Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.-based Acme Smoked Fish announced three companies that will each receive a USD 70,000 (EUR 59,235) grant to fund projects that alleviate the carbon footprint of the seafood industry.
Deer Isle Oyster Company, OctaPulse, and Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association each earned the annual project grant, funded through the Acme Smoked Fish Foundation's Seafood Industry Climate Awards (SICA), the company said in a release.
SICA supports work throughout the seafood chain, Acme said, and has added that each of the three grant recipients will use the money to “advance solutions with clear implementation pathways and the potential for meaningful impact within 12 months.”
"At the Acme Smoked Fish Foundation, we’re inspired each year by the bold ideas and dedication of the applicants and recipients,” Acme Smoked Fish Foundation Chair Emily Caslow said. “These awards are a testament to the ingenuity of the seafood community and its potential to lead in addressing one of the most urgent challenges of our time.”
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.-based Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association will use the grant money for its Bristol Bay Climate-Smart Salmon Monitoring project, which utilizes drone technology to support climate adaptation in wild salmon fisheries while training and employing local youth, the company said.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.-based OctaPulse will use the funds for an automated phenotyping and deformity inspection technology that is designed to reduce waste and improve efficiency in finfish aquaculture operations.
Stonington, Maine, U.S.A.-based Deer Isle Oyster Company, which also earned the second annual TD Bank Award as part of SICA, received grant funding for a project that deploys plastic-free gear to decarbonize oyster farming. The TD Bank Award supports and recognizes excellence in workforce development toward low-carbon transition.
Acme added that in addition to the funding, the three awardees will be featured in seafood industry media and will be invited to present the work at key industry events with the goal of spotlighting scalable innovations and accelerating change across the aquaculture sector.
“Applications were reviewed by a panel of judges representing a broad range of expertise across seafood production, sustainability, engineering, sourcing, and finance, including leaders from Acme Smoked Fish, TD Bank, Silver Bay Seafoods, Fortune Fish & Gourmet, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, and Whole Foods Market,” the company said.
Additionally, the foundation recognized two projects each with a grant at the SICA Chile event.
Puerto Varas, Chile-based ReCircuLab earned a USD 25,000 (EUR 21,154) grant for developing a platform to transition industrial waste from the salmon aquaculture industry into high-value products across the food, science, and pharmaceutical industries. The other recipient, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Hera Materials, earned a USD 15,000 (EUR 12,692) grant for its development of WoodPack, a recycled paper film that replaces single-use plastics with zero carbon emissions.
