JULY/AUGUST 2017 BCBUSINESS 23
growth rates. Seedlings planted closest
to the †sh pens grew almost 50 per cent
faster than those planted further a†eld.
Last year, the researchers expanded
their scope, installing kelp-seeded lines
at 30 †sh farms around Vancouver
Island, to get a better sense of growth
rates in dierent oceanic conditions. (At
the best sites, kelp seedlings grew nearly
four metres in just three months.)
The next step in Cross's research
program is to estimate how much kelp
could be grown within the 160-odd
†sh farming tenures in B.C. and the
potential economic yield. The value
of the kelp depends on its end market
and how it's processed, he says. But the
modest startup cost—"basically, some
rope, anchors and a boat"—means it
could provide a low-barrier economic
opportunity for local communities.
"You and I could never aord to start a
†sh farm—it's millions of dollars," Cross
explains. "But you and I could put in
$5,000 each and become kelp farmers."
Northern Vancouver Island's
Kwakiutl First Nation has been working
closely with Cross—one of the test sites
is within its traditional territory—and
is keen to see the study results. Tom
Child, lands and resource manager with
the Kwakiutl, notes that coastal First
Nations have a long history with aqua-
culture, from building clam gardens
to harvesting wild kelp covered with
nutrient-rich herring roe. "Dr. Cross's
method of aquaculture †ts within the
Kwakiutl paradigm of sustainability—no
unnatural inputs—on a scale that makes
sense for us," he says.
The Kwakiutl are developing a multi-
species aquaculture strate›y for their
community. Their plan, Child says, is
to create vertical underwater gardens,
with a variety of shell†sh, seaweeds and
edible plants. "We're happy with the
planning stages so far," he adds, "and
we're looking forward to the rubber hit-
ting the road on this kelp project."
Down the coast, Druehl is getting
more visitors to his Bam†eld home these
days. "We bring people in, and we show
them how to farm," he says. Druehl has
consulted for kelp restoration projects
in Puget Sound and Esquimalt, and for
seaweed farming startups in Alaska and
California. But for now, at least, his kelp
farm remains the only one in B.C.
GRAND VIEW RESEARCH, INC.
