CINEMar/Open Ocean Aquaculture Annual Progress Report for the period 1/01/05 through 12/31/05

Principal Investigator: Rolland Barnaby and Forbes Horton

I. Accomplishments

A. Scheduled Tasks
1. Continue to help mussel growers maintain, harvest, and market their first crop.
2. Purchase and deploy portable mussel processing equipment and teach growers how to use it.
3. Identify new growers and possible sites.
4. Produce a report on the “Status of Open Ocean Aquaculture in 2005”.

B. Progress on Tasks
1. Following the deployment of the four longlines in December 2004, line tension adjustments were made in early spring 2005. Some seed was purchased in April 2005, however there was only enough to see just over one line. In June, small seed was airlifted from one of the Sea Station cages, sorted and seeded out on the remaining three lines the following day. The seed was smaller than we were used to, so densities were higher than desired. Trips to the site with fishermen to inspect lines and measure growth were made approximately once monthly and results look good for a spring harvest. One Portsmouth fisherman, Andy Lang, expressed a desire to assume ownership for all ten permitted lines. While somewhat reluctant, both cooperatives agreed to allow Mr. Lang to operate all the lines for a two-year period. Mr. Lang purchased materials for six additional lines and prepared them for deployment with the assistance of the project team. The lines will be installed in early 2006 in preparation for seeding in the spring.

2. Because most suppliers of processing equipment are in Europe, research into processing equipment was difficult. Visits to Trumpet Island Aquaculture and Great Eastern Mussel to look at the equipment they use for processing rope-cultured mussels are planned for January 2006.

3. A proposal was submitted to the Northeast Consortium to train Massachusetts growers was declined, so no new growers have been identified. This effort will continue in 2006.

4. Roland Barnaby spent six months in 2005 visiting US offshore farms and hatcheries that produce fish for growout offshore. A report is in preparation. A brief update is provided in section C.

C. Important Results or Findings
Findings from Roland Barnaby’s visits to offshore projects
I visited three commercial open ocean farms, two in Hawaii and one in Puerto Rico. All three of these farms have been influenced in many ways by the UNH project.

• All the farms are using the SeaStation cage, which is the same cage that UNH engineers tested in the wave tank and then tested again using computer modeling programs years ago. It is also the cage currently being used by UNH.
• The mooring system that all the farms are using is the one designed by UNH engineers. Two of the farms have modified it by shortening up the lines inside the grid so that the cages have to be submerged at all times.
• All the farms are using the venturi system that UNH helped develop years ago for feeding fish and are waiting for the automatic feeder issues to be resolved. All the farms are in need of some kind of automatic feeding system. They are looking to UNH to solve this problem.
• The method that the farms use to observe their fish is to dive down and enter the cages. The remote cameras that UNH has installed would help the farmers by reducing the amount of diving time. When I reported the use of the camera at the “2nd International Sustainable Marine Fish Culture Conference” at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution everyone wanted to know more. I am sure this equipment will be well received by the industry.
• Because of the inherent dangers associated with diving, the industry is always looking for ways to reduce the amount of diving needed. Observing fish, cleaning cages, harvesting fish, and retrieving morts are all issues that the industry needs help with and our demonstration project is working on all these issues.

In July of 2005 I spent two days at Net Systems, the company that makes the SeaStation fish cage, in Bainbridge Island, WA. The manager of that company, Langley Gace, is a graduate of UNH. He received his Masters Degree in Ocean Engineering while working on experimental fish cages. Prior to the UNH Open Ocean Symposium in 1996 the company had developed the SeaStation, but had not sold any. They made several presentations at that meeting. The first two cages that they sold where to the University of Hawaii and UNH demonstration projects. They now have 35 cages in use worldwide, 12 in the US. By March 2006 they expect to have another 12 in operation and 70 additional cages by the end of 2007. The company employs 60 people. UNH provided technical help when the cage was being developed and continues to partner with them, addressing open ocean problems. The most important project now is the development of an automatic feeder. This is one of the bottlenecks in the growth of the industry. The present venturi feeding system can work for a couple of cages, but as companies add cages automatic feeders are going to be needed.

I also visited the four hatcheries that supply juvenile fish to the open ocean farms. I was pleased that everywhere I went I was welcomed because I was from UNH. It was obvious that the cross pollination between all the projects and UNH has been very strong and positive. UNH has had an important impact and is looked to as a place to get help.

D. Difficulties Encountered
Successful transfer of mussel culture technology requires more effort than originally anticipated

E. Anticipated Success in Meeting Project Objectives on Schedule
Sale of the first commercial crop of mussels will be key to long-term success

F. Reports, manuscripts, and presentations resulting from the project
Presentations:
Barnaby, Roland “Status of United States Open Ocean Aquaculture 2005", October 2005, the 2nd International Sustainable Marine Fish Culture Conference at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. A“Proceedings” will be printed

II. Tasks and Activities for Next Reporting period
All tasks for NOAA grant# NA16RP1718, have been completed and all funds have been expended. The following tasks will be undertaken in fulfillment of NOAA grant # NA04OAR4600155

A. Tasks for the next reporting period

1. Continue to help mussel growers maintain, harvest, and market their first crop.
2. Develop a strategy for processing mussels for market
3. Identify new growers and possible sites.
4. Produce a report on the “Status of Open Ocean Aquaculture in 2005.”

B. Brief work plan to accomplish tasks

1. Project personnel will work with Andy Lang to deploy and seed six additional lines and to harvest market ready mussels.
2. Project personnel will continue to research equipment and work with other growers to come up with an optimal strategy for the near term and long term
3. Informal meetings and presentation will be scheduled throughout northern New England to stimulate interest in offshore mussel culture
4. The report will be completed in early 2006

III. Expenditures
All funds budgeted for technology transfer in grant NA16RP1718 have been expended.