Remediating the seabed with nanobubbles

Remediating seabed pollution from fish farms. Using nanobubbles.

It’s inevitable. Farming fish with open nets in the ocean adds organic matter (fish excrement and residual feed) that wouldn’t otherwise be there.

The residue falls to the seabed (or seafloor). If you get too much of it, the seabed can turn anoxic – effectively suffocating due to lack of oxygen.

I met with Jose P. Puga, co-founder and CEO at ChucaoTech, at their office in Puerto Varas.

This Chilean startup developed a system using nanobubbles, which offers a solution to the problem of seabed pollution from fish farming.

The nanobubble technology provides oxygen without disturbing the seabed, allowing it to recover between production cycles.

It’s a way to lower the impact of aquaculture. Here in Chile, salmon farms are required to do so by regulations, where the health of the seabed falls below the minimum standard.

They're scaling beyond salmon (tilapia, shrimp) and even into agriculture and mining, where the same tech works for soil remediation and wastewater treatment.

Sounds like a no-brainer, but it wasn’t easy.

The story of ChucaoTech is the story of a mechanical engineer and a lawyer turned ocean entrepreneurs.

Obstacles and failed attempts brought them an inch from giving up, but they managed to find a way through and are now taking on the international stage as a small, innovative business.

Stay tuned for the full interview with Jose on The Ocean Age podcast in the coming weeks.

A big thank you to Jose and the team for the warm welcome… and the delicious cake!