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Kona Blue begins new cage technology research

MEDIA RELEASE

Kona Blue Water Farms, one of the country’s foremost pioneers of sustainable open ocean aquaculture, has announced its latest research project in helping to develop cutting-edge technologies for sustainable seafood production.

Together with other stakeholders from science, technology, and sustainable agriculture, Kona Blue is deploying a research project that explores new aquaculture cage technology and fish production systems.

Two small net pens (each around 25’ in diameter) will be deployed for 10 months in the deep open ocean, in federal waters, from three to more than 150 miles offshore. The ocean in these areas is generally around 5 miles deep.

The pens will only be stocked with native Kona Kampachi – the same fish that are grown at the Keahole Point site. These fish are all hatchery-reared.

The fish will be fed the same sustainable diets, which include soy and other sustainable agricultural proteins, that are fed to the fish at the Keahole Point site.

The new cages allow the healthy growth of these fish in their natural environment, with virtually no impact on the underlying seafloor, surrounding water quality, or wild fish outside the net pens.

This research project has undergone an Environmental Assessment, with input from the cognizant State and Federal regulatory agencies (Hawaii’s Division of Land and Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Coast Guard, and NOAA’s Protected Resources and Sustainable Fisheries Divisions).

This EA has also been made available for public comment. The project will operate under an Experimental Fishing Permit issued by NOAA.

Kona Blue has been growing sashimi-grade Kona Kampachi in the pristine open ocean of Hawaii since 2005. The company is committed to exploring environmentally sound techniques to soften the footprint of sustainable aquaculture in the natural marine environment.

More information, and results of the research, will be released as the project progresses.

First application for factory fish farm in U.S. waters poised for approval as ‘fishing’

Statement of Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch:

“The first ocean fish farming operation in U.S. federal waters is about to be approved under the guise of “fishing” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is putting ocean fish farming cages in the same category as rods and reels and fishing nets, so the agency can claim it has authority to issue a permit for this new ‘gear type.’

“It’s outrageous that NOAA is equating this dangerous, large-scale polluting method of farming fish with fishing.

“On March 18, NOAA published a notice of a fishing permit application from Kona Blue Water Farms, a fish farming corporation located in Hawaii. The agency gave a mere 10-day comment period for the public to weigh in on the first ever deployment of mobile fish cages that will “fish” for yellowtail (seriola rivoliana), in a 7,200 square mile area off of Hawaii Island. In reality, these wandering cages will be growing fish in open ocean waters.

“Ignoring the tens of thousands of people who have voiced opposition to ocean aquaculture in Hawaii and throughout the United States, NOAA is moving forward to promote this destructive industry ahead of protecting our natural resources. The agency is also sidestepping all public input and development of safeguards to do so.

“Ocean fish farming, the mass production of fish in floating pens or cages in ocean waters, is associated with many well-documented ecological problems – water pollution, spread and increase of diseases and parasites, interference with marine mammals, and more. It can also have significant impacts to coastal communities, commercial and recreational fishermen and consumers.

“NOAA’s approach is utterly reckless and legally very questionable. If this permit is approved it will set the precedent for factory fish farms to be deployed in federal waters nationwide. It could cause irreparable harm to coastal communities and the environment as well as further push our food system toward dependence on factory farmed products – something many consumers today prefer to move away from.

“In the absence of a Secretary of Commerce to keep NOAA in check, President Obama must step in to protect our public resources and to stop the agency’s irresponsible and uncontrolled promotion of the ocean fish farming industry.”

— Find out more:
www.kona-blue.com
http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/DIR/dir_public_documents.html
www.foodandwaterwatch.org

One Response to “Kona Blue begins new cage technology research”

  1. Carl Edwardz says:

    The Food and Water Watch group is trying to mislead the public and perpetuate fear so they can get more donations to their organization. If there is no fear, they go out of business.

    Food and Water Watch calls this a “factory fish farm”. They know very well that it is a small scale research project, designed to make fish farming more envirnmentally friendly.

    NOAA is aware of the small size and scope of this research project which is why the comment period is so short. My congratulations to NOAA for moving this forward.

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