The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) has named Brazil’s Camanor Produtos Marinhos Ltda. as this year’s recipient of its Preferred Freezer Services Global Aquaculture Innovation & Leadership Award.
The Brazilian shrimp producer is being awarded for its AquaScience technology, which has been described by Camanor’s Director Werner Jost as a “new concept in sustainable shrimp production,” at the upcoming GOAL 2015 conference being hosted by GAA in Vancouver.
Within its high-density, land-based facility stationed in Natal Brazil, Camanor recycles water for multiple production cycles, thus protecting the environment from degradation. The facility does not employ chemicals or antibiotics in this production, and its controlled environment serves to prevent potential pathogens from disrupting harvests.
The award is currently in its third year, which was incepted to distinguish innovation that worked to overcome production challenges and/or manage environmental and social impacts. Panelists scoured over about 10 applicants before deciding on Camanor.
“The panel was impressed by the quality of the nominees but found the task of identifying the winner to be particularly tricky this year,” said Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Standards Coordinator Dan Lee. Lee judged the applications alongside GAA President Chamberlain; Michael Tlusty, director of ocean sustainability science at the New England Aquarium; and Dawn Purchase, senior aquaculture officer at the Marine Conservation Society.
Camanor will receive a plaque and a USD 1,000 (EUR 879) cash prize for its innovation. Previous winners of the award include Rodrigo Prado, a civil engineer and director of USONIC Ltda. in Puerto Montt, Chile, and Amir Sagi, Ph.D., a professor at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.
