The Velella Epsilon Project is an extension of previous projects (Velella Beta-test and Velella Gamma Project) which demonstrated small-scale offshore marine fish culture in the waters of Kona, Hawaii. The Velella Epsilon (VE) Project will adapt these technologies to Gulf of Mexico (GOM) waters, while pursuing two simultaneous efforts: (a) permitting and deployment of a research-scale, demonstration net pen in Federal waters, and in tandem, (b) navigating the c ommercial p ermitting p rocess to obtain a commercial offshore aquaculture permit in the GOM, while documenting this effort in a Manual for Aquaculture Permitting Pathway (MAPP).
The VE Project will lay the groundwork for wider acceptance of commercial aquaculture in the GOM region by: (1) Serving as a platform for the promotion of rational aquaculture policies and demystification of the industry, by providing a working net pen example to politicians, constituents, journalists, and other influencers of policy or public perceptions, as well as the local community; (2) Increasing public awareness of, and receptivity towards, offshore aquaculture and the need to culture more seafood in U.S. waters, by providing public tours of the offshore operation, including (possibly) snorkeling inside the net pen, and fee fishing; (3) Acting as a demonstration platform for data collection of water quality, potential benthic impacts, and marine mammal and fish stock interactions resulting from offshore aquaculture in the GOM; and
(4) Providing local recreational, charter, and commercial fishing communities with evidence of the benefits of aquaculture, through the fish attraction device (FAD) effects of the project, and by documentation of fish aggregation and fishing boat activity around the VE Project.
Stakeholder outreach and engagement is the core foundation for addressing and achieving the primary objects identified for the VE Project to serve as a successful demonstration project. As such, workshops and other venues undeniably serve as a critical process for commencing a productive narrative regarding the perceptions and concerns of offshore aquaculture among diverse interest groups, let alone garnering the social license necessary for conducting offshore aquaculture research, demonstration, or commercial operations. Kampachi Farms participated in a workshop aimed at conducting high-level discussions for identifying such perceptions among a diverse set of interest groups including recreational and commercial fishers, retail and wholesale seafood businesses, research and commercial aquaculturists, fisheries scientists, economists, and state and Federal regulators. Discussion themes included broodstock sourcing, genetics, feeds, fishery impacts, disease, market competition, economics, research, regulations, and permitting.