The mariculture practices at NELHA where very intriguing in more ways than one. Campachi Farms is a small company that has a big idea. They understand the importance and urgency of food scarcity with the ever growing population of Earth.They also realize the global collapse of fisheries. The facility they managed consisted of multiple enclosed ponds of ranging sizes, all hosting and birthing fish. The company is growing fish to allow for offshore mariculture practices, 8 miles off the coast to be precise. There idea is to enclose schools of fish in very large “cages.” This will allow for proper extraction practices especially without harming and degrading natural marine life around our beautiful coast.
As great as the idea was, there were some reserves I had regarding the structural integrity, food source and general quality of life. These are questions that we must all answer ourselves. But when push came to shove, I felt they didn’t care for these types of questions when I asked them one on one. The company fed the fish a concentrated soy diet to help increase biomass and hence create more protein to further feed our growing population. The entire process was a necessary one to see. It was a great eye opening experience!
I’m interested in your concerns. Mariculture is a new system of food production, and there are definite concerns about best practices and sustainability. On your tour at PACRC, you saw the same fish, which is being tested on for sustainable food trials- and there are other considerations on the quality of the fish too.
The other big concern is the amount of impact mariculture has on the normal environment.