As I mentioned in a previous post, despite the South African setback, I was determined to move the aquaculture system I had developed, (along with a very dedicated and small team of individuals) to an operational stage.
The quandary was how and with whom? I did not (ever again) want to be held hostage by a "partner". I wanted to make sure where ever we located the next evolution of the system, we would be able to defend our ownership of the site and our system.
I had started this on my own in 1998 and here 12 years later after virtually everyone I had encountered during that period, had tried to lay claim to owning the project while breaking contracts, both verbal and written, and trying to wrest control of the project from myself and my American management team.
The only positive thing that I learned from those attempts was that we had something that obviously worked or else there would not be so many people trying to "steal" it.
So, what was the next step to be? Rather then drag out the thought process and the very complex set of issues that I had to consider let me give you the synopsis and if anyone wants more detail contact me.
I went back to the few individuals I had known and trusted and put together another corporate structure. I went to my CPA of years and asked him to be our CEO and CFO. The rest of the team consisted of a partner of 16 years, my three key original American team members who were with me in South Africa, and finally we interviewed several aquaculture professionals and (after the most thorough vetting ever in an interview process) choose one new member to join our team to be the director of operations, the actual on site manager.
Then I went to our engineer and asked him to design a 1/4 scale production module that would demonstrate the various critical aspects of our system and produce jumbo shrimp.
The result was stupendous. In just 9 months we have obtained a site, gained permits, constructed the facility, and next week, we will stock our first ponds. I am anticipating a partial harvest as early as February 2012.
My vision, first conceived in 1998 of an aquaculture system that would be sustainable, profitable, environmentally friendly and that could have application with a wide variety of species is now operational.
This is is now the third time in the face of nay sayers, exploiters, and business types of questionable ethical practices I have delivered a working facility.
Last week, my CEO and I began developing strategies to expand our production capability in 2012. Regardless of what obstacles lay ahead we will make this happen. (If Edison was correct and genius is indeed, 1 percent inspiration and 99% perspiration, then myself and my team may all qualify).
The world's fisheries are declining, collapsing and in trouble, to put it mildly.
Current aquaculture practices regardless of how much "BS" the industry tries to feed us, are not sustainable and indeed in many instances doing significant harm.
Despite my very bad personal experience with the politics and nastiness of the NGO community that does not change the fact that in most areas, the issues and the problems the NGO's are trumpeting are real.
I am only interested in solutions these days. Solutions to problems that for me are personally distressing.
If I were "King for the Day" I would put a ban on all commercial wild fisheries and give the oceans a chance to get healthy. I would stop al dumping of waste and other crap into our oceans.
(Obviously this is a simplistic solution but for me the dangers of continuing as we have in the past with our treatment of the oceans overwhelms any other concerns).
The only way I see the world being assured of the marine resources it desperately needs becoming available in the years ahead is for us to learn to grow them on land. Leave the wild alone. I truly believe our system developed over the last 12 years and based on millions of dollars of excellent USA based and funded research is a small step toward that objective.
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