September 21, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Campbell River, BC) – Today, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced their largest project to date with the $51 million Marine Donut Adaptation and Commercialization Project led by Bluegreen.
This project will adapt and commercialize the Marine Donut®, a fully closed containment aquaculture technology system, and will include six key technologies designed specifically for the Pacific Ocean environment. With the global demand for sustainable protein rising, aquaculture is expected to play a key role in meeting that demand, presenting a significant opportunity for Canada. Investment in innovations like the Marine Donut ® will not only help position Canada to lead in sustainable aquaculture but will also support domestic food security. This technology will contribute to sustainable growth opportunities for salmon farming in British Columbia and help position the $1.2 billion sector for long-term success.
The project is led by Campbell River, BC-based Bluegreen with support from local Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River, BC. With a total project value of $51 million, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is investing $14.5 million, with the balance of funding coming from project partners.
In collaboration with North Island College, Bluegreen will help build local capacity by recruiting students from local First Nations to join the training program. The program will train up to 140 students in thermoplastic manufacturing in small cohorts of 10 students each. Bluegreen will also recruit and train five–10 Marine Donut operators.
Bluegreen’s support from Wei Wai Kum First Nation and other Indigenous collaborators reflects a shared commitment to sustainable economic development, stewardship of marine resources, food security, and long-term prosperity for coastal communities.
Through Ambition 2035 and together with Canada’s ocean community, we are bold in our ambition to grow Canada’s ocean economy 5X to $220 billion by 2035. Continued investment in the accelerated development and commercialization of globally relevant, made-in-Canada ocean solutions will help us realize this ambition. Read more about recommendations to help achieve this transformational growth opportunity outlined in Charting the Course to 5X Growth in Canada’s Ocean Economy and the projected benefits to Canada here.
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Media Contacts
Nancy Andrews
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
nancy.andrews@oceansupercluster.ca
About Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster accelerates the development and commercialization of made-in-Canada ocean solutions in blue food, arctic and security, ocean energy, and marine decarbonization, while also growing more companies, creating more jobs, and attracting ocean talent. As Canada’s national ocean cluster, the OSC is a convenor of members, partners, and networks and a catalyst for transformative growth that helps build the robust ecosystem needed to help realize Ambition 2035 – a 5X growth potential in ocean in Canada by 2035. To date, the OSC has approved 160 projects valued at more than $600 million, which will deliver more than 300 new made-in-Canada ocean products, processes, and services to sell to the world. Every dollar invested in Ocean Supercluster projects generates more than five times its value in GDP contribution, with the following economic benefits to Canada as of March 2025:
- $1.7 billion in total economic output
- $1 billion in GDP contribution
- Nearly $748 million in total labour income
- Close to 10,000 jobs created
- $286 million in total tax revenues generated
About Bluegreen
Bluegreen is a Norwegian industrial technology company specializing in the design and construction of large-scale thermoplastic structures and infrastructure. The company develops and delivers closed-containment aquaculture systems, including the Marine Donut®, and has extensive expertise in complex thermoplastic engineering, fabrication and project delivery. Bluegreen has established a manufacturing yard in Campbell River, British Columbia, to produce Marine Donut systems for the North American market.
About Marine Donut®
Marine Donut® is a large, floating closed-containment system for salmon farming at sea, developed by Bluegreen. The system is designed to provide greater control over the production environment while reducing exposure to sea lice, preventing escapes and enabling the collection of sludge and feed residues. Marine Donut has completed two full production cycles in collaboration with SalMar, producing close to 2,000 tonnes of fish. The technology can be used for both post-smolt and grow-out production.
Quotes
“As global demand for sustainable seafood continues to grow, Canada has a significant opportunity to become a global leader in sustainable aquaculture. Innovations like Bluegreen’s Marine Donut® can help position Canada at the forefront of this sector while strengthening food security, advancing Indigenous participation and leadership, and supporting resilient coastal economies.” – Kendra MacDonald, Chief Executive Officer, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
“We are proud and excited to take the next step in adapting Marine Donut® for Canadian conditions. The support from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is an important vote of confidence in the technology and in its potential to contribute to the growth of the aquaculture sector. We are also very much looking forward to working closely with First Nations and local partners to build knowledge, create value and develop solutions that are well suited to the needs of coastal communities in British Columbia.” – Nils-Johan Tufte, Group CEO of Bluegreen and inventor of Marine Donut®