Åkerblå. The leader in knowledgebased<br />
marine health company has been<br />
acquiring smaller firms in recent years.<br />
Stormer explains that, as the trend<br />
towards more and more mergers<br />
becomes evident, we see that there is<br />
also innovation within the industry that<br />
contributes to increased competition.<br />
However, this also means that entering<br />
the market and gaining market share is<br />
becoming increasingly capital-intensive.<br />
» Broodstock, breeding and<br />
genetics<br />
» Medications, vaccinations, and<br />
chemicals<br />
» Fish health services<br />
» Feed producers<br />
» Shipyards<br />
» Site service and support<br />
» Net and net service providers<br />
» Sea lice treatment systems<br />
» Well boat operators<br />
» Packaging<br />
» Certification<br />
» Land-based and closedcontainment<br />
technology<br />
suppliers<br />
» Multidiscipline<br />
» Other suppliers<br />
The report is based in various sources, mainly the official<br />
financial statements available from The Brønnøysund<br />
Register Center, and, although it does not cover all<br />
suppliers to the Norwegian aquaculture industry, it does<br />
analyse a broad sample of 178 suppliers.<br />
“Generally speaking, the wellboat segment<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 15
An emerging trend<br />
has extremely good profit margins and has<br />
had them for several years. Over time, they<br />
have received more assignments and have<br />
become a bigger part of daily operations.<br />
They not only deliver fish, but also have<br />
a greater role in delousing (thermally<br />
and mechanically), which accounts for<br />
approximately NOK 7 billion annually”, he<br />
says.<br />
Wellboat, the segment with<br />
the largest increase<br />
The fact is that the sales revenue for<br />
the wellboat segment has significantly<br />
increased by 3.3 billion NOK from 2020,<br />
representing a 9% increase in just<br />
one year. However, there have been<br />
significant variations in activity levels<br />
among operators, with five companies<br />
reporting negative earnings before<br />
interest and taxes (EBIT).<br />
The larger companies (Froy, Rostein,<br />
Solvtrans and Norsk Fisketransport) with<br />
a strong market position are more likely<br />
to secure contracts, but as profitability<br />
increases within the wellboat industry,<br />
new entrants are seeking to establish<br />
themselves in the market and share in<br />
the profits.<br />
to build them themselves. As Stormer<br />
explains, a company such as Alsaker<br />
– one of the leading farming groups<br />
in Norway when it comes to salmon<br />
production – may say, “When it is so<br />
expensive to rent a wellboat, it is better to<br />
do the job ourselves.”<br />
The risks facing<br />
aquaculture’s suppliers<br />
During his conversation with<br />
WeAreAquaculture, Arild Stormer<br />
highlights one more thing, a risk for<br />
Norwegian aquaculture suppliers: the<br />
ground rent tax in Norway. We do not<br />
know the full repercussions of this in<br />
the long run, he explains. There are<br />
already investments worth billions that<br />
have been frozen and projects have been<br />
halted, precisely due to the tax. Although<br />
this primarily impacts those with food<br />
fish licenses, it will also affect other<br />
collaborating actors in the value chain.<br />
This may lead to more focus on the cost<br />
side of operations, further increasing<br />
pressure and competition among<br />
suppliers.<br />
Aquaculture companies have begun<br />
building their own wellboats to avoid<br />
relying on a shipping company, choosing<br />
16 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Moreover, the impact of the salmon<br />
tax is expected to have significant<br />
consequences on the direct supply<br />
industry, with investors in hatcheries,<br />
and further processing being affected.<br />
In conclusion, while the long-term<br />
effects of the rent tax remain uncertain,<br />
it is clear that the tax is causing concern<br />
across the entire value chain, with larger<br />
consequences than initially anticipated.<br />
It may take a few years before we fully<br />
understand its impact.<br />
Photo<br />
by Arild Stormer<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 17
18 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1<br />
Cod farming is gaining momentum,<br />
how far will it reach?
Author<br />
Ruben Jørgensen<br />
Competing for Success<br />
in Norway’s Thriving<br />
Aquaculture Industry<br />
How did the idea of starting with<br />
cod farming come about?<br />
The cod farming<br />
industry has been<br />
gaining momentum<br />
as an excellent<br />
opportunity to provide<br />
sustainable and healthy<br />
protein to the world. We had<br />
the opportunity to talk to Ola<br />
Kvalheim, CEO of former<br />
Gadus Group, now Ode, the<br />
Norwegian-based cod farming<br />
company, and discussed the<br />
challenges and opportunities<br />
in the industry.<br />
The world needs more healthy and<br />
sustainable protein, and farming cod is an<br />
excellent opportunity to solve both the need<br />
for more protein and the need for more<br />
sustainable food production. I grew up in a<br />
small rural community along the Norwegian<br />
coastline, with a long heritage of exporting<br />
cod. Before the tremendous success of the<br />
salmon industry, cod was the most important<br />
seafood option from Norway. Now we are<br />
finally able to successfully farm the iconic<br />
Atlantic cod.<br />
What is the biggest challenge of<br />
cod farming compared to salmon<br />
farming?<br />
At Ode we have been building a company,<br />
organisation and structure from the ground<br />
to almost 100 employees in less than 3 years.<br />
People often talk about licenses, farms, and<br />
boats, and seem to somehow forget that we<br />
are building completely new organisations,<br />
a new culture and creating solid structures.<br />
Photos<br />
Ola Kvalheim, CEO of Ode,<br />
photo by Ode Kvalheim<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 19
Salmon companies are large and have a long<br />
history with the existing set-up. We are young<br />
and innovative with tremendous growth and<br />
dynamism.<br />
How do you see the competition<br />
evolving in the future, with more and<br />
more players trying their hand at cod<br />
farming?<br />
We think the publicly available projections of<br />
growth of the industry over the next 3-5 years<br />
is greatly overestimated. Publicly announced<br />
estimated harvest volumes for 2023-2025 have<br />
already started coming down and we expect more<br />
negative revisions to growth outlook through<br />
2023. In the long run, the industry has fantastic<br />
potential for growth and value creation, and we<br />
expect to be the key driver of that growth. It’s the<br />
typical problem of overestimating short-term<br />
changes and underestimating long-term changes.<br />
What are your thoughts on going<br />
public in the near future, like<br />
Norcod?<br />
We are very pleased with our shareholder<br />
structure and currently do not foresee any<br />
changes. Our structure provides a stable and<br />
long-term foundation for developing our<br />
company. This long-term orientation allows us to<br />
build organisational structure, improve our value<br />
chain, develop our operations and scale according<br />
to the relevant input factors. Put together, that is<br />
a key differentiating factor for us.<br />
What measures have been taken<br />
to prevent unfortunate incidents<br />
like the escaped cod from the Volda<br />
location?<br />
significantly in new and modern equipment.<br />
The most important strategy is always to have<br />
competent and experienced people that have the<br />
right mindset, the right culture and work well<br />
together. We are very data-driven and have more<br />
than 100 sensors in each of our farms. Together<br />
with our underwater cameras, this connects our<br />
control room and feeding central to our farms<br />
and ensures we monitor key aspects live. It also<br />
enables us to gather and analyse data to learn and<br />
improve faster all the time. We spend significant<br />
time getting to the bottom of any type of incident<br />
impacting our company negatively. For the<br />
incident at Volda we did that, found the cause and<br />
have now made the necessary changes.<br />
What are Ode’s overall future plans?<br />
We are sticking to the ambitious growth-plan we<br />
set back in 2020. We are very long term oriented<br />
and aim to be a leading seafood company in the<br />
future. Initially we had a clear focus on building<br />
our organisation, our value chain, establishing<br />
best-in-class operations and positioning our<br />
product in the market. Based on very strong<br />
operations and biology coupled with solid<br />
demand for our products, we are now scaling<br />
significantly up.<br />
Have there been no investment<br />
stoppages in the cod industry?<br />
Investment is drying up everywhere – salmon,<br />
other species, land-based. Risk premium for<br />
investments in Norway has gone materially up<br />
due to increased political risk. Specialty taxes<br />
imposed ex-post change behaviour and make<br />
people think twice about investing in new projects<br />
and new companies.<br />
We run our operations according to the same high<br />
standards as the rest of the aquaculture industry<br />
in Norway, are certified and have invested<br />
20 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Interview with Ola Kvalheim, CEO of Ode (former Gadus Group) about<br />
the company situation and an outlook into the future.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 21
Unterfex morae,menRitiliu voccivivis<br />
etilicul husonduc ficae nos, condees<br />
immortuu<br />
Author<br />
Marta Negrete<br />
In salmon<br />
we trust<br />
Price rises, but consumer demand starts to<br />
fall. Will salmon hold its own at the top in<br />
times of inflation? Experts think so.<br />
Early november 2022 the<br />
Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC)<br />
announced that in October the<br />
value of salmon exports broke<br />
records once again. “The most significant<br />
contribution to the increase in value is the<br />
increased price”, Paul T. Aandahl, Seafood<br />
Analyst at the NSC, said in the report.<br />
However, it also included a wake-up call:<br />
reports suggest a decline in seafood domestic<br />
consumption. “We live in demanding and<br />
troubled times, with high food inflation and a<br />
fierce battle for proteins worldwide”, said the<br />
NSC CEO, Christian Chramer. So, the present<br />
is encouraging, but what does the future look<br />
like? Will salmon be able to keep prices this<br />
high if demand falls?<br />
High prices and good prospects<br />
Since the pandemic and until this<br />
announcement, demand for Atlantic salmon<br />
has only increased in recent years. An<br />
increase that, as Finn-Arne Egeness, Chief<br />
Analyst Seafood at Nordea, explains, has been<br />
driven by market and product development,<br />
22 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Photo<br />
Arturo Clément, COB & CEO<br />
at SalmonChile.<br />
Photo by SalmonChile.<br />
as well as by economic development, a<br />
growing world population, and also by the<br />
increased attention to health and eating<br />
habits in various consumer segments. Despite<br />
this increase, total salmon production<br />
will decrease in 2022, to 2.862 million tons<br />
compared to 2.894 million tons in 2021.<br />
So far, that hasn’t affected prices – quite<br />
the contrary. “This year, salmon prices have<br />
been all-time high. This is due to increased<br />
demand post-pandemic, increased food<br />
prices, and a negative growth in the global<br />
salmon supply”, says Egeness. Paul T. Aandahl<br />
comments the same, although the Seafood<br />
Analyst at the Norwegian Seafood Council<br />
adds a nuance: “We see a reduction in<br />
consumption at home, it’s a global trend”, he<br />
says, “the prices are going up on the salmon<br />
products as we see for all other types of<br />
protein if we compare with the same period<br />
last year”.<br />
From Chile, Arturo Clément, COB & CEO<br />
at SalmonChile, tells WeAreAquaculture<br />
something very similar. “We have seen a<br />
recession that has affected the main markets<br />
where Chilean salmon arrives, but the<br />
important thing is that despite this there has<br />
not been a big impact on demand”, he says.<br />
Although, unlike other markets, they have<br />
already noticed some changes in prices.<br />
Nevertheless, they remain optimistic. “While<br />
it is true that prices have dropped from the<br />
peak shown a few months ago, the market has<br />
remained dynamic”, says Clément.<br />
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So, we have a positive present but, what will<br />
happen next? According to Egeness, forward<br />
prices for fresh Norwegian salmon are very<br />
strong for both Q1 and Q2 2023 (FishPool). At<br />
the same time, all feed prices have increased<br />
due to higher feed prices following the war<br />
in Ukraine and rising inflation. “With this in<br />
mind, it is reasonable to believe that salmon<br />
prices will remain at a high level in the future”,<br />
the Nordea analyst states. “With a limited<br />
supply growth going forward, the price outlook<br />
is strong”, he adds.<br />
No substitute in the HORECA<br />
channel<br />
In explaining the reasons for the increase<br />
in demand after the pandemic, Finn-Arne<br />
Egeness makes special mention of food<br />
service. “The hotel, restaurant and catering<br />
(HORECA) segment has been of increasing<br />
importance for the salmon”, he says. Paul<br />
T. Aandahl agrees. “Since the volume to the<br />
market is approximately the same as last year,<br />
it means that the sale in food service is much<br />
higher compared last year”, he explains. “We<br />
can see a shift from at-home consumption<br />
towards out-of-home consumption, that’s a<br />
general trend”, the NSC analyst adds, “a little<br />
bit higher in the EU compared to the US, but<br />
still a high increase in demand for salmon as a<br />
raw material or for consumption”, he claims.<br />
However, the current economic situation<br />
could change this trend, as Finn-Arne<br />
Egeness warns. “If increasing energy prices<br />
and increasing interest rates reduce the number<br />
of restaurant visits, this will have a negative<br />
impact on the demand for salmon”, he says.<br />
Although he assures us that, “this is mainly<br />
the case in Europe, the US market is not hit by<br />
the same energy crisis”. But, this is not his only<br />
clarification.<br />
raw in the sushi and sashimi segment. “If<br />
you want to eat sushi, you will eat salmon in<br />
most markets and market segments”, he thinks.<br />
The data seem to prove him right, even in<br />
inflationary times. As Aandahl points out,<br />
“even though we have the huge price increase,<br />
people are paying more for electricity, fuel,<br />
etcetera, there is still a huge demand in food<br />
service”, he says. Although he qualifies, they<br />
expect that to change and see a shift back<br />
to home consumption because people are<br />
going to have less money to spend on food<br />
consumption.<br />
Nevertheless, both agree that this change<br />
does not necessarily have to be negative<br />
as far as demand for salmon is concerned.<br />
“Sushi is also perfect for take away, so if the<br />
consumption drops in the restaurant, take<br />
away may increase”, believes Finn-Arne<br />
Egeness. And Paul T. Aandahl adds a new<br />
variable. “I expect consumers to go less out<br />
on restaurants next year, this winter, maybe.<br />
But it doesn’t necessarily have to be very<br />
negative for the salmon because salmon is<br />
easy to prepare at home, we saw that during<br />
the pandemic”, the NSC analyst tells us.<br />
What the pandemic left behind<br />
That variable, household consumption, was<br />
strengthened after the pandemic. “During the<br />
pandemic, people learnt how to cook salmon at<br />
home, so they have this knowledge now, and so<br />
I think it’s very easy for them to go back and<br />
prepare salmon at home”, Aandahl remarks. To<br />
which Finn-Arne Egeness adds, “during the<br />
pandemic, there was a massive development of<br />
high-end products in retail, this is an advantage<br />
of the economic development reduces the<br />
number of restaurant visits”.<br />
The Chief Analyst Seafood at Nordea also<br />
stresses that a big advantage of salmon is the<br />
“lack of substitute”, especially when consumed<br />
24 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Photo<br />
Finn-Arne Egeness, Chief Analyst Seafood,<br />
Nordea. Photo: Marius Fiskum.<br />
So, when it comes to indulging, indoors or out,<br />
salmon will continue to be an option. As Egeness<br />
mentioned earlier, Aandahl also believes that raw<br />
salmon is the key. “I think, raw consumption will<br />
still be in a positive trend”, he states. “It means that,<br />
even though you have less money to spend, you will<br />
kind of prioritize this, the raw salmon because you<br />
expect to buy very high-quality fish, and you buy it<br />
because you want to treat yourself with something<br />
while kind of extra if you want to celebrate<br />
something or whatever”.<br />
But salmon is not just a premium option. The<br />
reality is that it has become a must in the basic<br />
shopping basket for many families, even in<br />
countries where it is an imported fish. “That’s why<br />
I think the consumption will be quite robust, even<br />
though people are getting less money to spend,<br />
they will still continue to buy salmon. They might buy<br />
some, well, kind of cheaper salmon products, could be an<br />
effect, but they will still buy salmon”, says NSC’s Seafood<br />
Analyst.<br />
Finn-Arne Egeness agrees. “In the fresh fish counter<br />
in retail, consumers hit by prices inflation and higher<br />
energy costs might choose cheaper alternatives than<br />
salmon”, he tells us, “if possible, some consumers might<br />
choose frozen salmon ahead of fresh salmon, if frozen<br />
salmon is more economically affordable”.<br />
Salmon, a sure asset<br />
With all this in mind, to talk about the future, analysts<br />
review the past. Thus, while they are aware that<br />
difficult times lie ahead, both Finn-Arne Egeness<br />
(Nordea) and Paul T. Aandahl (NSC), recall what<br />
happened in previous financial crises. “Regarding the<br />
salmon, what we’ve seen historically is that the negative<br />
market trends have a really very small effect on salmon<br />
sales”, Aandahl says, “our assumption is that the salmon<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 25
Photo<br />
Paul T. Aandahl, Seafood Analyst at the Norwegian Seafood Council.<br />
Photo: Marius Fiskum / Norges sjømatråd.<br />
26 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
demand is quite robust regarding these negative macro trends we<br />
expect to see in near future”.<br />
“Following the international financial crisis in 2008, salmon prices<br />
increased both in 2009 and 2010. However, this was due to a negative<br />
supply growth, following ILA challenges in Chile”, Egeness recalls.<br />
Therefore, he thinks that “with a limited supply growth going<br />
forward, the price outlook is strong” and, according to his data,<br />
Kontali expects growth of 4%, to a total production of 2.977 million<br />
tons.<br />
“Next year we expect maybe 3-4 % global growth, and you can see that,<br />
every year, after the spikes in price we can see a reduction”, supports<br />
Aandahl, “that’s the historical trend”. According to the analyst at the<br />
Norwegian Seafood Council, next year, they expect a slightly lower<br />
global increase in production than we have seen, for example, in<br />
2017 to 2018-20119, so, maybe a reduction in price. “We don’t know<br />
the price, of course, but historically it has fallen after these spikes in<br />
price”, he says, adding that for next year, because of the contracts<br />
in the salmon end market and the level of consumption, he expects<br />
“to see a higher price on the raw material to some of the markets and<br />
then that would affect the consumer price at the end”. And, even if it<br />
takes a while, that ends up affecting the volume of demand.<br />
As we said at the beginning, we are living in demanding and<br />
troubled times, and difficult times are ahead. Of course, no one<br />
can be one hundred percent sure, but everything indicates that,<br />
although with some ups and downs, salmon -and its price- will<br />
be maintained. So yes, after talking to the experts, we can say ‘in<br />
salmon we trust’.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 27
Talking to Sylvia Wulf, CEO of<br />
AquaBounty Technologies,<br />
about aquaculture is…<br />
‘different’. Hers is not the<br />
story of someone always interested in the<br />
sea or fish; she came to the industry after<br />
her previous job required her to select<br />
suppliers that ensured the sustainability<br />
of their seafood products. This led her<br />
to understand not only the business of<br />
aquaculture but also why it is so essential<br />
for the planet’s future. “I became<br />
familiar with aquaculture, and I think it’s<br />
fascinating”, she explains.<br />
The Oxford English Dictionary defines<br />
fascination as “a powerful attraction that<br />
makes something very interesting”. Seen<br />
in this light, some might think Sylvia is a<br />
convert, but she is a believer. She believes<br />
“in the promise of aquaculture” and its<br />
critical role as we move forward. She<br />
is convinced that her company can do<br />
much to feed the world by transforming<br />
28 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Author<br />
Marta Negrete<br />
TalentView:<br />
Sylvia Wulf<br />
aquaculture with technology. She wants to<br />
achieve this by attracting the right talent, creating<br />
a career for people and ensuring animal welfare.<br />
Sylvia Wulf is not a preacher, nor does she even<br />
try to be. Her conviction and commitment<br />
are such that, inevitably, they are contagious.<br />
Listening to her is inspiring and makes us want to<br />
join her to fulfill the promise of aquaculture.<br />
Your previous work has been related<br />
to the seafood industry, but not<br />
aquaculture itself. Why now? What<br />
attracted you to aquaculture? What can<br />
you bring to the table from your previous<br />
positions and experience?<br />
I believe that aquaculture will play a critical role<br />
in meeting protein demand globally as we move<br />
forward. In my previous position at U.S. Foods,<br />
I was responsible for seafood procurement. We<br />
were conducting vendor selection and pursuing<br />
BAP [Best Aquaculture Practices] approvals for all<br />
of our vendors. We wanted them to be four-star<br />
BAP approved because we thought that matters<br />
regarding sustainability. So that was my first<br />
experience in aquaculture: understanding what<br />
it took, why it was necessary, and why it needed<br />
to be foundational to selecting our supplier<br />
partners.<br />
What I saw with AquaBounty is another method of<br />
farming that can play a critical role in providing a<br />
sustainable, nutritious protein to consumers. As<br />
we think about taking pressure off the oceans and<br />
some of the challenges that net-pen contributors<br />
have, including climate change, microplastics, all<br />
of that, we need another method of farming on<br />
land. We think that the combination of net-pen<br />
farming, ocean net-pen farming, and land-based<br />
farming will be able to meet the increasing<br />
demand, in our case, for salmon.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 29
At AquaBounty<br />
Technologies, you have<br />
two business lines.<br />
You provide nongenetically<br />
engineered<br />
and genetically<br />
engineered eggs, and<br />
you have Recirculating<br />
Aquaculture Systems<br />
(RAS) production<br />
farms. What are your<br />
prospects now that<br />
your first large-scale<br />
farm is already under<br />
construction? Will you<br />
maintain both lines?<br />
We will maintain both lines<br />
since these two components<br />
are synergistic and create<br />
a competitive point of<br />
difference for us. We operate<br />
farms because we manage<br />
recirculating aquaculture<br />
systems well. The water<br />
quality, the biology of the fish<br />
and biofiltration are what<br />
make our farms successful.<br />
Our deep understanding of<br />
biotechnology and information<br />
digital technology are<br />
fundamental to everything<br />
we do. It isn’t just genetic<br />
engineering. We look at gene<br />
editing and selective breeding<br />
using advanced genetic tools<br />
to improve our non-transgenic<br />
and transgenic stock.<br />
What makes your salmon<br />
different from others?<br />
The genetic engineering on<br />
our salmon took place 30 years<br />
ago. Scientists were trying<br />
to find a way to protect the<br />
salmon from extreme climatic<br />
conditions. One Chinook gene<br />
was inserted into the Atlantic<br />
salmon’s genetic structure.<br />
That gene enables the salmon<br />
to eat consistently so it<br />
grows faster during its early,<br />
vulnerable stages. It doesn’t<br />
grow larger, it grows faster.<br />
Our salmon are also highly<br />
efficient in the way that they<br />
turn their feed into biomass.<br />
They consume less feed to get<br />
to the same weight, and they<br />
reach that weight faster. We<br />
are creating a healthy protein<br />
using fewer resources. Our<br />
fish are designed to thrive in a<br />
RAS farming environment.<br />
30 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Photos<br />
By AquaBounty Technologies<br />
And if we talk about consumers, how is<br />
this new product being sold to them?<br />
Do they trust that it is a safe product,<br />
or does the fact that it is genetically<br />
modified make them wary?<br />
Pioneer (Ohio) will serve as a model for<br />
the aquaculture industry and for your<br />
continued expansion. Why are these<br />
two points so important? And what<br />
made you choose to locate in Pioneer<br />
in particular?<br />
We’ve done extensive consumer research, and<br />
once we share our story with consumers, they<br />
are fine with our product. They want to know if<br />
it’s affordable, accessible and whether it tastes<br />
good, which we can confirm on all fronts.<br />
Consumers are becoming more aware and<br />
accepting of genetic modification. They<br />
understand that genetic engineering is being<br />
used to solve a lot of our global hunger <strong>issue</strong>s,<br />
including the need for more crop production,<br />
drought, resistance to pests to produce more<br />
food with less land and less water. We do know<br />
that there’s a very vocal minority out there that<br />
is anti-GMO, but they don’t understand the<br />
facts and use misinformation. Consumers are<br />
getting wise to their tactics and recognize that<br />
biotechnology does address a lot of the hunger<br />
<strong>issue</strong>s that we’re seeing around the world.<br />
We went through an extensive site selection<br />
process with several criteria critical to the<br />
success of that facility. Water quality and<br />
quantity are two important requirements<br />
along with affordable power and receptivity<br />
to renewable energy. We also need access<br />
to quality labor, which means building<br />
relationships with universities and high<br />
schools. Lastly, we look at logistics for the<br />
site. Feed and oxygen need to be delivered<br />
in a timely manner, and, we need to serve<br />
our markets quickly. We narrowed it down to<br />
five sites and found Pioneer was an optimal<br />
location.<br />
Concerning the design, we selected RAS<br />
technology firm Innovasea to modify the design<br />
of the Ohio farm.<br />
In previous statements, you have<br />
commented that when planning a new<br />
RAS farm, the most important thing<br />
is to choose the right site, and then<br />
the design of the facility. You have<br />
also said that your new RAS farm in<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 31
We’ve been operating two farms for<br />
quite a while, and we know what<br />
works, what doesn’t, and we wanted to<br />
modify the Ohio farm design for more<br />
efficiency. We wanted to design a farm<br />
where the biofiltration, fish movement<br />
and management are optimal because<br />
we want to protect the fish. Innovasea<br />
has been very collaborative in the<br />
design of the facility, taking all of the<br />
know-how that we have from Canada<br />
and Indiana and incorporating that<br />
into the design of the Ohio farm.<br />
It is commonly accepted that<br />
aquaculture has advantages<br />
over other industries when it<br />
comes to sustainability, but,<br />
if we are talking about RAS<br />
systems, what advantages do<br />
they have over farms in the<br />
sea?<br />
There are a couple of advantages.<br />
The first is a biosecure environment<br />
to protect the fish. We want to have<br />
a positive environmental impact and<br />
the biosecurity also protects the<br />
environment because we have a stateof-the-art<br />
water and wastewater<br />
treatment facility attached to the farm<br />
and we recirculate 99 percent of the<br />
water. This guarantees that the water<br />
entering the facility is optimal for<br />
the fish, and the water that exits is<br />
as good or better than the water we<br />
pulled out of the ground.<br />
We also look at turning the solid waste<br />
into fertilizer or potentially using it as<br />
renewable energy. The farm is located<br />
close to consumers resulting in a<br />
lower carbon footprint than a product<br />
that must be flown in or shipped from<br />
outside the U.S. We’re developing<br />
baselines on our greenhouse gases<br />
to manage and reduce them. As you<br />
can see, we’re very environmentally<br />
conscious in the design and operation<br />
of the farm.<br />
At AquaBounty you recently<br />
announced the appointment<br />
of Dr. Chris Beattie as chief<br />
scientific officer, of whom<br />
you said: “He will bring<br />
tremendous insight into the<br />
design and construction of<br />
our farm in Pioneer, Ohio”. So,<br />
we understand that attracting<br />
the talent needed to continue<br />
to build it and make it bigger<br />
is a priority at the company.<br />
As CEO, how important is the<br />
human factor in the company?<br />
Aquaculture will continue to change<br />
and will become more technical.<br />
We need to attract the right kind<br />
of talent to address environmental<br />
challenges and ensure that we provide<br />
a safe, secure environment for the<br />
fish. We are developing training and<br />
development programs that make this<br />
a promising career for people.<br />
We love our Indiana and Canadian<br />
farms, because we work closely with<br />
educational and academic institutions,<br />
and we think the same thing will occur<br />
in Ohio. Nobody graduates with an<br />
aquaculture degree that applies to RAS<br />
farming. It involves biology and<br />
32 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
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chemistry and training to be able to recognize<br />
the behavior of the fish to ensure that the<br />
salmon are healthy and thriving.<br />
What challenges do you think<br />
AquaBounty will face in the coming<br />
years?<br />
There are two challenges. The first is a high<br />
capital cost to build these farms. We are always<br />
looking at different materials as well as various<br />
operational methods to continue to bring<br />
the cost down while continuing to be more<br />
competitive in terms of fostering the salmon.<br />
The second challenge is attracting the right<br />
talent. We will do this by sharing our purpose to<br />
feed the world by transforming aquaculture with<br />
technology. We believe that’s the future and we<br />
think that will attract individuals who share our<br />
commitment.<br />
And for yourself personally? What are<br />
your challenges?<br />
think it will be a critical component<br />
of feeding the world. We must continue<br />
to look for ways to make our industry more<br />
environmentally responsible. That’s why I want<br />
to be part of the industry, and why I want to be<br />
part of AquaBounty.<br />
Before we end our talk, Sylvia Wulf’s final<br />
words, by way of summary, are:<br />
“I believe in aquaculture, and I think that<br />
AquaBounty is going to be a critical part of the<br />
aquaculture community moving forward. As an<br />
industry, we need to be receptive to new methods,<br />
new technologies, and new tools. I think we’re a<br />
pioneer and can positively affect the industry”.<br />
We said it at the beginning, the CEO of<br />
AquaBounty Technologies is a believer<br />
and, as such hopes for a better future. At<br />
WeAreAquaculture, we also look forward to<br />
seeing that promise fulfilled.<br />
Every day is an opportunity to do what I just<br />
described. I love working with our team, I<br />
believe in the promise of aquaculture and I<br />
34 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
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36 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 37
With nearly 40 years<br />
of experience in the<br />
food industry, Debra<br />
Hellbach, Manager at<br />
Vancouver Island University’s Centre<br />
for Seafood Innovation, has won several<br />
awards for her work. An advocate for<br />
food in general, and food conservation in<br />
particular, this educator is, above all, a<br />
born communicator who has always held<br />
the seafood industry “near and dear” to<br />
her heart.<br />
She defines herself as “a food evangelist”<br />
and is convinced that the best way to<br />
educate is through entertainment.<br />
If instead of Debra’s TalentView this<br />
were Debra’s Show, we bet we’d have a<br />
couple of episodes titled ‘Food & Fun’ or<br />
‘Seafood & Education’. The woman who<br />
claims that “seafood is healthy, fast food”<br />
and her “very different way of thinking<br />
about innovation” are here to spread the<br />
word. This time, she’s set her sights not<br />
38 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Author<br />
Marta Negrete<br />
TalentView:<br />
Photo<br />
Debra Hellbach, Manager at<br />
Vancouver Island University’s<br />
Centre for Seafood Innovation.<br />
Photo: Gloria Bell Island<br />
Expressions Photography.<br />
Debra Hellbach<br />
only on the public but, more importantly, on<br />
students and the industry itself, and she is having<br />
fun doing it!<br />
Trying to make a difference in the<br />
industry<br />
“When you put it in print, it’s very hard to believe<br />
that I’ve been in the industry for that long”. So<br />
begins our talk with Debra. Our questions have<br />
made her look back and realize that “it’s really<br />
quite funny because I can remember some of my first<br />
adventures in the industry, and they were seafood<br />
related”. When she did her Food Science Degree,<br />
her first destination was BC Packers, a nowshuttered<br />
company that, as far as she remembers,<br />
was the largest seafood manufacturer in British<br />
Columbia. “That goes back to the 80s“, long before<br />
some of our readers were born as she says, “but I<br />
was involved in the seafood industry, and it’s always<br />
been near and dear to my heart”. It has been there<br />
her entire life. “If you are involved in food, you’ll<br />
always have a job”, she claims, “that’s why I went<br />
into food science”.<br />
As food scientist with a master’s degree in<br />
Communication, the first thing Debra says about<br />
herself on her LinkedIn profile is that she loves<br />
“helping people make and market good food by<br />
connecting them with expertise and resources”.<br />
Right after that, she says that her “secret powers”<br />
are “broad experience, amazing connections,<br />
and focusing on what matters”. Throughout her<br />
nearly four decades of experience, she has used<br />
her powers to help many ‘foodpreneurs’ – she<br />
considers herself their “life-long promoter” –<br />
and so when this job came up, she saw it as a<br />
chance to continue that promotional work. For<br />
her, working with academia and students is very<br />
important, not only to help them understand the<br />
value of the food system but also to enrich applied<br />
research projects with their fresh perspectives.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 39
“I saw an opportunity to make<br />
a difference. And that it’s<br />
focused on seafood is absolutely<br />
fantastic”, she tells us. As<br />
Debra recalls, Canada has one<br />
of the largest coastlines in<br />
the world, “we used to be a top<br />
exporter of seafood and that’s<br />
declined, I think we’re #8 now,<br />
and that just doesn’t make any<br />
sense to me”, she explains. “We<br />
should be doing much better in<br />
the seafood arena. Obviously,<br />
aquaculture is a prime way to<br />
proceed, we need to focus on<br />
aquaculture, and I think the<br />
way to do that is through the<br />
young people and our up-andcoming<br />
leaders. And so that is<br />
why I took this position. I saw it<br />
as a real opportunity”.<br />
An opportunity she’s also<br />
having fun with. “I’m at the tail<br />
end of my career so, this is fun,<br />
right? I mean, it is really fun<br />
for me to work with students<br />
and to be part of the solution.<br />
And I think after this long<br />
career where I’ve been helping<br />
on a very small basis, working<br />
mainly with small companies<br />
and trying to help them move<br />
forward, I think I’ve landed on<br />
a potential formula where I can<br />
make a difference and so that<br />
in itself is extremely rewarding<br />
for me”.<br />
Educating students<br />
through innovation<br />
The British Columbia<br />
government established a<br />
network of Food Hubs that<br />
aims to support local food<br />
industry. The Centre for<br />
Seafood Innovation (CSI) at<br />
Vancouver Island University<br />
(VIU) was born under that<br />
umbrella, to work hand<br />
in hand with the seafood<br />
industry. At the time of the<br />
center’s establishment, the<br />
Department of Fisheries<br />
and Oceans’ Blue Economy<br />
Strategy and the Canadian<br />
Aquaculture Industry Alliance<br />
had identified research, public<br />
relations, and marketing<br />
activities as the areas the<br />
industry needed to focus on,<br />
and so a project got off the<br />
ground in which Debra was a<br />
perfect fit. As she explains,<br />
she is a “generalist” who has<br />
40 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Photo<br />
‘Let’s Talk Seafood and Eat it Too’<br />
event about sturgeon at the VIU’s<br />
Centre for Seafood Innovation.<br />
Photo: Gloria Bell Island<br />
Expressions Photography.<br />
made many connections over the past 40 years.<br />
“I have this communications portfolio that I<br />
can draw on to help the industry. And so that’s<br />
where we’re looking at applied research, public<br />
education, and commercialization”.<br />
To understand how VIU’s Centre for Seafood<br />
Innovation works, Debra Hellbach explains<br />
that, first, it is important to understand that<br />
“innovation means so many things to so many<br />
different people”. They have decided to focus on<br />
two definitions of innovation. The first of these<br />
definitions, the simplest, is “a match between a<br />
need and a solution that results in added value”.<br />
The second, a bit more elaborate, consists<br />
of “extracting value from knowledge”. To put<br />
it more graphically, CSI is more knowledgebased<br />
than physical. “We are not an innovation<br />
centre where you come with something, and we are<br />
going to transform it into something else using<br />
equipment and innovation. We are going to do it<br />
through knowledge-based work with experts, with<br />
existing resources to try to help the industry move<br />
forward, and then we will grow as we go along”,<br />
she explains, and, as a good educator and<br />
communicator, she gives us an example.<br />
big. “We saw this and I thought well, this was an<br />
opportunity to do some product differentiation“,<br />
she explains, “working with culinary students,<br />
can we create a culinary at new products from<br />
these oysters and then demonstrate to industry<br />
that this is an opportunity?”. They could, but<br />
along the way, they learned even more. “We ran<br />
into the labor <strong>issue</strong>, and we couldn’t get shucked<br />
oysters”, CSI’s Manager tells us. The solution<br />
came through innovation, using high-pressure<br />
processing to pop the oysters open. They<br />
enlisted the help of HPP Canada, which made<br />
their job easier and taught the students how<br />
to use high-pressure processing technology.<br />
The field trip that took them from Nanaimo to<br />
Vancouver also allowed the students to visit<br />
other processing facilities during the time they<br />
were there. So, while they were getting this<br />
hands-on experience with seafood research,<br />
they were also learning about food technology<br />
and processing, and learning more about their<br />
career options.<br />
‘Exposing students to the food system’ was the<br />
official name of a project that they eventually<br />
ended up calling ‘The Oyster Challenge’. It<br />
was still the time of the pandemic and due<br />
to food service closures, there were a lot of<br />
unharvested oysters that were therefore too<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 41
Back at CSI with all that information,<br />
the students participated in three<br />
labs in which their only instructions<br />
were “to create cooked products that<br />
could be used in an institution”. In<br />
British Columbia, the government has<br />
the Feed BC program where they are<br />
trying to increase the number of local<br />
foods used in institutions, but seafood<br />
is very under-represented. Debra<br />
and her team saw a new opportunity<br />
there and asked students to make<br />
oyster dishes that could be sold in<br />
a university cafeteria. Those dishes<br />
were presented to the industry at<br />
a large event where expert judges<br />
scored them. The prize included the<br />
winning dish being served in the<br />
university cafeteria. A very rewarding<br />
project that could be carried out<br />
without any facilities other than<br />
those already available at the<br />
university. When they need specialized<br />
equipment, they went where they<br />
already exist, fostering collaboration<br />
between companies and institutions<br />
within the industry. “That’s the kind of<br />
project that we can do at the university<br />
and it’s innovative in its design and<br />
delivery”, summarizes Debra.<br />
Educating the public through<br />
communication<br />
This original approach to innovation<br />
has a second part that goes beyond<br />
academia. “It is a very different way<br />
of thinking about innovation and it’s<br />
looking at communication and public<br />
education”, Debra Hellbach tells<br />
WeAreAquaculture. VIU’s Centre for<br />
Seafood not only contributes with<br />
ideas for value-added products like<br />
the one in the example just explained-<br />
something Debra herself acknowledges<br />
that, in normal times, is not in the<br />
industry’s best interest because “they<br />
can sell everything they have without<br />
investing further into that value-added<br />
processing -“. The CSI also provides a<br />
space where students, industry, and<br />
the general public can “break bread<br />
together”, a space to talk to people<br />
while they eat and stimulate some<br />
discussion.<br />
Let’s go back to the oyster example.<br />
At the lunch dedicated to them, they<br />
had an oyster farmer talking about<br />
the challenges he faces in the industry<br />
while lunch attendees – “residents<br />
that are a little bit negative about the<br />
industry because of some of the garbage<br />
that they see” – listened. “At the end<br />
of the day, there was more mutual<br />
understanding between the two and<br />
that’s how you get support for both<br />
ways”, Debra explains, and adds, “the<br />
industry has to understand what the<br />
residents are concerned about and vice<br />
versa”. They’ve talked about – and<br />
tasted – oysters, seaweed, sturgeon…<br />
any seafood product has a place in<br />
this project. It’s all about sharing<br />
together. “The idea was to improve<br />
relations between the local residents,<br />
shellfish, aquaculture companies,<br />
and the university itself. And we also<br />
wanted to provide experiential learning<br />
opportunities for the students. We<br />
had 100% participation every time”.<br />
Gradually, the success of these events<br />
has spread, and the industry has<br />
42 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 43
spread, and the industry has shown<br />
increasing interest. Debra boasts,<br />
energetic team members like Olivia<br />
Alexander, a marine scientist with a<br />
passion for public education, are her<br />
secrets to this success.<br />
At one point in our talk, Debra<br />
Hellbach tells us, “I’m sure everybody<br />
knows the way to someone’s heart is<br />
through their stomach. Well, I think<br />
the way to people’s brains is through<br />
their stomachs as well”. We said<br />
it at the beginning, she is a born<br />
communicator, “a food evangelist”,<br />
who is always thinking of ways to<br />
spread the word about seafood. “We<br />
need to educate people about how<br />
important food is and how aquaculture<br />
provides sustainable solutions. But we<br />
have to do it through entertainment<br />
education because people don’t listen<br />
to facts and figures”, she says. Debra<br />
believes that to really reach the<br />
public you have to entertain. These<br />
“Let’s Talk Seafood” events are both<br />
entertaining and highly educational.<br />
“People need food. And linking them<br />
to where their food comes from is<br />
really important for the industry”, she<br />
claims. “I think the industry is not very<br />
good at communicating and that’s why<br />
I went into communications because I<br />
didn’t understand why people don’t get<br />
it. From a facts and figures standpoint,<br />
it makes so much sense to shift to<br />
aquaculture. But people don’t get that.<br />
So, how do we communicate<br />
better?”.<br />
So, how do we communicate better?”.<br />
Putting a face to the industry<br />
When she talks about communication<br />
and education, Debra is passionate.<br />
She knows that her work matters,<br />
that something as seemingly simple<br />
as changing an MBA case study and<br />
putting a food company at the center<br />
of the project can change the future.<br />
“If a few more people like me would<br />
work with universities in any country,<br />
and just get them to change their case<br />
studies, we can influence thousands of<br />
people about the importance of the food<br />
industry”, she states. So, when we talk<br />
about the future, she recognizes that<br />
the challenge for the CSI is as basic<br />
as surviving. They have funding for<br />
the first three years and can cover<br />
the overhead, but how do they cover<br />
the cost of labor and develop their<br />
capacity to address problems without<br />
narrowing the focus? To be selfsufficient,<br />
that is their challenge.<br />
As for the seafood industry in<br />
general, if you focus on the<br />
projections about seafood<br />
44 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Photo<br />
Culinary students at Vancouver<br />
Island University’s Centre for<br />
Seafood Innovation.<br />
Photo: Gloria Bell Island<br />
Expressions Photography.<br />
consumption increasing globally,<br />
according to Debra, there are lots<br />
of opportunities but also lots of<br />
challenges. Climate change, labor,<br />
regulatory complexities – primarily<br />
in British Columbia, where “the<br />
regulatory <strong>issue</strong>s are mind-boggling<br />
and hinder the future of aquaculture”<br />
right now -, and the negative public<br />
perception are all huge <strong>issue</strong>s that<br />
the industry has to work on. While<br />
admitting that she may be wrong<br />
about the public’s perception<br />
among the sector’s main challenges,<br />
the Manager at Vancouver Island<br />
University Centre for Seafood<br />
Innovation insists on its importance.<br />
“We’re not going to get support if we<br />
don’t have public support. And so that<br />
is an area where I’m concentrating<br />
a lot. Any applied research that we<br />
do, we will attach communications<br />
components to that, so people<br />
understand that that’s what we’re<br />
doing”, she claims.<br />
“Putting a face to the industry is really<br />
important”, she continues, and not<br />
just from, shall we say, an external<br />
point of view. We were talking about<br />
labor as one of the main challenges. Debra<br />
is convinced that the industry’s problems<br />
in attracting labor are also related to<br />
its public perception. In her opinion,<br />
reducing it just to wages is a mistake, it<br />
would be good to do some research on<br />
the labor side and find out what can be<br />
done. “You have to make it interesting and<br />
make people proud to work in this area”,<br />
she says. “There are plenty of examples<br />
of other industries that have taken boring<br />
jobs and turned them into good jobs. And<br />
why don’t we look into that? Why don’t<br />
we look at other industries and figure out<br />
how we can do it better?”, she wonders.<br />
And she answers herself: “Because just<br />
like other people, the industry frames<br />
things in a certain way. They have these<br />
preconceived pictures in their mind that<br />
this is how things are going to go and it’s<br />
very hard for them to see outside of that<br />
and that’s the only way we’re gonna solve<br />
these situations, we have to go outside of<br />
the box to figure out how to solve some of<br />
these problems”.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 45
Author<br />
Marta Negrete<br />
Gender<br />
equality:<br />
why is<br />
important<br />
“The responsibility falls on the companies.<br />
Employing directly into the sector and in<br />
early education,” Ashleigh Currie, Business<br />
Development Manager and Fish Health<br />
R&D at FiiZK.<br />
Photo<br />
Ashleigh Currie Business<br />
Development Manager and<br />
Fish Health R&D at FiiZK<br />
by FiiZK<br />
As in any other sector,<br />
we can all agree that<br />
gender equality only<br />
brings wealth and<br />
prosperity to all agents. It has been a<br />
long journey and it is still necessary.<br />
Although prudently we can say that<br />
the world mentality has begun to<br />
change.<br />
It is beginning to be an almost<br />
popular belief that the prosperity<br />
of humanity is only possible if we<br />
have the presence of women in all<br />
aspects of professional life. Also<br />
in aquaculture, more women are<br />
graduating and specializing in this<br />
sector. Women are starting to get<br />
more qualified jobs. Besides, we can<br />
almost glimpse full parity at the end<br />
of the tunnel.<br />
Even so, women in aquaculture<br />
still find it difficult to participate in<br />
large-scale aquaculture production,<br />
post-harvest industrial, and valueaddition<br />
processes. Positions of<br />
owners, managers, and executives in<br />
larger enterprises should have more<br />
women presence.<br />
46 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
programs and internships/apprenticeships<br />
to detail the range of positions available<br />
within this sector.”<br />
Moreover, Julie Elise Trovaag, who enjoys<br />
a position as a trainee at BioMar, thinks is<br />
good the improvement of the gender gap.<br />
“However, is still far from the equality that<br />
we should aim to reach,” she states.<br />
Improving little by little<br />
We should remember that, according<br />
to The State of World Fisheries and<br />
Aquaculture published in 2016 by<br />
FAO, “in the period 2005–2014, the<br />
quality and frequency of reporting<br />
on engagement by gender improved<br />
slowly. It is estimated that, overall,<br />
women accounted for more than 19%<br />
of all people directly engaged in the<br />
fisheries and aquaculture primary<br />
sector in 2014”.<br />
For all these reasons, we have asked<br />
two women who are leading the way<br />
in this regard, for their opinion on<br />
the actual scenario and how they look<br />
up to the near future.<br />
“The statistics are disappointing,<br />
but not surprising. I hope that the<br />
period from 2014 to date shows a<br />
more positive outlook for women<br />
joining this sector,” Ashleigh Currie,<br />
Business Development Manager<br />
and Fish Health R&D at FiiZK, says.<br />
“The responsibility falls on the<br />
companies. Employing directly into<br />
the sector and in early education.<br />
Also, implementing careers advisory<br />
About the reason why women’s<br />
participation in aquaculture and fisheries<br />
is often not so visible, Currie notes: “I<br />
believe that there may have been a culture<br />
that pertains to the fact that women<br />
cannot do manual, cage-side work. Also,<br />
there isn’t flexibility when it comes to<br />
raising a family. Unfortunately, this is still<br />
very much perceived as a woman’s job”.<br />
“However, I know lots of women working<br />
in the sector. But possibly not in as many<br />
senior roles. “That’s where attention is<br />
required to investigate how we encourage<br />
women to go for the top jobs,” she advises.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 47
Common<br />
challenges<br />
It is always worth knowing which has been<br />
the biggest challenge women usually face in<br />
this sector. Thereby, we can learn and act<br />
accordingly in future situations. Regarding<br />
this, Currie mentions that sometimes older<br />
men who had been working in the industry<br />
for a long time do not take into account the<br />
visibility of young women.<br />
primary school. I spoke to the children about<br />
my career as a marine biologist in the fish<br />
farming industry. These types of activities<br />
are vital to encourage all individuals. Regardless<br />
of gender, ethnicity, age or social<br />
background, sexual orientation or education<br />
consider this sector as a career choice.”<br />
In the same line, Julie encourages young<br />
women like her to benefit from an industry<br />
that gives “exciting job opportunities and<br />
experiences”.<br />
Photo<br />
Julie at BioMar’s feed plant at<br />
Myre, Norway<br />
by Frode Gabrielsen<br />
“Fortunately, in my experience, it didn’t happen<br />
often. But when it did, it highlighted how<br />
much more women need to fight to be treated<br />
as an equal. On a positive note, many more<br />
males pushed for me to succeed. So, I must<br />
highlight that in my case the prejudice that I<br />
experienced was minor”, she recognizes.<br />
Further, Trovaag adds: “So far, I have had<br />
a warm welcome as a woman in the seafood<br />
industry. However, I have heard about<br />
situations where women have experienced<br />
prejudices related to physical work. So, there<br />
is still a way to go.”<br />
Currie thinks the best way is by talking about<br />
their experiences and being part of mentoring<br />
programs. “Such as the one run by WiSA,<br />
which I was involved in as a mentor in 2020<br />
and educational visits”. She continues: “A<br />
couple of years ago, I visited my nephew’s<br />
48 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
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ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 49
Why the<br />
future of “blue<br />
revolution”<br />
concerns all of<br />
us<br />
50 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Photo<br />
Wesley Malcorps –<br />
University of Stirling<br />
Author<br />
Rocio Álvarez Jiménez<br />
WeAreAquaculture talks with promising researchers<br />
and young professionals who are putting efforts<br />
into not only making the blue revolution a<br />
reality but keeping us proud of it.<br />
Probably, sometimes we forget the<br />
importance of water not only for<br />
human beings but for any living<br />
species. Apart from all its basic<br />
functions, our food grows thanks to water. It<br />
carries our waste away and supports almost<br />
all of our productive activities.<br />
According to World Water Development<br />
Report (WWDR), around 14% of the water<br />
is only used for domestic tasks (drinking,<br />
cooking, washing, etc.). On the other hand,<br />
70% is used for growing food and fiber. The<br />
remaining 16% is used for industrial and<br />
energy purposes.<br />
From here comes into play the important<br />
work of aquaculture that is rapidly overtaking<br />
traditional fishing. Through this blue<br />
revolution, we can adapt production to reach<br />
food safety, sustainability, and environmental<br />
awareness.<br />
Moreover, consumer mentality is also<br />
changing. A 2018 GlobeScan study of 25,810<br />
consumers in 22 countries said 70% of<br />
respondents are increasingly demanding<br />
independent, third-party verification of<br />
sustainability in supermarkets from seafood<br />
products.<br />
So, how can we assure that this<br />
process is going in the right direction?<br />
WeAreAquaculture has contacted some of<br />
the most promising researchers and young<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 51
professionals who are putting all their desire<br />
and efforts into not only making the blue<br />
revolution a reality but keeping us proud of it.<br />
is still active in other work related to the<br />
utilization of aquaculture processing byproducts.<br />
The Green Aquaculture Intensification in<br />
Europe<br />
Wesley Malcorps, an expert in aquaculture,<br />
sustainability, and circular economy<br />
and Ph.D. researcher at the Institute of<br />
Aquaculture, University of Stirling, has shared<br />
with us the details of the Green Aquaculture<br />
Intensification in Europe (GAIN).<br />
That is the reason why he advises focusing<br />
more on a re-evaluation of the potential.<br />
So, the supply of marine ingredients from<br />
under-utilized by-product resources can<br />
be increased. “It is crucial to accelerate the<br />
circular economy in the aquaculture industry<br />
in Europe and beyond”, Malcorps concludes.<br />
Blue Food Assessment<br />
GAIN is designed to support the sustainable<br />
growth of European (EU+EEA) aquaculture.<br />
Malcorps’s main focus is the strategic<br />
utilization of fish by-products, life cycle<br />
assessment (LCA), and value chain analysis<br />
(VCA).<br />
He has found that a large proportion of<br />
commonly farmed species were being<br />
routinely wasted in industrial and household<br />
processing. As examples, are Atlantic salmon,<br />
European sea bass, gilthead sea bream,<br />
common carp, and turbot.<br />
“Although fish by-products don’t sound<br />
appetizing, they are full of goodness and can<br />
be used for many purposes. Including in food<br />
supply and diet supplements,” he explains.<br />
It makes sense that if we achieve a “blue<br />
revolution” it will be more possible to access<br />
the also desired “blue food”. What we know<br />
as “blue foods” derive from aquatic animals,<br />
plants, or algae. To better manage the blue<br />
food sector, we need to collect more detailed<br />
data on production, consumption, and trade.<br />
For this reason, the Blue Food Assessment<br />
initiative was born. Through periodic<br />
research and reports, it aims to fulfill the<br />
understanding of the role blue foods play in<br />
global food systems. For later, inform and<br />
drive change in the policies and practices.<br />
According to the international joint initiative,<br />
the demand for “blue food” is expected to<br />
roughly double by 2050.<br />
Therefore, he adds: “The results show a<br />
substantially higher total flesh yield (64–77%)<br />
can be achieved if fish are fully processed.<br />
Compared with fillet only (30–56%), as is often<br />
the case.”<br />
Despite the GAIN project being finished, he<br />
52 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
Furthermore, without a shadow of a<br />
doubt places aquaculture expansion is the<br />
main supplier of this fact. Thus, supports<br />
sustainable aquaculture operations that<br />
“actively mitigate environmental risks and<br />
optimize for sustainable feeds”.<br />
The Blue Food Assessment brings together<br />
more than 100 leading researchers from<br />
more than 25 institutions around the world.<br />
Stanford University’s Center for Ocean<br />
Solutions and Center on Food Security<br />
and the Environment and the Stockholm<br />
Resilience Centre at Stockholm University are<br />
lead science partners.<br />
“The global food system is failing billions of<br />
people,” says assessment co-chair Rosamond<br />
Naylor, the William Wrigley Professor of Earth<br />
System Science at Stanford. “Blue foods can<br />
play a critical role in improving nutrition,<br />
livelihoods, and ecosystems,” he insists.<br />
The role of the companies<br />
Just as important, companies must realize<br />
that they are not only places to work but also<br />
continuous learning centers. There, both<br />
employers and employees can continue to<br />
develop and make the change possible.<br />
A good example is Biomar which organizes,<br />
along with NCE Seafood Innovation Cluster,<br />
trainee gatherings. The gatherings provide<br />
an insight into the seafood industry’s value<br />
chain, research and innovation, circular<br />
economy, and new value chains.<br />
Also, Benchmark Genetics gives in these<br />
meetings an overview of what is happening<br />
within breeding and genetics. Besides, how<br />
important this is for further fish health,<br />
welfare, and production. A total of 24 trainees<br />
with backgrounds in economics, technology,<br />
and biology attended the gatherings.<br />
In this regard, we asked Julie Elise Trovaag,<br />
a BioFarm Specialist at Biomar now, who<br />
enjoyed a traineeship in the same company.<br />
Nonetheless, she entered the industry when<br />
she was 16 years old with no experience she<br />
confirms she felt “very welcome”.<br />
ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 53
“My combined practical and academic background helped me<br />
in professional terms when I got my first full-time job after my<br />
studies. Also, my practical background is helpful in my job in<br />
terms of understanding the customers (farmers) better,” she<br />
explains.<br />
Finally, she highlights the importance of these initiatives: “I think<br />
companies with a high focus on both integrity and sustainability<br />
will be attractive to young people. Additionally, trainee programs<br />
are attractive to young people – especially those that are made<br />
specifically for the industry.”<br />
Age doesn’t matter<br />
It is more than obvious that the new generations are<br />
indispensable agents in this matter. Although we should not<br />
leave aside the people that are already part of the industry. This<br />
is the reason why companies like Mowi offer specific courses in<br />
aquaculture to their staff.<br />
The Modern Apprenticeship in Aquaculture has been designed<br />
to cover all aspects of aquaculture. Namely, that staff can tailor it<br />
to make it as relevant to their role as possible. It comes following<br />
a successful pilot of a 16-week NQ (National Qualification) in<br />
Maritime and Aquaculture skills, also offered by West Highland<br />
College UHI.<br />
In short, Donald Waring, Learning and Development Manager,<br />
commented: “This new program is a significant part of the<br />
training we are looking to enhance at Mowi. The beauty of a<br />
Modern Apprenticeship is that it is vocational, on-the-job training.<br />
Everything is carried out in the workplace with no requirement to<br />
go into college.”<br />
54 <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1
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ISSUE 1 | <strong>WEAREAQUACULTURE</strong> MAGAZINE 55
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