NMC workshop seeks to spur aquaculture industry

In a bid to spur the development of an aquaculture industry in the Commonwealth, Northern Marianas College and non-profit groups today launched a two-day workshop on Saipan to give local entrepreneurs the inside knowledge they need to cultivate commercial marine crops like fish and shrimp.

Worldwide, aquaculture has become the fastest spreading method of food production, according National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration statistics. Nearly half of the fish consumed worldwide each year are raised on fish farms, NOAA says, with global aquaculture production earning $70 billion annually.

A burgeoning aquaculture sector could give a significant economic boost to the Commonwealth at a time when it is facing a downturn, NMC president Carmen Fernandez said in a press conference Wednesday. “This is a really wonderful opportunity for our people” Fernandez said. “It couldn’t happen at a better time.”

Thursday’s workshop will include talks on shrimp production, bio-security and import/export rules for shipping live aquatic species. On Friday, the workshop will host a talk by local shrimp farmer Anthony Pellegrino, a presentation on environmental permitting and a discussion on writing a business plan for an aquaculture venture.

“The CNMI is really uniquely poised to do some exciting things in the context of aquaculture,” said Dustin Moss, research associate for the Oceanic Institute, who is holding a talk on shrimp cultivation today.

Moss noted the Commonwealth’s relatively isolated location provides the “bio-security” needed to safeguard aquacultural crops. Moreover, the high quality of the local seawater creates good conditions for cultivating ocean resources like fish and crustaceans for sale on the commercial market.

“There’s a real strategic advantage here,” Moss said. “We now have to bring over the technology and muster up the political will to support this endeavor. We really truly believe that aquaculture can be a viable industry here.”

The workshop, set to take place today and Friday at World Resort, comes as the college is now in search of a site for a new marine science center where aquaculture research can be conducted in addition to educational courses.

NMC Aquaculture specialist Michael Ogo said the center’s research into local growing conditions might prove critical in laying the scientific groundwork aquaculture businesses would need in the future. Fernandez said estimates suggest the center will cost $200,000 to $300,000.