Abstract
Since the Fall of 2009, Open Blue Sea Farms – a commercial operation aimed at producing cobia (Rachycentron canadum) from egg to market – has been operating in Puerto Lindo & Miramar, two small towns in the province of Colon, Panama, Central America. During the first 18 months of operation, Open Blue Sea Farms (OBSF) relied entirely on the production of the University of Miami’s Experimental Hatchery at RSMAS for the supply of cobia fingerlings. In late 2010, the decision was made by OBSF to begin construction on a small hatchery facility in Puerto Lindo. The site selection of Puerto Lindo was based around the acquired assets and existing infrastructure available from a previous operation (Pristine Oceans). This report describes in details the design, construction and operation of the OBSF Puerto Lindo hatchery during the first 2 years of activities. The report examines the hatchery construction and details the subsequent successful (and unsuccessful) larval rearing production trials between August 2011 and November 2012. This hatchery was an important component for OBSF to achieve independence towards commercial production and its main goal of developing a truly vertically-integrated operation to produce cobia from egg to market in Panama.