Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Keith Hutchings. (Photo: Government of Newfoundland & Labrador)

Financial boost for innovative processing equipment

CANADA
Tuesday, October 15, 2013, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

Green Seafoods Limited will install and test unique seafood processing equipment with support from the Newfoundland and Labrador Government.

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Keith Hutchings has announced CAD 72,582 (USD 70,000) in funding through the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Programme to examine the effectiveness of cooking and cooling equipment that has been modified to achieve greater efficiencies.

“The Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Programme encourages research and development activity that can give provincial harvesters and processors a competitive edge,” said Minister Hutchings. “With this project, the Provincial Government is investing more than CAD 72,000 to determine if energy efficient equipment that can process multiple species can be altered so that it takes up considerably less space, as this would help seafood processors throughout the province integrate the machinery into their plants.”

Using the latest generation of steam cooking technology, the equipment double stacks snow crab, mussels, and whelk moving through the system, which significantly reduces length of the machinery compared to standard equipment. Steam cooking is expected to achieve energy savings over the traditional immersion process by eliminating the need to preheat and maintain cooking water.

“The Provincial Government is committed to fostering business success, and the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Programme is a great example of how we do that,” said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development, and MHA for Trinity - Bay de Verde. “I commend Green Seafoods for taking the lead in testing equipment that could be beneficial for many shellfish processors, and I wish the company all the best in this project.”

Provincial Government funds will support the design, plant modifications, and professional support services that will be required to integrate the equipment into the company’s plant.

“The size of this equipment makes it easy to install it within our existing operations, and the daily start-up time is expected to be significantly reduced, which is much better from a cost perspective compared to our existing cooker,” said Derek Green, Owner of Green Seafoods Limited. “This will provide greater production flexibility in that we will now be able to produce more than one species in one day. I am excited about the benefits this new equipment could bring, and I thank the Provincial Government for its support.”

Budget 2013: A Sound Plan, A Secure Future included a CAD 2.2 million (USD 2.1 million) investment in the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Programme, which has promoted innovation in the province’s billion dollar fishing and aquaculture industry by assisting more than 200 research and development projects since 2008.
 

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