SHRIMP AQUAFARMS
Is your favorite seafood toxic? Overseas-farmed fisheries are not only impacting American jobs but Americans’ health too.
Americans certainly seem to have a bottomless appetite for blushing crustaceans called Shrimp, the most consumed seafood in America. Last year (2014) the United States consumed about 4.9 pounds per capita, that is 1.3 billion pounds of shrimp. Shrimp however has become is a pricey delicacy.
U.S. clearly loves shrimp, but where it comes from can be a bit problematic. 77 % of the shrimp comes from overseas, and of that, about 85 % is farmed.
Foreign shrimp farms, found in Thailand, Ecuador, Indonesia, China, Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India, have long been under fire for environmentally unsound practices. The issues range from destruction of mangrove forests to overuse of antibiotics, chemicals to pollution and health risks. Domestic wild-caught shrimp has long offered an alternative to imported farmed shrimp, but is destroying the environment and wild stocks are dwindling.
Americans certainly seem to have a bottomless appetite for blushing crustaceans called Shrimp, the most consumed seafood in America. Last year (2014) the United States consumed about 4.9 pounds per capita, that is 1.3 billion pounds of shrimp. Shrimp however has become is a pricey delicacy.
U.S. clearly loves shrimp, but where it comes from can be a bit problematic. 77 % of the shrimp comes from overseas, and of that, about 85 % is farmed.
Foreign shrimp farms, found in Thailand, Ecuador, Indonesia, China, Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India, have long been under fire for environmentally unsound practices. The issues range from destruction of mangrove forests to overuse of antibiotics, chemicals to pollution and health risks. Domestic wild-caught shrimp has long offered an alternative to imported farmed shrimp, but is destroying the environment and wild stocks are dwindling.
COTTAGE INDUSTRY SHRIMP FARM
FSC intends to develop a cottage industry sized double closed-loop aquaculture systems for the sustainable production of shrimp in temperate Southern California. The ENVIROCULTURE BRAND Shrimp system uses solar energy to heat the shrimp tanks, as well as to run the air pumps and filters. Effluent from the shrimp tanks is converted into fertilizer for the edible seaweeds, in a symbiotic relationship between aquaculture and hydroponics the first true saltwater aquaponics system of its kind. The system recirculates water and has no net effluents or waste. The ENVIROCULTURE Shrimp system is adaptable and can be integrated with other environmental technology businesses.
This shrimp growing technique was adapted from systems that produced fish, abalone and rock lobster. The ENVIROCULTURE Shrimp system is an enhancement of these similar proven closed loop aquaculture systems that the founders have been developing for 26 years. Four potential commercial partners have expressed an interest in deploying the technology at full commercial scale farms at separate sites following final feasibility and pilot trials.
The first trial project is planned under the name Beach Cities Aquaponics. Beach Cities Aquaponics is a for-profit venture that is part of the Food Security Co-Operative family of companies. The Co-Operative expects to capitalize on the local appetite for shrimp and edible seaweeds, as will be the first of its kind in Southern California ... the ENVIROCULTURE Shrimp Aquaponics System. The project will supply the 14,000 lbs. of shrimp and 70,000 lbs. of edible seaweed annually, for local consumers and avoiding transportation costs and destructive resource use by conventional shrimp farms and ecosystem damage from wild shrimp harvesting. This project could support 15-20 local jobs directly and indirectly another 40-50 jobs associated with distribution, food service and value added industries as well as contributing to the regions food security.
Our farm-raised version of Live Gourmet Pacific White Shrimp is sustainable, delicious, and the ultimate alternative to frozen shrimp. Our methods are healthier and a better alternative to traditional shrimp farming. Our shrimp will be raised using sustainable, environmentally sound methods that don’t destroy any natural resources or circulate toxic discharged water back into the ocean, without hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, or preservatives. They will also be sold live, fresh, never frozen. We will grow the highest quality shrimp produced on the market in terms of taste and freshness for the finest eating experience right here in the Southern California.