Plans afoot for US's largest farm
Rose Canyon Fisheries (RCF) is a unique collaboration between a scientific institution (Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, HSWRI) and a private investment group (Cuna del Mar, CdM) dedicated to pioneering sustainable, offshore aquaculture in the US.
By combining the scientific and environmental expertise of HSWRI with the direct open-ocean aquaculture experience of CdM, RCF will pioneer environmentally and economically sustainable methods for providing healthy seafood to meet growing demand. Milestones for the project include minimizing environmental impacts, environmental sustainability and food security, preventing escapement impacts, developing sustainable feed, and minimizing use of chemicals.
The project will be built 4.5 miles off the coast of San Diego, and will produce yellowtail jack, white seabass, and striped bass. In total, there will be 48 submersible cages, each around 11,000m3. The farm will have year-round production due to the vertically integrated culture model.
In the US, more than 91% of seafood is imported. This represents a $10.4 billion contribution to the U.S. trade deficit. More than half of the world’s seafood supply comes from aquaculture.
Rose Canyon Fisheries will create hundreds of jobs and generate tens-of-millions of dollars in annual economic impact for San Diego. Furthermore, the project will serve as a model to address a critical need for sustainable, domestic seafood production.
Once fully-scaled, RCF will provide 11 million pounds of product to the market, making healthy seafood more plentiful and affordable. The goal of the project, according to Don Kent, president/CEO of RCF, “is to produce seafood that everyone can afford”.
Eventually producing 5,000 metric tons (11 million pounds) of fish annually, it will create a new source of seafood to meet growing demand. Ultimately, this project hopes to launch a new industry, creating enormous economic benefits and providing safe, healthy, sustainable and locally sourced seafood in numerous coastal communities.
The US is the world’s largest importer of aquaculture products. Production of fish in offshore waters in the US has tremendous potential for supplying domestic demand as well as supporting thousands of new jobs.
