Company Overview

The Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI) with offices in St. John's, Newfoundland and Halifax, Nova Scotia, is owned by Memorial University of Newfoundland, and funded by the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF).

Established in 1989, the Centre conducts research and development for the fishing industry. The Centre is a non- profit federally incorporated body which provides the scientific and technical capabilities of Atlantic Canadian universities and technical colleges to the fishery and the aquaculture industry of the region.

The Centre is active in aquaculture, fish harvesting, processing, resource-related research, marine biotechnology and equipment development. In collaboration with industry clients, CCFI also explores the latest scientific and technical innovations to enhance the profitability and productivity of the Atlantic Caost fishery and aquaculture industry.

Environmental Profile

RESEARCH CAPACITY

CCFI makes available the capabilities of the universities and technical colleges of Atlantic Canada for applied research and development in the fishery and aquaculture industry. State-of-the-art science and engineering laboratories; fish processing pilot plants; wave, ice and flume tanks; specialized facilities for fish product development, pilot-scale aquaculture operations, quarantine, fish health and pathology services, biotechnology, equipment and fishing gear development and a host of other facilities are available to industry throughout the region. They are operated by hundreds of marine, fisheries and other scientists and engineers who together provide unequalled expert assistance to anyone in the fishery and aquaculture industry wishing to overcome obstacles and meet opportunities.

Services include

farm-site selection feed development and analysis fish husbandry commercial-scale feeding trials diagnosis of bacterial and parasitic disease in fish design and cost information for hatcheries design of grow-out systems for fish and shellfish culture optimizing shellfish farm production, and bivalve larvae and spat monitoring.

PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN RECENTLY IN AQUACULTURE:

Development of Value-added Mussel Products Shellfish Holding for Live Product Delivery Development and Testing of Biodegradable Mussel Sock Material Development of Sea-based and Land-based Sea Urchin Operations Offshore Aquaculture Development Halibut Broodstock Development Assessment of Harvest-Quality of Cultured Cod

HARVESTING

Harvesting R&D in Atlantic Canada relies heavily on the facilities and personnel at Memorial University and the Marine Institute. The research and development services include development of harvesting technologies, resource surveys, conservation-oriented technologies, development of emerging fisheries and associated services, and design and development of vessels and vessel technologies.

PROJECTS RECENTLY UNDERTAKEN IN HARVESTING:

Development of Methods and Technologies for Sustainable Fisheries Investigation of the Fecundity and Reproductive Capacity of Cod and Flatfish Surf Clam Resource Survey Biological Resource Assessment and Habitat Utilization of Sea Cucumbers Mitigation of American Plaice and Wolffish By-catch Improving the Selectivity of Conical Pots used in Crab Fishery Design and Testing of Pots for Atlantic Halibut fishery Reducing Seabed Impacts of Fishing Gear Investigation of Vertical Distribution of Northern Shrimp in Water Column

PROCESSING

The Atlantic Provinces are home to many specialized services in food technology and processing both within the walls of their universities and technical colleges and associated with them.

Services in fish processing include Value-added product development Development of processing technologies Quality enhancements and safety systems

PROJECTS RECENTLY UNDERTAKEN IN PROCESSING:

Liquid Ice System for Holding Shrimp Shrimp Processing Production Improvements Impact of Seasonality on the Product Properties of Ascophyllum nodosum Development of Redfish Surimi Development of Crab Meat Extraction Technology

CCFI'S INDUSTRIAL LIAISON OFFICE

The Centre's Industrial Liaison Officers work with industry to identify key opportunities in aquaculture, harvesting and processing. Their services to individual industry clients are always directed toward developing and carrying out successful research and development projects that will solve the client's problem or allow for taking advantage of a new opportunity. To ensure high-quality project work, the ILOs will contract the scientific personnel necessary, coordinate their participation, arrange for the use of University facilities, assist in the development of business plans, help to develop a research plan and manage the project, so that professional final results are available on time. The ILOs will help find other sources of funding and if necessary make CCFI funding available.

Company Information

Additional Details

Legal Name: Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation

Number of Employees: 6

Contacts

Services

• Biotechnology
• Research And Development

  The Centre conducts research and development for the fishing industry.

Products

• Environmental Products And Services
• Genetic Analysis

  Genetic analysis of stock structure found that turbot from Iceland, Norway, the Davis Straight, the Flemish Cap and the Gulf of St. Lawrence are all part of one very large population of free moving turbot. This has implications for the international fisheries managers who must manage the species as one large unit.

• Genetic Analysis Of Turbot From Different Areas

  Proper fish stock management requires knowledge of the size and geographic distribution of fish stocks. It was hypothesized that northwest Atlantic turbot were actually only part of one larger north Atlantic stock. Samples of turbot from different areas of the north Atlantic were analysed for differences and similarities in the DNA. The genetic material sampled indicated a significant degree of intermingling of the fishes from waters of Iceland, Norway, the Davis Straight, the Flemish Cap and the Gulf of St. Lawrence as a result. Fish from these areas are now considered to form part of one large population of free-moving turbot.

• Harvesting Gear Designs That Are Environmentally Friendly, Conservative Of Resources And Economically Viable

  Reviewed international literature on the economic and environmental issues concerning East Coast groundfish harvesting gears; co-sponsored an industry workshop on groundfish harvesting gears; researchers in the process of identifying harvesting gears that are environmentally friendly, conservative of resources and economically viable.

• Locating The Lost Gear Quickly Through Use Of A Locator Device

  Every year untold numbers of gillnets break free while fishing and drift through the water, continuing to fish any species that gets in its way. The need for a low-cost device to locate the lost gear is critical. The project will evaluate a locally developed technology, the Gearfinder 700, an acoustic fishing gear locator device. The researchers will conduct a thorough literature search on locator devices and conduct tests on the Gearfinder. The second phase will include design modifications if needed. It is hoped that the result will be a cost-effective mechanism to be used throughout the fishing industry to locate lost fishing gear.

• Marine Biotechnology

Additional Information