3d Ocean Farming

Oceanic verticals that can nourish us and help our oceans.

He wants to provide tens of millions of decent workplaces, changing the way we gather groceries from the ocean and mitigating the impact of global warming and sea deterioration - all at the same of them. The big idea: small seafarming. Smith, like other growers of oysters, had reared his mussels in cage on the seabed.

Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, however, both triggered huge quantities of oceanic sediment that suffocated 90 per cent of its crop. Recognising that he had to broaden his agriculture and cultivate several types of seas, of which he knew that there would be increasing demands, he knew he had to grow several types of seaweed, algae included. Without any knowledge of ocean life, Smith used the skills of Charles Yarish, a researcher at the University of Connecticut.

Researching algae for many years, Yarish is committed to growing them for both nutrition and marine use. However, the cultivation of different cultures was not enough - Smith also had to redesign the marine economy. It' called his technology 3D Ocean Farming. "It is made up of horizontally roped surfaces, attached to hurricane-resistant swimmers that join together with submerged lineages that support algae cultures and are pervaded with suspended net pens for clams and shells.

Smith remarks that this type of farming is hardly noticeable from the bank. Its Thimble Island Ocean Farms, which covers 40 hectares of Long Island Sound, is home to two species of kelp, clams, oysters as well as clams. It also offers considerable inedible benefits: it provides protection from storms and a living environment for sea creatures.

Algae farming can compensate for some of the serious ocean challenges. In contrast to land-based crop plants, Smith names eelweed "zero-input food" - it does not need any extra freshwater, fertiliser, pesticides, animal fodder or ground to thrive. One of Smith's cultivated species, Zuckertang, can reach one centimetre or more per diurnal growth.

Algae improve the ocean ecosystem by adsorbing solute oxides of N and P, two contaminants that enter the ocean through farm effluents, and CO2 that promotes ocean deacidification and climate change. Wrapped with proteins, vitamins C3 and C3, kelp is a nourishing supplement to the diet of humans.

Smith founded the non-profit organisation GreenWave in 2013 to educate and assist new algae growers for two years. The 3D Ocean Farming Modell itself is Open-Source - anyone can use it for free or use it as a basis. Approximately $30,000, a vessel and a leasehold (which will require permits from state regulatory agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) to manage 20 acres of nearshore seabed, will allow anyone to set up a 3D oceanfarm that will produce 10 to 30 tonnes of marineweed and 250,000 shells per morning in five month, Smith said.

The GreenWave also promotes the research and discovery of consumable and manufactured algae based commodities and works with cooking partners to produce attractive meals from Kelp. Smith points out that man currently consumes only a small proportion of the 10,000 eatable seaweeds, so the discovery of new useful plant species and flavours has enormous scope. Mr. Smith has also established a concurrent for-profit company that provides a algae culture business and runs a trading plant in New Haven, Connecticut.

GreenWave is promising to buy 80 per cent of marine algae yields from GreenWave growers at three times the current price in the first five years of operation. "Smith says that growers know they can sells what they cultivate, and that is a genuine stimulus to set up farming.