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Called the BlueVita Technology Project it seeks to develop a novel, best-in-class multi-modal system that controls and manages the storage and transport environment for aquatic life – thereby maintaining product quality, reducing shrinkage, and providing high animal welfare standards.
It aims to address significant challenges facing the seafood sector in Canada and worldwide, including undervalued seafood that has been frozen due to seasonal harvests. This project will allow access to high-end markets currently constrained by air transport costs, complicated shipping logistics and other factors.
The project will also address increasing demand for quality, provenance and welfare of seafood products and intends to solve challenges related to complex seafood value chains that require collaboration at several levels. The project sponsor, Ship Nature's Way of New Brunswick, is majority owned by aquatic technology company GIS Gas Infusion Systems and the logistics solutions company Ocean Perfect in the Netherlands. Ship Nature's Way and their partners have a first-hand understanding of the challenges of live storage and transport of aquatic animals and are uniquely placed to develop reliable and cost-effective solutions.
With a total project value of nearly $1.7 million, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster will provide close to $830,000 towards the project, with the balance coming from project partners. It will be undertaken at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. The trials overseen by Huntsman Marine will provide third-party validation of the results across multi-species, including lobster, crab, shellfish, and fish.
The project will benefit Canada's ocean economy by supporting the seafood sector's growth, innovation, and sustainability with a product rooted in an understanding of customer needs. The success of this new transport technology will position Atlantic Canada as a leader in mobile storage and multi-modal live haul of aquatic animals, allowing for market expansion within Canada and international markets in Europe and Asia.
