James Craigie / Institute for Marine Dynamics /National Research Council Canada

FPTT Innovator Award

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In recognition of the exceptional innovation capabilities and scientific contribution to marine plant commercialization in Canada and to the development of Nova Scotia's aquaculture industry

James Craigie
Institute for Marine Biosciences
National Research Council Canada

One of the criteria unique to the FPTT Innovator Award is the ability of a federal public service individual or team to recognize the value of a technology and its possible applications, even when others can't. To the seaweed industry, Dr. James S. Craigie, a principal research officer with the Institute for Marine Dynamics in Halifax, defines the standard of foresightedness and scientific ingenuity. Considered among his peers as an international pioneer in marine plant commercialization, the National Research Council scientist's expertise and creativity has allowed the Canadian seaweed industry to develop a wide array of cultivation, product manufacturing and quality control processes unparalleled in the world. Significantly, many of the methods he devised for seemingly intractable problems are affordable, practical and often low-tech solutions that his clients are able to readily implement. In particular, Dr. Craigie has almost single-handedly guided the seaweed industry on the East Coast from a branch plant harvesting operation with few benefits for the local economy into an integrated and technically-driven 'Made in the Maritimes' venture that has established Canada as a world leader in seaweed product technology.

The most dramatic beneficiary of Dr. Craigie's expertise is Acadian Seaplants Ltd., now the largest independent manufacturer of seaweed products in North America, with processing plants in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince-Edward-Island. In 1981, Acadian Seaplants was an obscure Nova Scotia seaweed company with a single customer and only a handful of seasonal workers. Today, with 130 full-time employees and 1,000 part-time staff, the world-class corporation has annual sales of $15-20 million and a client base in 50 different countries. Much of the company's success may be traced back to its research partnership with Dr. Craigie, who since 1981 has developed several low-cost and efficient cultivation and processing techniques that led to strains of cultivated seaweed and biological extracts of the highest quality in their classes. At one point, for example, the market for Acadian's premier product, Irish moss, was abruptly terminated due to competition from a cultivated Philippine seaweed also used for carrageenan production. Once again, the company turned to Dr. Craigie to develop Chondrus as a sea vegetable for the Japanese market. The NRC scientist helped develop a premium-quality food product by converting the natural brownish-red fronds into an attractive pink colour while at the same time perfecting a tenderizing procedure that gave the product a 'mouth texture' demanded by the buyers. During the first year of sea vegetable production, a parasitic green algae threatened the viability of the enterprise. To solve that problem, Dr. Craigie developed a novel prototype photobioreactor and a new in vitro culture protocol that supported an exceptionally rapid growth of tiny inoculum that ensured healthy batches of perennial plants.

As Acadian president and founder Louis E. Deveau says: 'The success enjoyed by Acadian Seaplants in terms of market expansion, job creation, export achievements and environmental leadership is due in large measure to the research partnership we enjoy with Dr. Craigie.' As a result of the collaborative effort, everything from seaweed harvesting to research and development, the manufacturing of value-added products and sales and marketing stay in the Maritimes, providing local jobs and economic growth.

Sponsored by:
The Impact Group