Pelagic fish populations such as mackerel and herring—commonly used as bait in crustacean commercial fishing are in decline. At the Biodôme, Dr. Nathalie R. Le François and her team, in partnership with biotechnology experts, are exploring an eco-friendly alternative: using microalgae cultivated in photobioreactors as a sustainable replacement for traditional bait.
The new bait would be produced from low-trophic-level species found at the base of the food chain, such as microalgae with or without the addition of insects by-products.
Trials were conducted on the American lobster (Homarus americanus) at the Laboratoire de Physiologie, Aquaculture et Conservation (LPAC) at the Biodôme, thanks to a donation to the Espace pour la vie Foundation and support from the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale.
Testing promising new baits
The results observed by Le François’s team are so promising that a new research program is being developed in collaboration with Université Laval, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation (WWFN), the École des Pêches et de l’Aquacuture du Québec (School of fisheries and aquaculture of Québec), and the National Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The project will address remaining questions around production, attractiveness, composition, and the socioeconomic considerations involved in developing a Quebec-based supply chain for alternative bait.
The aquatic laboratory facilities at the Biodôme are currently being relocated in preparation for an upgrade of the technical and analytical capacities dedicated specifically to this program.
In the meantime, starting in 2025, preliminary sea trials on American lobster are planned in Havre-Saint-Pierre, in the Côte-Nord region and trials for the green urchins will be conducted in Cacouna, in Bas-Saint-Laurent. Controlled-environment trials on the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) are also planned at the Aquatic Research Laboratory for Environmental and Medical Sciences (LARSEM) of the Université Laval, in collaboration with Dr. Grant W. Vandenberg’s team. Funding is provided by the Espace pour la vie Foundation, WWFN and Université Laval.
To learn more about the research project:
Microalgae for eco responsible lobster fishing?
Les microalgues en soutien aux pêcheries durables et responsables au Québec - Fondation Espace pour la Vie (in French only)