Sciencefish

Tropical Marine Finfish Aquaculture

Our mission as aquculture consultants and partners is to promote sustainable and responsible aquaculture practices.   Developments in the US and European seafood markets in recent years have clearly demonstrated the political and environmental awareness of the consumer who demands  "poitically correct", environmentally sustainable, and socio-economically acceptable seafood.

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum, family Rachycentridae) is currently our main focus and our track record speaks for itself as we have produced hundreds of  thousands of cobia fingerlings in South Florida, Mexico, and Brazil. Click for Sciencefish associates
Our services are multi-faceted to allow for execution of vertically intregrated business plans from production of fingerlings, growout of market size fish in the open ocean or tanks, to harvesting, processing, packaging, transport logistics all the way to  sales and marketing in US and European markets. Our home base is in Miami, Florida and our European base is in Hamburg,  Germany.  Click for commercial aquaculture suppliers
We stronlgly believe in diversification as neccesity in the current market place and suggest from the onset to culture additional species  . We recommend a Yellowtail Jack species, the Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana, family Carangidae) which has a ready market due to its flesh quality and high sashimi value. For the Caribbean, Snapper species, such as the Yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus, family Lutjanidae) and the Mutton Snapper (Lutjanus analis, family Lutjanidae) are very popular food fish sought often as whole fish dish. We have several other suitable candidate species to chose from and whose selection will depend on geographical location as well as type of culture operation. Click for selection of tropical aquaculture species
We suggest the Caribbean or Brazil as areas with good potential for marine aquaculture operations, but many other locations in the Indo-pacific may be also be suitable for Cobia and Seriola and closely related Snapper species.  Our economic analysis and experience in the Americas shows that operations have to have a minimum production about 200 ton per year in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and be really proftiable. Click for List of publications

Dr. Refik Orhun
Founder of Sciencefish Marine Aquaculture (and Seafood Quality Control) Consulting

Contact Info:rorhun@sciencefish.com


Cobia Rachycentron canadum
(Dr. Patrick Rice holding an adult Cobia)


The cobia is one of the prime candidate aquaculture species to be cultured worldwide in tropical waters. Ideally the minimum should be not below 20ºC.  Cobia meets all the criteria to be very successful aquaculture fish to come to tables of fine restaurant and general public in the US, Europe and other supermarkets in the world.  Although it is an easy species to culture, it is also quite susceptible to diseases.  One big difference to Salmon or European temperate species such as Sea Bream and Seabass is that the water temperature it is cultured at is a lot higher. And most culture operations are therefore going to be in developing or underdeveloped countries. The latter appears to be an even greater challenge that is holding back its promised appearance in the major markets (August 2008).
  


Other species of great interest to us are groupers such as the Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara family Serranidae). and of course tuna, for the tropics especially the Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares, family Scombridae). For Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thunnus, family Scombridae) . slightly colder water temperatures are necessary, but we have experience in warm-temperate species off the coast of California, such as the White Seabass (Atractoscion nobilis, family Sciaenidae), the California Halibut (Paralichthys californicus, family Paralichthyidae), and California Yellowtail (Seriola lalandi/dorsalis, family Carangidae)) and would consider serious requests for bluefin aquaculture, i.e. hatchery production of fingerlings and open ocean cage growout. For temperate locations we would also recommend other high-value candidate species such as Flounders, family Paralichthyidae) in indoor, closed systems, a Meagre, a close relative of the Mulloway or other Sciaenid, and/or Sea Bream, family Sparidae) (ladder two recommended for production in cages) are suitable candidate species for a diversified aquaculture production of marine fish.
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