Acadia Harvest Inc., Brunswick, has received a $658,000 federal innovation grant, which it will apply to the development of zero-exchange RAS production of high value warmwater marine species.

The grant, from the National Science Foundation, went into effect March 1 and is estimated to fund research through February 2017.

Research will be led by principal investigator Taylor (Tap) Pryor, another founder and chief scientist at the firm. The third founder and principal at the firm is Christopher Heinig, CEO.

Researchers will create land-based conditions favorable to raising two warm-water species, California yellowtail and black sea bass, which each have strong demand in white-tablecloth restaurants and supermarkets, Robinson said.

The NSF said the project \"will demonstrate an entirely new approach to farming seafood\" by using technology that requires salt water and a \"zero waste\" approach, \"to break away from dependency on oceans for seafood production.\"

Acadia Harvest, which was formed in 2011, has just three full-time employees. It works in partnership with the University of Maine and the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research in Franklin, where the work will be performed.

\"Because such facilities are not in the ocean, seafood culture will no longer be restricted by certain naturally ideal habitats, competition for space, strict environmental regulations, occasional pollution and hazardous weather,\" the NSF said in a document describing the grant.

[Source: Peter Van Allan, Mainebiz. Read article]