July 28, 2009

Two entrepreneurs in New York are confident they have coined a new technology that will "revolutionize" the fish farm industry and provide an economic incentive for reforestation efforts. 

 

Jere Northrop and Aaron Resnick, founders of TimberFish Technologies in Westfield New York, have invented a commercial fish feeding system that reduces the use of water and energy when raising fish and the need to buy fishmeal - an economically and environmentally friendly alternative to current commercial fish farm technology. 

 

In the forest behind Northrop's house, in Chautauqua County, sits the new concept that they hope will be a big catch among commercial fisheries. 

 

Northrop, the company's chief executive officer, said the "technology can produce fish that are economically competitive with existing fish farms". 

 

The new system uses two fish tanks, one of which is filled with fish, the other with decaying plant and tree matter. Small invertebrates that live and reproduce on the decaying matter are sucked into the second tank and eaten by the fish. 

 

The fish waste is filtered back into the original tank and consumed by microorganisms. The invertebrates then eat the microorganisms, the fish eat the invertebrates and the cycle starts itself again. 

 

Northrop and Resnick said the re-circulating technology uses far less energy and water than a typical system that requires more for feeding and flushing out the waste. It reduces food costs, since the invertebrates living on the plant matter reproduce and can sustain itself.  Naturally grown fish food on-site also reduces the risk of fish contamination. There is less pollution, since the fish waste is not taken anywhere else,

 

Northrop said the fish will grow faster and more efficiently in a controlled environment and that the technology is going to be "the future of agriculture".

 

In addition, Northrop said the need for plant and tree matter-which he deems as the "cornfield of the future"-to feed the fish will provide an economic incentive to keep and grow forests instead of cutting them down. 

 

Resnick, the company's president, said there are already several commercial fish farms in the US and abroad that are interested in the technology. 

 

Rather than travel around the world installing the systems, Resnick said that he and Northrop will likely profit off of the concept by licensing it and collecting royalties from companies who decide to install it. 

 

Northrop, who earned his Ph. D. in biophysics in 1969, first began thinking of the concept about 35 years ago, but the idea didn't gain momentum until he partnered with Resnick's business savvy. Northrop previously co-founded Bion Technologies, a waste management company for the livestock industry, in 1989.

 

Resnick has spent most of his career in the technology sector and has held positions in technical marketing, sales, business intelligence, product management and business line management. 

 

TimberFish has plans to grow its company in Westfield, as both Northrop and Resnick have roots there. They hope to expand its workforce to include researchers and administrative personnel if the company takes off, and see the potential for new fish farms sprouting up in the region. 

 

It's the latest chapter in Westfield's storied industrial history, as both Welch's grape juice and Renold-Ajax coupling company trace some of their roots to the town.