Author: Carrie Cox

ABO is a proud partner of the BioMarine 2017 conference, which will be taking place in October in Quebec. 

BioMarine is a unique event dedicated to marine bioresources. It is organized around a platform of meetings and discussions for industrials, scientists, investors, economic development agencies, allowing them to boost their acquisitions, investments, trade agreements, technologies transfers, and development partnerships at an international level. Its goal is to develop small, medium and national companies on the international stage.

The conference will take place in Rimouski, Quebec from October 1st-3rd. More details can be found on the conference website. 

The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently made a few announcements that may be of interest to research and development efforts that look to algae as a solution to agricultural challenges. ABO members are encouraged to examine and apply for opportunities that may help move their efforts forward. 

In May, the agency announced $6 million for research on the symbiotic relationship between plants and other organisms. Some ABO members are currently looking at how algae can be harnessed as a soil amendment, interacting with nutrients and other organisms already in the soil in a way that can improve crop yields, sequester carbon or result in other beneficial agricultural outcomes.

In April, the agency announced $6.3 million to study resilient agroecosystems and $9.6 million to grow the bioeconomy. Advanced algae cultivation and harvesting technologies are rapidly proving themselves to have vast potential for future agriculture. They can reduce the pressures on existing agricultural land, freshwater supplies, and can be source of high-protein, extremely nutritious food for humans and animals. 

More information about these opportunities are available in the links above. For more USDA research funding opportunities that might pertain to algae please visit: https://nifa.usda.gov/page/search-grant 

 

Products from algae are becoming more diverse by the day, principally due to the rapid technological innovations developed by ABO members that harness many of algae’s most valuable, and natural traits.

One type of algae is high in omega-3 nutrients that are vital to the health of all animals. Besides being an important nutrient for humans, they are also an important component of many animal and fish feeds. For some time, many omega-3 supplements in feeds have been derived from fish, which places enormous pressure on ocean ecosystems. In addition, omega-3s have experienced an increase in demand that is further raising prices and straining traditional sources.

That’s why we are celebrating the recent expansion of algae-based feeds into fish farming, specifically the news that ABO member TerraVia’s AlgaPrime™ DHA is now being used by leading aquaculture companies around the globe.

Lerøy Seafood Group, the leading exporter of seafood from Norway and the world’s second largest producer of Atlantic Salmon, recently announced the use of AlgaPrime™ DHA in their feed to enhance the sustainability and omega-3 profile of salmon.  Check out the press release,  as well as coverage on the announcement in FeedNavigator and Undercurrent News.

In addition, Ventisqueros, S.A., a leading Chilean salmon farmer, announced they are using AlgaPrime™ DHA in the feed for their Silverside™ Premium Pacific salmon.  The feed formulation developed by BioMar dramatically reduces the number of wild fish that must be harvested to produce their farmed salmon. The press release is here, as well as additional coverage including Undercurrent News and Fish Update.

These new algae-based feeds not only increase the nutritional value of the farmed fish, they are also produced with fewer land, water and other resources that come with non-algae sources of omega-3s.

At ABO we believe this is just the beginning of a new way to improve aquaculture’s sustainability and value as a food source for people around the world. We’ll keep you updated on the next milestones!

Many ABO members are doing exciting things—in the algae space, in the sustainability space, in research, in industry, in labs and beyond. Today we would like to feature one group that has been making an impact on algae-focused technological development for many years: The Center for Applied Energy Research at the University of Kentucky.

The University of Kentucky has coordinated with a number of partners on some of the most advanced algae research in the field. Projects at the UK Center for Applied Energy Research have explored photobioreactor design, carbon capture from energy production and other systesm for large scale algae cultivation and processing.

Last month, ABO member Michael Wilson received his third consecutive University of Kentucky Sustainability Challenge Grant earlier this year, which will allow him to “bring in five undergraduate students from a broad range of disciplines to create a novel interdisciplinary research program.” The program, in short, provides support for projects that bring students together from a variety of academic disciplines in order to tackle a real-world sustainability conundrum. In the past, Wilson’s teams have worked on designing a sustainable bus shelter that incorporated solar power and water collection concepts.

We will be sure to track the project as it progresses—it promises to be valuable for both students and the broader community. More details about Wilson and the grant can be found here.   

Funding for algae research and development gets the full support of Congress in the Fiscal Year 2017 spending deal announced by House and Senate leaders Sunday.

Algal systems research under DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office would receive another $30 million infusion with an additional $10 million for algae and other innovative Carbon Use and Reuse technologies under DOE’s Fossil Energy Office — a clear sign of Congress’ continued support for our sector’s important work.

If approved by Congress this week, the bill will fund these and other government functions through September.