Abstract
Unprecedented and intensifying demand for seafood throughout the first decade of the 21st Century has fueled pioneering changes in the seafood industry. While the productivity of wild stocks remains static, the production of fish products under aquaculture has more than doubled (1). Today, consumption of farmed seafood products rivals that of their wild caught counterparts, and recently has surpassed beef production in annual tonnage. As such, aquaculture production has become a nucleus of debate with numerous points of contention (2). The ongoing dialogue between producers, consumers, scientists, regulators, nongovernmental organizations, conservation groups, and other interested parties has yielded increased regulation, enhanced consumer awareness, and exciting technological innovation. While a great deal already has been achieved in making aquaculture production more efficient, sustainable, and cost effective, the industry must continue innovating ways to reduce risk, minimize natural resource utilization, and widen profit margins to meet rising consumer demand for quantity, quality, and sustainability. The following report will describe the state of seafood production and consumption in the context of my internship at The Perfect Ocean Corporation (POC), producer of EnviropureTM seafood products, as the company develops plans for commercial aquaponics production.