Custom live seafood shipping containers designed to expand markets

Two Nova Scotia companies are teaming up to transport live seafood around the world using what they call a game-changing method. BioNovations offers multiple sizes of its specialized live seafood shipping containers. (BioNovations)

Antigonish-based BioNovations has created a self-regulating holding crate it says will enable a smooth transition for live seafood, such as crab and lobster, and reduce the shipping mortality rate.

CEO Joe Boudreau said many markets want live seafood, and he anticipates the containers will increase demand further by allowing more successful shipping to Europe, Asia and various areas of the U.S.

"You can go into the central part of the U.S. with live product and be able to have it there and hold it properly where you can't do that now because the logistics to get it there now is so hard in the summertime when the weather is warm," he said.

"It works fairly well in the wintertime when it's cold, but once the climate warms up it's really hard to make all
the connecting flights and get everything in in time."

Boudreau said increasing demand through better shipping technology will result in more money for local fisherman.

"Now you'll be be able to take product where you couldn't take it before," he said. "We were just talking to a company in
Korea this morning. For Christmas, New Year's there, they were selling snow crab, for example, at $85 a kilogram, so about $45 US a pound to the fisherman here."

The other company involved, Live Ship Logistics, is based in North Sydney. It will take on 12 BioNovations units this year and move up to 120 units within five years.

The system is expected to be ready to go in time for summer shipping