Puerto Rico at the cutting edge of offshore aquaculture

In May 2002, the first offshore aquaculture enterprise in Puerto Rico was launched by Snapperfarm, Inc. and by August they began stocking two Ocean Spar Sea Station cages, one with 12,000 cobia and the other with 4,000 mutton snapper juvenile fish, in the waters off of the island of Culebra. The new cage technology will facilitate growing fish in offshore waters with negligible environmental impact, giving way to a clean industry of tremendous economic potential for Caribbean fishers.

Snapperfarm, Inc. brought this innovative technology to Puerto Rico in collaboration with the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and The Aquaculture Center of the Florida Keys, Inc. Other collaborators are NOAA - National Sea Grant Program, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus' (UPRM) Puerto Rican Aquaculture Research and Development Center, UPRM Department of Marine Sciences, UPR Sea Grant College Program, and the Culebra Fishermen Association.

Map of Puerto Rico showing Culebra, where the sea cages are deployed

Two Ocean Spar Sea Station cages in the waters off of the island of Culebra were stocked with juvenile fish.

This initial project promises to open a world of aquaculture opportunities. Dr. Jim McVey, from NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research National Sea Grant College Program, called it "a milestone in our NOAA, OAR and Sea Grant aquaculture, which should be of tremendous help to the island if successful."

Fingerlings "travel" in this tank to their final offshore destination.

At the present time, fisheries and freshwater aquaculture in Puerto Rico supply only 5% of an ever-increasing demand for fresh seafood. Aquaculture in tropical marine water provides an alternative to grow the fish needed to satisfy that demand. Yet until recently, aquaculture projects were limited to land-based operations for lack of technology able to withstand the elements in offshore deployments. Inshore marine aquaculture projects located in protected bays are subject to domestic and industrial runoff, and can increase the impact on the environment from the fish's excreted wastes and unconsumed feed. Ocean Spar created the cages able to resist the elements and ideal for the development of environmentally cleaner aquaculture ventures. Two of these cages have been deployed in Culebra by Snapperfarm, Inc. View video of fish inside the Sea Station cages.

red snapper fingerlings ready for stocking the cages

Tiny fingerlings, seen here right before stocking the cages, have grown three times their original size in just two weeks.

As part of this project with cutting edge technology, the National Sea Grant Program has provided economic support to a group of researchers to culture the fry at The Aquaculture Center of the Florida Keys, Inc. Mr. Loyal Eldridge is the President of the company and works in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Benetti, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. The University of Puerto Rico also received National Sea Grant funds to conduct a study to carefully monitor the environmental impact of cage culture in surrounding waters. This project is led by UPRM Dr. Alexis Cabarcas and UPRM Dr. Dallas E. Alston, and Dr. Patrick Rapp from UPRM Department of Physics.

In addition, the University of Puerto Rico has been authorized for funding from the NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, to be used for similar environmental monitoring as well as to determine the social impact of cage culture in terms of community support, perceptions, attitudes, and possible conflicts with boat traffic, cage vandalism, fisheries, and the tourism industry in Culebra.

In about a year, Snapperfarm hopes to sell fresh cobia and mutton snapper to local markets in Puerto Rico, and to export fresh fish to the United States.