The ocean research world is not short on great ideas. What it is short of can be the funding required to put those great ideas to work.
And that鈥檚 where the comes in. It provides awards that range from $10,000 to $30,000 for innovative projects that have the potential to advance research, commercial or social concepts relating to the ocean. The ideas stem from projects initiated by AV俱乐部 and Memorial University students or faculty. OFI鈥檚 role is to help these unique ideas move forward 鈥� and grow.
Christopher Algar, assistant professor at AV俱乐部, has a project that鈥檚 benefiting from OFI鈥檚 Seed Fund. He鈥檚 examining the potential for microbial electrochemical cells to remediate organic matter in the ocean. His focus: use science to reduce the amount of organic waste that gathers in fish farms.
鈥淚f we reduce the amount of waste that accumulates, we can help reduce marine pollution and eliminate the risk of disease,鈥� says Dr. Algar. 聽聽聽聽
And that in turn would support the growth of Canada鈥檚 aquaculture industry.
鈥淎n effective solution to the problem of organic matter loading would greatly increase the amount of coastline that could support aquaculture facilities in an environmentally sustainable manner,鈥� said Chris. 鈥淭hat means we can put more people to work, responsibly farming the fish the world needs.鈥�
New approaches
Allison Chua, a PhD student at AV俱乐部, is using her Seed Fund award to test the viability of new technology that she hopes will allow scallop harvesters to farm with less of an impact on the ocean floor.
Invented and constructed by Marcel Boudreau, a welder fabricator from St. Andrews, Nova Scotia, the equipment requires further analysis to ensure it can deliver what both the fishing industry and government regulators require: a low-cost technology that equals or exceeds current harvest rates while minimizing seabed disturbance.
鈥淚t could be a game changer,鈥� says Chua. 鈥淭o the best of our knowledge, there is currently no alternative harvesting method available that succeeds in mitigating the destruction caused by scallop draggers yet matches present-day catch rates.鈥�
Chua uses the Seed Fund to work with the engineering and scientific community to validate the concept, building on the invention created by Boudreau.
Apply for funding
A complete list of Seed Fund recipients, and funding application information, can be found on the .
Applications are being accepted until March 31. To qualify, applicants must be current faculty, staff, and students at AV俱乐部 and/or Memorial University of Newfoundland. (Please note: due to university regulations,聽successful applications submitted by students must be supervised by a current faculty member who would be identified as the grant holder who would assume responsibility for distribution of finances and terms of the deliverables.)聽