First, what is RAS? RAS stands for “Recirculation Aquaculture Systems” and this represents a new and unique way to farm fish. Instead of the traditional method of growing fish outdoors in net pens, open ponds or raceways, this system rears fish in indoor tanks in a controlled environment. It is often considered the most environmentally friendly way to grow fish. No escapes. No fecal pollution on the seafloor, predators or antibiotics ever needed. Water recycling is in the mid-90s or possibly higher. Also, these farms can be located almost anywhere so you might even see this type of fish in a l ..read more

A plug for my farmer friend Keith and his awesome fish: Prior to this pandemic, most of Great Falls Aquaculture products were distributed to restaurants within New England. Covid 19 is a clear example about supply chain disruption and the interdependence between regions. Did you know that >90% of US seafood is imported? https://www.greatfallsaquaculture.com/store Land-based production systems (RAS) provide an opportunity for local production. These systems shorten the supply chain to consumers and can be independent of the ocean. KnipBio has worked with one regional family of New England R ..read more

Larry Feinberg KnipBio [endif]--Last night I had my own version of the epic “Is the Chicken Local” Portlandia episode. I just had the best dinner ever. It was SO good, it was silly. Not quite as outrageous as the famous Portlandia episode, but not too far off... really. (If somehow you missed it, link is attached to image below) INSPIRING Jimmy Liang prepared a delicious “Omakase” style meal from his kitchen using local farm-raised trout sourced from Blue Stream Aquaculture. [endif]--Jimmy and his colleague Ming create culinary magic. Apple wood smoked trout – sashimi – tempura – the creativ ..read more

Blue Stream Aquaculture, with its hatchery and grow-out operations located in Barnstable, MA, is as picturesque as you can possibly imagine. It is the oldest working aquaculture farm in Massachusetts. Since the mid 1800’s, this farm has been operated using a combination of naturally occurring and man made raceways and ponds to grow trout from egg through commercial size. But Blue Stream very much represents the future of aquaculture, as much as it embodies the spirit of the past it has inherited. The farm is almost completely run on solar power, uses state of the art anaerobic digestion system ..read more

I was living in the Bay Area towards the end of the last millennium when this new, exciting thing called the internet was captivating us all. Then, a fairly steep recession and likely a variety of other factors led to a popping of the tech bubble. It almost felt like the end of the internet at the time, that there was little way to monetize this electronic mail concept and business card style websites. Leading to this downturn, significant infrastructure had been installed, including laying down trans-oceanic fiber optic cables. The direct consequence would be that an English-speaking country ..read more

It has been a little over a year since I posted about the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act. A new version of this bill, which was originally introduced in the senate June 2018, seeks to establish national standards for sustainable offshore aquaculture and also outlines a clear pathway for permitting, investment and growth of a viable offshore U.S. aquaculture industry. If the AQUAA Act is passed, it could potentially jump start the US industry and result in a million tons of premium protein production and up to 50,000 jobs in the industry and supporti ..read more

This week I head to London for a very exciting meeting, Aquaculture Innovation Europe. I am privileged to participate on a panel session that covers The Start-Up Journey’s Do’s and Don’ts”. While KnipBio is still very much on the journey and hardly “there” yet, I do have a few thoughts I am looking forward to sharing. Team: Arguably this is the most important element. When you are an early stage company, it's all you have. It’s what early-stage investors are really basing their investment on anyway. When there are tough decisions and frustrating setbacks, your team will keep you sane. Team inc ..read more

Arguably the most recognizable formula. But have you ever really stopped to think about what that means? Energy and mass are the same thing, with just some weird light constant multiplier to balance out the fact that they are seemingly really different. Intuitively you know this concept when you throw a log on the fire and you watch mass release its energy in the forms of light and heat. That Einstein guy sure was smart, but its elegance is in its simplicity is equally impressive. In other words, mass is just goopy energy – that’s a bit mind-boggling when you think about it! I just returned fr ..read more

I read this week that Atlantic Sapphire has announced plans to increase the planned output from their Miami RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) farm to 220,000 tons of salmon annually by 2030. Wow! That’s a lot of salmon- more than half of the total US consumption today! Plans for large-scale, land-based RAS salmon farms have also been announced by Nordic Aquafarms, Whole Ocean, Palom, Pure Salmon, and Aquabanc. These RAS farms are significant investments and will take years to come on-line and produce fish. When they do, they are going to have a dramatic impact on the aquaculture industry ..read more

That wasn’t a typo, GRAS stands for ‘Generally Regarded as Safe’, the label used by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when it approves the use of a new chemical, food or feed ingredient as safe for its intended use. Beyond the USA, many countries look to FDA GRAS designation as a strong indication that a product has been rigorously tested and reviewed. We are proud to have (finally) received GRAS designation this week for KnipBio Meal. This designation is the result of a long and rigorous process. Starting as early as 2014, we met with a team from FDA to introduce ourselves, explain ou ..read more