Startups

Solar Oysters’ Elizabeth Hines explains how the innovative agritech startup has ambitions to help restore native oyster reefs, improve water quality and – in the longer term – become “the John Deere of the oyster aquaculture industry”.

Even before the first ropes are in the water setting your own mussel farming company can be quite an adventure, as Judith Brown, has discovered.

The hard work and commitment of Precious Sanjama, a young entrepreneurial Malawian, reflects a new generation of talent emerging in the country’s aquaculture sector.

Kelp Blue is in the process of raising $60 million to establish a series of kelp farms off the coast of Namibia which, by 2050, will be capable of absorbing more CO2 than is produced by the Netherlands each year.

Adam Taylor, founder of the largest tilapia producer in Africa, sees huge scope for improvements in the sector - in particular driven by advances in nutrition and genetics.

Marco Cerqueira, author of Fish Welfare Initiative’s new report on global aquaculture, explains why carp welfare in India is a key focus area for the startup and how this can be improved.

Keeping oysters in live tanks rather than in the water where they’re grown helps reduce double-handling, ensures quality and opens up potential new markets.

A fish farming system which produces tilapia, algae and plants that can be used as both fish feeds and agricultural fertilisers has been established by two West African entrepreneurs.

In the first instalment of a new series on restorative aquaculture The Fish Site speaks to Sarah Holmyard, head of sales and marketing at Offshore Shellfish, which is developing a large-scale rope-grown mussel farm in Lyme Bay, Devon.

Armed with a homemade submersible cage and a determination to start farming a species that was in decline in the wild, veteran trout farmer Jeff Tuerk decided to establish the North America’s only lake whitefish farm.

Singapore-based entrepreneur John Diener is committed to developing a series of urban aquaculture facilities that are able to produce shrimp, whitefish and seaweeds in high tech five-story farming systems.

A desire to improve fish farming efficiency, strengthen employment opportunities in rural Kenya and reduce HIV infection levels around Lake Victoria all inspired Dave Okech to come up with a novel, yet simple, way to help fish farmers and fish traders alike.

Mascha Davis, a registered dietician, nutritionist, author, macro-influencer and the founder of Mini Fish, explains why sustainable aquaculture products, packaged in an environmentally friendly way, offer hope for the future of the seafood sector.

Ewan McAsh designed SmartOysters to solve his farming pain points and now both he and other oyster farmers are reaping the benefits – leading to improvements in everything from financial performance to mental health.