Since last July, an unanchored pen stocked with 2,000 hatchery-born fish known as kampachi (a cousin of the more familiar yellowtail) has been floating and bobbing in the eddies
off the West side the Big Island of Hawaii. This experiment is closely
watched by a group of marine biologists from the aquaculture company, Kampachi Farms, which is lead by Neil Sims, a man seen by many as an industry pioneer. Dubbed the Velella Project after a type of free-floating jellyfish that rides the ocean’s currents, the effort is the first attempt at commercializing offshore aquaculture in the U.S.
Most of today’s marine fish farming takes place fairly close to
shore, but many in the industry believe that in order to grow, they need
to look further out to the open ocean, anywhere from 3-200 miles
offshore, in federal waters. And they’re not alone. Aquaculturists in
countries like Norway, Ireland, Newfoundland and Chile are also
beginning to explore offshore options, though the technology to
accomplish this remains in its infancy.
