Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, an industry led group focused on tackling challenges across ocean sectors, has launched a CAD 1.7 million (USD 1.34 million, EUR 1.23 million) technology project intended to make transporting seafood more efficient and able to deliver higher-quality products.
Dubbed “BlueVita Technology,” the goal of the project is to create a multi-modal system that can transport and store aquatic life while maintaining product quality, reducing shrinkage, and providing high animal welfare standards, the Ocean Supercluster announced. The project hopes to address undervalued seafood that has been frozen due to seasonal harvests, and increase access to high-end markets by alleviating expensive air transport costs and complicated logistics issues.
“The seafood sector is an important part of Canada’s economy, with significant export opportunity,” Canada’s Ocean Supercluster CEO Kendra MacDonald said. “We are proud to announce the BlueVita Technology Project that will help drive the next generation of seafood transportation that delivers improved quality [and] increased economic activity and opportunity in the industry.”
The technology project is being undertaken at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, with an overview of the results across multiple species including lobster, crab, shellfish, and fish. The new technology, the Ocean Supercluster said, will benefit Canada’s ocean economy by supporting the seafood sector in enhancing the value, sustainability, and quality of products.
The main project sponsor is Ship Nature’s Way Inc. of Saint Andrews, which is majority owned by aquatic technology company GIS Gas Infusion Systems Inc. of Saint Andrews and the Dutch logistics solutions company Ocean Perfect.
“BlueVita Technology will fundamentally change the way that live lobster, crab, shellfish, and fish are delivered to global markets,” Ship Nature’s Way Executive Scientific Director Michael Beattie said. “Utilizing Ocean Perfect logistics powered by BlueVita Technology, suppliers will now be able to enjoy the economic benefits of shipping live product for long durations in significant quantities, while maintaining high standards of quality control, environmental responsibility, and animal welfare.”
Canada's Ocean Supercluster, an industry-led cluster model driving cross-sectoral collaboration created in 2020, is providing CAD 830,000 (USD 657,000, EUR 604,000) to push forward the initiative, with the remaining balance coming from project partners. The supercluster has approved 71 projects with a total value of CAD 360 million (USD 285 million, EUR 261 million), including the CAD 27 million (USD 21 million, EUR 17 million “Integrated Operations and Real-Time Analytics Project,” a CAD 27 million (USD 21 million, EUR 17 million) endeavor.
“As demand for more sustainable foods grows, our government understands the importance of developing technologies that support innovation and sustainability in the seafood sector,” Canada Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne said. “Thanks to this new system for storing and shipping seafood, we will see even greater growth in our ocean economy, both domestically and globally. This will not only provide opportunities for higher-paying Canadian jobs in the fishing sector, but also support the sustainability of wild fish stocks.”
Image courtesy of Canada's Ocean Supercluster
