Is Hawaii ground zero for industry testing of factory fish farms? Or is it home to responsible open ocean aquaculture? The answer varies depending who is asked. It's called open ocean aquaculture and when it comes to Hawaii critics say it is open season.
"This still has the appearance to some as a science fair project and Hawaii is being the guinea pig for open ocean aquaculture," said Rob Parsons of Food & Water Watch.
"I'll use a rather inflammatory analogy. Industrial sea cage aquaculture is like cocaine. A little bit feels good and doesn't do too much harm but its very hard to stop," said University of Hawaii-Manoa Professor Neil Frazer.
Several groups have come together to form Pono Aquaculture Alliance or Paa. Thursday they rallied behind a new report by Food & Water Watch, a consumer advocacy group from Washington D.C.
"There are currently two commercial fish farms, there's Hukilau Foods which was once Cates International off Ewa Beach and there's Kona Blue Water Farms off of Kona," said Christina Lizzi of Food & Water Watch.
Hawaii has long been considered an industrial testing ground for factory farms. The report claims these farms are damaging ocean ecosystems while sapping the local economy. It also states fish farms cram large numbers of fish into huge open-ocean cages or nets, decimating the livelihood of local fishermen and harming consumers with the chemicals, antibiotics and concentrated fish waste that flow into the ocean.
"You protect the farm fish in the cage from the large predators that control disease in wild populations but you do not protect them from the pathogens present in all wild populations," said Frazer.
"There is no detectable impact on water quality, the farm site itself is out in water over 200 feet deep over a sand bottom," said Neil Sims,
Co-founder, President, CEO of Kona Blue Water Farms Inc. "There is no evidence whatsoever of any proliferation of pests or parasites in those fish."
The industry may soon boom as new corporations compete for control of Hawaii's waters.
"We are deeply passionately concerned about the crisis that the oceans face and about making sure that we do this in an environmentally sound way," said Sims.
"We're not opposed to open ocean aquaculture but we are opposed to the current way its being practices," said local fisherman Isaac Harp.
"Occassionally there are dolphins that come around the farm site occassionally there are ulua and opelu that come around the farm site but its an open ocean we are growing fish in the ocean and that's where they belong. To grow fish on land is like trying to grow chickens in a submarine," said Sims.
A community meeting on the issue was held Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH.
