A Snapshot of Lake Omar (and the Food of the Future?)

The view from my office is unequalled. Lake Omar, with all its changing scenery, is soothing and extremely entertaining. As I am writing this blog, there are two pair of Canada geese vying for this piece of paradise by loudly honking and exhibiting behaviour that will chase the less-strong pair of geese to find another place to nest, and claim what they are viewing as the superior spot to raise their young. The superior pair are now resting on the Floating Umbrella and soaking up the morning sun.

 

Hidden from our naked eye, Lake Omar is also a source of many invertebrates and other tiny plants and animals that aid our coho salmon in growing quickly as fry. As we were getting ready to pond our tiny salmon this year, Lake Omar water was added to the Heath stacks to gradually introduce the new environment to the coho. Just having this nutrient-rich water flowing through their gills, the coho were absorbing nutrients without even actively feeding. Hence, those coho that experienced Lake Omar water for a longer period thrived as newly ponded fry with no adjustment period. Needless to say, the rainbow trout that many of our students are trying to entice with their fly-fishing skills are fat and happy with what they are eating in Lake Omar and not very tempted to work at catching a lure in spite of being expertly made by our students involved in the fly-tying 360 group.

 

The mallard ducklings are nestled together on the stump in front of the hatchery, preening and getting ready to have their mid-morning nap. They were very accommodating to allow me to wander out onto the dock to capture their happiness. Lake Omar has provided for this mother and her seven ducklings, ensuring they have a safe place to grow and are supplied with the best food source available for them. We might think that the green stuff floating in Lake Omar is just another algae bloom, but it is instead a protein-rich food called watermeal or mealy duckweed. If you look closely at the picture of the ducklings, their crops are full to bursting with a superfood they are feasting on in Lake Omar.

Wolfia spp. is an endemic species of duckweed that first showed itself on Lake Omar last summer. The genus Wolfia contains a number of rootless aquatic plants that are considered the smallest flowering plants on Earth. They have a very cosmopolitan distribution, so they can be found in many nutrient-rich and still bodies of water. Each individual plant is a tiny, bright-green oval about the size of a grain of salt or cornmeal, giving it a unique texture. Students who were helping with the coho salmon and rainbow trout release at the beginning of May had the opportunity to view this tiny plant through a compound microscope.

 

The plant bodies of watermeal are entirely free-floating and branchless, and lack both roots and true leaves. They consist of a simple, oval vegetative body called a thallus. They are technically a flowering plant, but the flower itself is quite unique. It has only one stamen and one pistil and forms in a tiny depression on the top of the plant’s frond. So the smallest flowering plants in the world are definitely not too showy!

 

The ideal place for Wolfia to grow is warm water bathed in bright light. They reproduce exponentially via vegetative budding, and can double their population in just one or two days. Thriving in nutrient-rich freshwater environments, they form dense, green mats across the surface of lakes and ponds. There are almost a dozen species within the genus and I believe our major species in Lake Omar is Wolfia columbiana. This endemic species is an entirely spherical transparent-green plant.

 

This plant is a superfood and a viable alternative to animal protein and soy. It contains up to 40 percent protein by dry weight and is packed with essential amino acids, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. Cultivating this plan is incredibly environmentally friendly as it requires a fraction of the land and water that traditional crops demand.

 

Our world is experiencing global population growth and in emerging countries the demand for meat has triggered a “protein crisis” as the demand for protein has exceeded the supply. By 2030, the imbalance between demand and supply is projected to become critical by 2030. Our duckweed right here on Lake Omar (and other Wolfia species) could stand ready to solve this global crisis. This fast-growing crop is enjoying rising expectations as an alternative protein source to meat and soybeans.

 

In Hokkaido, Japan, the Floatmeal Company is a startup business in Japan’s largest food production region who are hoping to promote duckweed as a solution to the global protein crisis. The environmental impact of Wolfia is remarkably low, using only 1/230 the water and 1/63 the land required for soybean production. The protein content is also high – 36 to 40 percent compared with about 34 percent for soybeans and 28 percent for broccoli. Also rich in vitamins and minerals, Wolfia could be the next focus of attention as a potential superfood to replace conventional protein sources.