Follow New Media Editor Whit Richardson as he explores the growing aquaculture industry in Latin America

Whit is in Guaymas, Mexico, where he had the chance to watch as Steve Page, owner of Searsmont-based Ocean Farm Technologies, helped fishing company Pesquera Delly set up several MicroPods made by Steve's company. The small AquaPods will help Pesquera Delly transition from shrimp fishing to shrimp farming. "If you had asked me a year ago if I would be designing a containment system for shrimp, I would have laughed," Steve told Whit.

New from Whit's blog:

"Right now the MicroPods are being used for experimental purposes -- checking the viability of new materials and configurations -- but the longer-term goal is to demonstrate the economic viability of the MicroPod as a platform for helping transition struggling fishermen into small-scale fish farmers. This long-term goal is shared by Brian O'Hanlon at Open Blue Sea Farms in Panama and Pesquera Delly in Mexico. The idea has also garnered some attention from around the world..."

Read Whit's blog for more.

Other recent updates

November 14: "When we arrived the shrimp farm was barren desert. The shallow ponds where they raise the shrimp were sandy patches with cows grazing the small amount of green scrub. The farm had been damaged during Hurricane Jimena, which hit the Sonoran coast in early September. However, the company, owned by the Luebbert family, is working on getting the 45-hectare farm back on line..."

November 10: "Pesquera Delly at its peak had 11 fishing boats in its fleet. Today there are two. Oscar Valdez says the business had become difficult as their wild catch fell as their costs increased. He knew it was a time to make a change. So, taking advantage of a government program that pays fishermen to trade in their fishing boats ($100,000 each), Valdez cashed in four and used the money to buy three AquaPods from Ocean Farm Technologies in Searsmont, Maine, with the idea being to farm shrimp in the Sea of Cortez..."

November 10: "I wanted a better understanding of the story of shrimp farming in Sonora. For a history lesson, I visited Karl Heinz Holtschmit, a former professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey's marine sciences school in Guaymas and a 40-year veteran of the Sonoran shrimp aquaculture industry..."

November 8: "Brian asks if I want to get in the cage with the fish while they work. I give an enthusiastic yes and grab my fins and mask. I leap from the boat onto the SeaStation, put on my fins, unzip the opening in the net and – a bit of fear racing up my spine – plunge into the warm Caribbean water and a confined area with 10,000 fish with the nickname ‘little shark face’ for obvious reasons…”

November 3: " The drive from Panama City to Puerto Lindo was pleasant. It's a strange feeling to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in one afternoon. Richie Pretto, general manager of Open Blue Sea Farms, and Brian O'Hanlon, president of Open Blue Sea Farms, picked me up in the city and we took the highway north..."

November 2: "I just returned to Panama City after three days in Puerto Lindo, where Open Blue Sea Farms has its aquaculture operation. Before I get into the nuts and bolts of the fish farm, let me introduce you to the faces behind the story..."

October 30: "I arrived last night at Puerto Lindo, a small town on Panama's Atlantic coast that doesn't show up on Google Maps. Housed in a former two-story hotel right on the beach is the headquarters of Open Blue Sea Farms, an aquaculture company founded by Brian O'Hanlon..."

The journey starts...

On Oct. 27, Mainebiz New Media Editor Whit Richardson set off for Latin America on an exploration of aquaculture beyond the borders of Maine. Yes, the sign over his desk says he’s gone fishing.

The reason? Companies in Mexico and Panama are using aquaculture technology made in Maine to enhance their fish and shellfish-based industries in ways New England-bound aquaculture companies cannot. Their use of innovation reflects the world’s growing trend to farm – rather than hunt – fish, and the implication that has on our industry and planet.

Maine currently supports a $130 million aquaculture industry, including the largest salmon farming operation in the country; a coastline longer than California’s; and has the Gulf of Maine, which has supported a fishing tradition for centuries.

But the lack of cohesive, government permitting of offshore waters ties the hands of Maine aquaculture companies. One discouraged fish farmer needed permits from 20 federal agencies for an experimental open water farm in the United States; instead, he took his business to the Caribbean. Are there lessons in Latin America to be learned?

We think so. Follow Whit to the Sea of Cortez where Pesquera Delly raises shrimp and to northern Panama where Open Blue Sea Farms has a permit to farm 10,000 tons of fish a year. Both companies use the AquaPod, a geodesic-shaped cage made by Ocean Farm Technologies in Searsmont that is designed to handle the rough conditions of the open ocean. Whit’s journey is financed in part through a World Affairs Fellowship from the Washington, D.C.-based International Center for Journalists.

Keep tabs on Whit's journey here, and by following his blog. And keep your eyes out for stories, photos and multimedia clips when he returns.