Multi-million investments targeting new marine co-products builds on previous successes at Shippagan, New Brunswick's Coastal Zones Research Institute

January 20, 2009
Shippagan, NB - Officials were on hand today to announce that the Coastal Zones Research Institute Inc. (CZRI) will receive up to $3 million in funding over a five-year period through ACOA's Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) to help further its research on turning fishery-based "waste into wealth.” ACOA's investment in the CZRI will help researchers to develop new technologies that will allow for the extraction, isolation and characterization of bioactive ingredients from marine waste to create value-added products for aquaculture, natural health product and food markets. The project will also help fish processors extract more value from their catch, and reduce the amount of fish waste generated by current practices. The expected impacts are far reaching in terms of waste reduction, environmental sustainability, industry diversification and prosperity. The project has an estimated total cost of $5.4 million, and involves several fish processors, companies in natural health products, animal feed and waste management, as well as the Institutes' staff and other Atlantic region scientists.

The announcement is part of a series of announcements related to 24 research and development projects that will receive up to $51.8 million in AIF funding throughout Atlantic Canada. These innovative R&D projects bring together the region's universities, businesses and research institutions to conduct leading-edge research, which, once commercialized, has the potential to grow Atlantic Canada's economy.

The CZRI has been the object of much excitement in the past few months, following good results from other investments in 2008. In one of these, the CZRI has partnered with Pêcheries Belle-Île, the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation, the Industrial Research Assistance Program of the National Research Council and TAMI North America in order to make the final adjustments to a tangential flow filtration prototype suited to fish processing plants. Use of this system allows cooking water from marine products to be filtered, so that it may be reused and for the recovery of organic matter, to be used in the form of a concentrated fish extract for use in value-added products in both the food and natural products sector.

The CZRI has also partnered with the Fisherman Cooperative Association in Lamèque, the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation, the Industrial Research Assistance Program of the National Research Council and Ocean NutraSciences NB, in the production of an oil from northern shrimp that has a high content of astaxanthin and omega-3. Astaxanthin, a natural pigment found in the northern shrimp, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, giving it the potential to become a high value-added product. Omega-3 fatty acids have many benefits in areas such as cardiovascular health, cognitive function, spatial resolution, as well as in normal growth and development.

These initiatives dovetail with New Brunswick's fisheries renewal plan which includes innovation and the creation of new products. New Brunswick is the fourth largest exporter of fish and seafood products in Canada, with exports valued at close to $800 million in 2006. New Brunswick is the second-largest aquaculture producer in Canada, with sales of value-added products totaling $360 million annually. New Brunswick and the Atlantic region, including maritime Québec, have a vibrant marine science and technology cluster.

For more information on these initiatives, please visit:
http://mediaroom.acoa-apeca.gc.ca/e/media/press/press.shtml?4263
http://www.irzc.umcs.ca/flash_content/Dossier%20PDF/Publications/Shrimp%20Oil-NRelease.pdf
http://www.irzc.umcs.ca/flash_content/Dossier%20PDF/Publications/CP-Ang-Filtration%20tangentielle4déc08.pdf

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