May 17, 2006

Offshore aquaculture holds promise for producers despite challenges

Offshore aquaculture could become a major factor in helping meet targets for global seafood production, industry experts said at the Open Ocean Aquaculture session of AQUA 2006 held in Florence, Italy last week.

Delegates at the conference extolled the benefits of offshore aquaculture such as fish welfare, increased productivity, improved product quality as well as addressing sustainability concerns.

Dr Richard Langan of the University of New Hampshire reported on its Open Ocean Aquaculture project, which has farmed summer flounder, Atlantic halibut, Atlantic cod and haddock offshore with impressive results.

Dr Langan said the project had to deal with challenges such as transfer issues, technical obstacles and extreme weather. He added open offshore aquaculture would be technology driven, with models similar to those of the oil and gas industry.