Offshore fish farming in Gulf, then....?

Almaco jack

From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

Next stop: Off New England?

The federal government is considering authorizing the proposed Kampachi Farms aquaculture project in federal waters off southwest Florida, resembling the Velella Farm demonstration pen in Kona, Hawaii. The project, the first like it in the contiguous United States, would raise 20,000 almaco jack fish for human consumption. The fish would be raised in a chain-link mesh pen anchored to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Washington Post reports that “the pen would be 17 meters across and 7 meters deep, sunk to 40 meters below the surface, anchored to the bottom and with a feed barge tethered to its side.’’

Such aquaculture could be a boon.

After all, demand for seafood is constantly growing and America imports around 80 percent of its seafood, with about 50 percent of that raised through aquaculture. Much of this fish is from Asian and other nations where health regulations lag. We’re rapidly emptying the oceans of wild-caught fish. And catching them kills much bycatch, such as dolphins and whales, while fishing boats’ fuel pollutes waters in many places and adds to global warming.

Inevitably, some residents of southwest Florida (with many affluent and politically powerful winter and year-round residents) assert that the fish farm, about 45 miles southwest of Sarasota, would hurt the eco-system (as if massive fishing of wild fish doesn’t do that). And some complain that the project would involve privatizing federal waters. But the Feds have always rented out massive tracts of government land for such private enterprises as timber harvesting, cattle raising and mining.

It strikes me that this project would probably be too small to substantially impact the local eco-system. In any event, I hope that (biological and chemical?) ways can be found to ensure that such promising enterprises succeed environmentally as well as commercially. Call the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole for advice. This project could become a model for fish farming off New England.=

To read a Washington Post article on this, please hit this link.