Remote Sensing Technology to Improve Marine Spatial Planning, Kelp Assessment and Aquaculture

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The proposed NSERC ARTP project centres on identification and development of viable sources of seaweed in Atlantic Canada for wild cultivation, and particularly as broodstock for near-shore kelp aquaculture facilities (kelp farms).The proposed applied research projects are industry driven and engage committed seafood and seaweed farmers, processors, technical services firms, and First Nations 3D visualization expertise to advance their businesses and make effective resource planning decisions in compliance with regulations.Three colleges are included in the intersecting research activities of the project: Nova Scotia Community College (project lead; NSCC), College of the North Atlantic (CNA), and Holland College, Canada's Smartest Kitchen (CSK).Activities will focus on high-resolution, remote sensing and mapping of habitats and environmental features e.g., water depth, currents, location of sensitive species (NSCC); algorithm development to derive predictive models for sustainable developmentusing data on wild kelp biomass, environmental conditions,and growth patterns (CNA); and consumer food science using the kelp resources for value-added healthy products (CSK).This tri-college partnership is essential and symbiotic in providing research to committed industry partners that capitalizes on each college's technical strengths toward a strategic area of economic development and expansion in Atlantic Canada: aquaculture that moves beyond seafood to target R&D in kelp aquaculture.The team will employ tangible EDI practices to advance research associates and recruit diverse students building on the colleges' depth of expertise on industry projects and on respectful, meaningful, collaboration with Indigenous communities.The project will train over 50 students in the areas of research planning, industry collaboration, and execution over the two-year project duration both individually and through cross-institutional multidisciplinary engagement.The team will produce tangible outcomes for industry including provision of near-shore interactive data and 3D visualization supported by predictive modelling to inform business expansion and more efficient operations. The consumer base will be expanded through sensory-tested prototype recipe formulations and marketing intelligence for industry partners as the foundation for scaled-up commercialized food products.