Fisheries and Oceans / Focal Technologies Inc.

FPTT Technology Transfer Award

Fisheries and Oceans /
Focal Technologies Inc.

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Successful transfer and commercialization of the Optical Particle Counter which measures the distribution of zooplankton

Alex Herman
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, DFO

Jim Snow
Focal Technonogies Inc.

Collection of accurate and extensive readings of zooplankton, the small organism that flourishes in Canadian waterways, is of vital importance to the health and survival of this country's marine ecosystems, and, in particular, as a food source to coastal fish. Arising from research that has made the Bedford Institute of Oceanography among the most respected research institutions in the world, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) developed the world's first Optical Particle Counter (OPC) to measure the distribution of zooplankton. The instrument optically detects the magnitude and duration of a signal that results when water carrying a particle passes through a narrow beam of light. Focal Technologies Inc. of Dartmouth N.S. introduced the product to the global marine community and sold 60 units with a value of about $2 million during its seven-year production period. The company, with an established customer base for its premier line of slip rings, has since hired two additional employees to fulfill the overlapping demands of its new product line. Research and development have not stopped there. The relationship between DFO and Focal Technologies continues with the development of a second-generation laser instrument that is smaller, is capable of measuring higher particle concentrations of even smaller organisms, and can shape the outline of organisms, thus enabling identification.

Sponsored by:
Evert Communications & Re$earch Money