Innovate BC and the BC government announced the award of $325,000 to three BC aquaculture innovations on 5 May's inaugural Aquaculture Innovation Awards event.
There were two $150,000 awards, selected by the judges, and one $25,000 fan favourite award, voted on live by the audience.
Top 10 finalists, selected through a rigorous judging process, pitched at the Award event and then responded to questions from selected customer advisors. The customer advisors could see first-hand upstream innovations as well as provide real-world context to the problems the Top 10 were trying to solve.
The three award recipients are Poseidon Ocean Systems, ThisFish and Fan Favourite Industrial Plankton.
“British Columbia is a leader in both developing innovative seafood technology and production, and we’re showcasing those local ideas and solutions through our new BC Aquaculture Innovation Awards. By fostering new and exciting partnerships between our aquaculture and technology sectors we are providing economic opportunities while strengthening both our food system and clean technology for future generations,” commented Fin Donnelly, Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Poseidon Ocean Systems Ltd
Poseidon Ocean Systems’ Flowpressor Technology Platform reduces diesel fuel consumption by 55 percent in real-world testing. It is an innovative clean compressor technology specifically designed for aquaculture to produce compressed air to run aeration systems, oxygen generators, and feed systems.
Award: $150,000
ThisFish Inc
ThisFish's Tally traceability software for the aquaculture sector enables significant improvements in time and quality through automation and predictive analytics. It links data from farm to factory through IoT devices and tablet computers and uses machine learning algorithms.
Award: $150,000
Industrial Plankton Inc
Industrial Plankton develops and produces algae bioreactors for live feed production in aquaculture hatcheries. Their technology is currently used in 20 countries, primarily in shellfish and shrimp hatcheries.
Fan Favourite Award: $25,000
The Aquaculture Innovation Awards fund innovations that solve challenges faced by BC aquaculture. The awards encourage sustainable growth, competitiveness and adaptability of BC aquaculture.
“These awards are an important opportunity to recognize excellence in innovation in BC’s aquaculture sector. Cutting-edge technologies like these will help the industry become more globally competitive, spur job creation and drive economic development, which helps all British Columbians. Congratulations on your successes,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.
