CO-FUNDED BY THE FONDS QUÉBÉCOIS DE LA RECHERCHE SUR LA NATURE ET LE LES TECHNOLOGIES (FRQNT)
Sweet kelp is grown experimentally and commercially in Europe, in the United States, as well as in the Maritimes and Québec. In Québec, sweet kelp is grown on lines, and seeds from wild seaweed must be harvested from the wild. A single marine hatchery commercially produces seedlings on ropes and sells its collectors to aquaculturists wishing to cultivate them in the various coastal regions of Québec. Furthermore, the installation of seaweed farms in new sites does not guarantee that the single strain used is best suited to the needs of these new markets and to the environmental characteristics of these cultivation sites. As the main algae producers in Asia have done, hatcheries need to be able to have high-performance strains in different sites, which requires a good knowledge of the genetic diversity of the kelps on our coasts. These data will be collected and transmitted to Merinov who will be able to integrate this genomic information to develop these strains. Québec does not yet produce large volumes of kelp, with around ten active sites for three companies, but has immense potential with its 6,000 km of coastline.
Genome Centre: Génome Québec
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| Flora | Salvo | Merinov |