What the facility does
Modern and dynamic facility for industry-focused applied research related to aquaculture.
Areas of expertise
The Centre for Innovative Aquaculture Production (CIAP) has expertise related to several important areas of aquaculture systems. The Centre focuses on the optimization of aquaculture facility design and production planning to improve efficiency. It has expertise in best practices for rearing unique species, offering valuable insights into specialized care and management, as well as evaluating the impacts of various fish culture practices on overall performance.
Research services
- Three independent recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) labs, each monitored with programmable logic controllers (PLC) supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.
- Each lab has a flexible plumbing design to support various numbers and sizes of tanks to meet specific research needs.
- Capacity to engage in exceptional applied research that better meets the needs of the provincial and national aquaculture sectors.
- Equipment that allows for enhanced monitoring and precision of data collection to enhance animal welfare and improve the quality of research.
- Three independently biosecure recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) wings allows for concurrent research of multiple species and/or life stages of fish in a controlled lab-based environment.
Sectors of application
- Fisheries and aquaculture
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| McRae Integration PLC/SCADA System | PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system. Continual monitoring of rearing unit conditions: temperature, dissolved oxygen, and flow. Alarms triggered when values in the rearing unit are out of specification, hooked up to a call out system for 24/7/365 response. This unit also has remote viewing capabilities and spare inputs/outputs for future expansion capacity. |
| Aclarus Ozone Oxygen Generators | Oxygen generation to supplement oxygen to rearing units. |
| Commercial Air Compressor Ltd Air Compressor | Compresses air for supply to the oxygen generator. For aeration of rearing units (when required). |
| Loligo Systems Fish Shuttle Box system, model # CS80370 | Environmental chambers for preferential selection of environment based on temperature and dissolved oxygen. |
| Fish Farm Supply Recirculatory Aquaculture Systems (RAS), model # 930070 | Provides all mechanical and biological filtration, and sterilization of water before it enters the rearing units. |
| Electrical Generator and Auto Transfer Switch | Ensures a source of backup power to the technologies on which living populations of fish are dependent. The transfer switch ensures that power stays on during outages. |
| Durpro Ozone Generator, model # CFS-3 2G | Generation of ozone for disinfection of spaces pre/post experiments. |
| Aquatell UV Sterilizers | Used in tandem with the ozone generator to improve water quality and ensure the disinfection of the aquaculture environment. They provide control for bacteria, viruses and microorganisms. |
| Pro-Tech Pool & Spa Sand Filters | Removes solids and uses processed filter sand to trap dirt and debris. |
| Tanks, large (3) and small (36) | Used for all fish rearing activities including feeding, density manipulation, and breeding. |
| Aquaneering Fish House / Wall | Houses fish in a small-scale system. Fish are held as individuals or small populations, rather than commercial scale. |
| Noldus Larval Fish Observation Chamber | Allows for the live recording of up to 96 individual larval fish. Tracks and records movement and behaviour for later analysis. |
| Distell Fish Fat Meter, model FFM-992 | Enables the testing of the body fat composition of live fish. |
| Dynamic Aqua-Supply MariSource Vertical Fish Egg Incubator | Engineered to increase the rate of survival of salmon and trout eggs. The vertical system uses stackable trays, conserving valuable floor space. |