SBIR-STTR Award

This Phase I research effort is to design and develop "seed" nursery methodologies for development of commercial-scale production of young kelp plants, specifically Saccharina latissima (Phase I), Alaria esculenta and Laminaria digitata (Phase II). The project objectives include: (1) Establishing unialgal cultures from wild-collected material, (2) Determining the key culture conditions that control and trigger progression through life history stages, (3) Designing a scalable modular culture system appropriate for commercial production of young kelp plants, and (4) Creating a detailed outline of the protocol for culture system operations as a foundation for a Phase II project objective of transferring the technology to the educational and commercial sectors. This project is a collaborative effort between Ocean Approved, The University of Connecticut and the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture Science and Technology Education Center and supports the development of a new aquaculture sector, allowing the United States to participate in the $7 billion dollar cultivated sea vegetable market SUMMARY OF

Anticipated Results:
The anticipated results of the proposed research will be the development of nursery culture technologies and methodologies to aid in the creation of commercial-scale mass production system for cold water kelp species. Moving from wild harvesting to sustainable harvests from aquaculture operations is a critical commercialization step that allows Ocean Approved to meet the growing demand for its innovation fresh frozen kelp products and provides an important new sustainable vegetable source for customers

This Phase II research expands Phase I research on Saccharina latissima and is to design and develop “seed” nursery methodologies for the development of commercial-scale production of juvenile kelp plants including Alaria esculenta and Laminaria digitata. The project objectives include: 1. Isolate and maintain cultures of New England species of Alaria esculenta and laminaria digitata to be used as “seed stock” for the production of juvenile plants. 2. Identify and develop the highest yield strains of Saccharina latissima, Alaria esculenta and Laminaria digitata. 3. Develop efficient, cost effective, and scalable production, transport, grow-out, and harvest methodologies with sufficient simplicity to accommodate participation of a medium skilled workforce. 4. Create a detailed protocol for culture maintenance and production of young kelp plants to facilitate transfer of the technology to other commercial entities and educational institutions. This project is a collaborative effort between Ocean Approved, the University of Connecticut, and the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture Science Technology Education Center, and supports the development of a new aquaculture sector, allowing the United States to participate in the US$7 billion dollar cultivated sea vegetable market. SUMMARY OF

Anticipated Results:
The anticipated results of the proposed research will be the continued development of nursery culture technologies and methodologies to aid in the creation of commercial-scale mass production culture system for cold-water kelp species including Saccharina latissima, Alaria esculenta and Laminaria digitata. Moving from wild harvesting to sustainable harvests from aquaculture operations is a critical commercialization step that allows Ocean Approved to meet the growing demand for its innovative fresh frozen kelp products and provides an important new sustainable vegetable source for U.S. consumers