Yonathan Zohar beams like a proud parent as he cradles the freshly netted fish in his hands. He raised this glistening branzini and thousands more in large fiberglass tanks at the Columbus Center at the Inner Harbor. Zohar, director of the Center of Marine Biotechnology at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, told that green fish, as good as it gets. Clean, environmentally friendly, sushi-quality fish, delivered to the restaurant a few hours after harvesting.
It is said that Zohar along with a team of scientists have been working hard for yeas to perfect techniques for captive breeding and rearing of fish as quickly and cleanly as possible. Zohar explained that for marine species like branzini, otherwise known as European seabass, they make artificial sea water, then recycle nearly all of it, filtering out waste and even capturing methane to offset some of the energy used in raising the fish in captivity.
As the public interest growing in sustainable seafood it is hope that there would be god chance to demonstrate the commercial viability of their fully contained, land-based, indoor fish farm. Experts have been warning for some time that the Earth’s oceans can no longer be relied upon to meet the global demand for seafood. Aquaculture, though, has produced its own environmental issues, including water pollution from the concentrated fish waste and potential contamination of the fish.
Zohar says he’s finishing a business plan that envisions producing 200 tons of fish a year in tanks that can be housed in a modest-size warehouse nearly anywhere; the only water needed comes from the tap.
