April 10, 2023

Blue Water Fisheries proposes open-ocean fish farming in New England waters

Blue Water Fisheries is aiming to introduce open-ocean fish farming in the waters off the New England region, US, by rearing salmon and trout in submersible fish pens several miles from shore, ABC News reported.

Currently, the bulk of aquaculture in the US occurs in coastal waters or on land in tanks and ponds. Blue Water Fisheries, based in New Hampshire, plans to locate 40 submersible fish pens in waters around 12 km from Newburyport, Massachusetts state, on two sites.

Millions of pounds of Atlantic salmon and steelhead trout, two of the most popular seafood species, will be cultivated at the farm. The proposal will need many approvals. If implemented, it will be the first on the US East Coast.

Hawaii was the first US state to permit commercial open-ocean aquaculture operations. The farms are seen by proponents as a sustainable method of fish farming, but environmental groups have raised concerns about pollution and the potential release of non-native species. Similar offshore fish farming projects have been proposed in California and Florida.

Blue Water Fisheries is working with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies on the regulatory and approvals process. Th company also needs approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency, among other approvals.

According to US federal documents, the aquaculture project proposed by Blue Water Fisheries would involve submerging pens approximately 49 feet below the surface in depths of about 262 feet. The project is expected to yield a combination of steelhead trout and Atlantic salmon, producing up to 25.6 million pounds annually. The company plans to conduct year-round operations out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The proposal also includes plans to raise lumpfish, a species used for controlling parasites.

Fish farming company Cooke Aquaculture currently operates aquaculture of Atlantic salmon in coastal areas off Maine in New England.

-      ABC News