Big Week Ahead

I will be in Houston this week at MD Anderson.


It is time for the next battery of tests to see what Lori's condition is now, post full brain radiation.


We are all praying for good news.


Stephen, our son arrived today. 


He will be with us for the next month in Texas. 


It means a lot to Lori that he is here.


It means a lot to me as well. 


Now we just need to get some good news.


This is Stephen and me a couple of years ago some where in one of the many country's to which he used to travel with me.

A Pleasant Verification

At the end of a long week it was nice to get a reminder of what our system will achieve. 

There are moments in the process of building any successful venture that mark significant progress.


As we bring on line all of the very complicated systems that enable our recirculating aquaculture system to be so efficient we find that we have to be patient as certain very critical components necessary to our success come on line.


One of the things we do to assure success is to set up a test group or baseline sample to use as a measuring device to gauge our progress. 


This baseline also reminds us of what we are capable of and what we will achieve when all of the components in our integrated system are fully operational.


We have many elements that must work in tandem to yield the production results that we have targeted. Many of them take time (on a large scale) to be 100 % functional. 


Many of them are very, very, proprietary and essential to our system. 


Most involve fundamental biological processes that work naturally but that we are trying to manipulate to achieve better size, growth, and survival rates. 


As we bring the full commercial system on line we also set up a baseline group in which we manage a perfect replica of the environment and nutritional conditions we will eventually have in the full scale production system. 


The bio floc, the WWT , the distribution of solids all take a while to bring up to speed in the full production system but in our managed baseline group we can (on this smaller scale) create optimum conditions immediately. 


Today we took a pathology sample from the baseline sample.


This is what our system will produce when everything is functioning as designed. That will happen in about 3 months.


Until then we can just enjoy what we know will happen.


35 grams in about ten weeks.


Amazing.

Nuff Said !!!

Don't know how this picture will come through.

For some reason when I saved it on my Apple, the top tool bar was saved with it and I am too computer stupid to be able to crop it off. (And still fending off the flu so too tired to try and figure it out in any case).

In any case a majority of the shrimp in the best pond appear to now be about 16-17 grams as of today.

Jim says that is a 41-42 count tail and if we wanted to, this is a marketable size tail.

We (of course) are seeking larger sizes but I still think it is cool to know that we are already getting shrimp, even in this first run up, that are commercially marketable. (maybe I just need a life).

American Idol

I have from time to time on this blog gone off topic to discuss things that perturb me.


Animal cruelty and the over population of our pets that results in the needless killing of animals deemed surplus, are two subjects that come to mind.


Tonight while channel surfacing I came upon American Idol. You know the show that has given us Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson. 


I have never watched American Idol, nor the Bachelor, nor any reality show, at least not for more than about 3 minutes.


Tonight there were four contestants all vying to be the next American Idol and this competition had them singing together in a group. They were good, they caught my ear. 


I watched for about 2 minutes and as the song ended and the judges commented I was transfixed as they asked three of the four singers to step forward and declared them to them "you going to the next round" while telling the fourth contestant, "you are done". 


The anguish and pain and humiliation on that individual's face was so painful that it physically hurt.


In a brief moment I had a personal epiphany and it became clear to me why I am so turned off to all forms of reality shows and competitive entertainment. It is cruel and it appeals to our basest instincts and lowest emotions as human beings.


What the hell is wrong with us?


We have become so enamored with seeing the "winner" that we absolutely fail to feel any empathy for the "losers".


When Roman gladiators were cheered for being victorious in the coliseum was any thought given to the pain and suffering that they administered to the scores of bodies they left in their wake as they conquered the arena? 


No, today's players do not forfeit their lives, just their feelings, their dignity, and their dreams. Yes, I know no one makes them participate, or do we? Does the need and desire to be a celebrity in a world where the individual is being reduced to meaninglessness not drive, even compel people to do anything, anything, to be noticed, to be deemed special by society.


I like Carrie Underwood's music, and I like Kelly Clarkson's voice. They are not the problem. I just wish a talent scout had "discovered" them and that they had not reached their pinnacle of success by climbing over the bodies and feelings of the "losers". 


Some philosopher once wrote that, "Man is the only animal capable of rationalization and indeed is the only animal that needs to be able to rationalize".


I recognize that my rant will be deemed silly, even foolish by most.


(Like that ever in my life has ever bothered me). 


I am tired of a cruel and callous world that glorifies success at the expense of empathy. 


I suspect, despite my opinion, American Idol, and all shows of its ilk will continue to flourish. 


Regardless, in my view it is wrong, just wrong. 

Busy

Been a very busy week.


The project is going very well. 


Every component of the system is now working in an integrated fashion and weekly growth rates are increasing and we are gaining efficiency in production. I am certain by April or May we will be optimizing this facility's capability.


I have been looking for a seasoned financial type that can help us package and market our system to the right group of investors that can provide us the funding we need to begin to expand production. 


I am pretty sure I found that individual this week.


One of the things I have learned in life is that any successful endeavor requires a team. It is rare almost impossible for one person to succeed in a major way by them selves.


I have a great core team around me and as I have said in the past they have performed brilliantly. 


That said, the ability to put together the right project with the right investors in this day and age is a rare skill. 


There are a lot of charlatans out there that promise the moon but deliver, well, less than they promise.


For a while, these past few years I have felt I had lost my ability to discern the difference between the "real deal' and the "all flash, but in the end trash" types.


I think my judgement is back. 


I think I have just added the "real deal" to our team. If I correct things will start to get exciting. 

Update

Still raining, still cloudy. Been a long spell of unusually bad weather for here.


Somewhat depressing, but also a very good test of our system's ability to hold the water temperatures.


So far, it is performing perfectly. 


Shrimp starting to grow very nicely. I think once we get a juvenile rearing facility "on line" and we can head start our post larvae to 5 grams before we actually stock the grow out ponds (which is what our protocol requires) we will exceed both weekly growth averages and densities of those we achieved in South Africa. 


One reason is we have a much better husbandry team running the operation and the second reason is that I am starting to think the waters from the Gulf are richer in bio-floc composition and provide a more nutrient rich environment for the shrimp. 


Pulled a few for lab testing yesterday. First group we stocked are now averaging over 11 grams. And they are very good looking shrimp, fat, unblemished, and over all, very healthy looking. 

Also, added new water testing equipment to our small but growing lab.

Starting to think about actual dates for our first small but highly anticipated harvest. 

Thoughts after Super Bowl Sunday

Patriots lost. 


I need to get a life.


I was thinking a lot tonight about roads taken and decisions made.


I really loved South Africa.

I really wanted my partner in the shrimp venture to be my friend.


He was a very impressive individual and if he had stuck to our agreement where just he and I were the partners we would have succeeded beyond belief.


I  also met a very special person there I miss every day.


I loved the wildlife, the wildness and the rawness of the country.


Watching sports for a thrill is really a cop-out.


For me, it means we do not live in the real world.


This is a picture of a very cool meeting I had in South Africa with a very special creature.


Can't go back in time but "I CAN REMEMBER WHERE I HAVE BEEN  FONDLY".

Thoughts on Super Bowl Sunday

As I write this I am watching the rain come down and the temperature drop. Cloudy and cooler is forecast for next 4-5 days.


Our new boiler will get its first test tonight and over the next few days.


Pond temperatures were 30.2 C this morning so we lost no heat last night.


One of the very special things about our system is our ability to keep the pond water temperatures within the optimum range for shrimp growth and survival regardless of how cold or how hot the weather may get outside.


We transferred about 50,000 "five plus gram shrimp" into two new ponds yesterday and brought in 50,000 new post larvae for stocking.


Weights of first group now 10 grams and better. 

After a very challenging year we appear to be in full production mode now. Lots of challenges ahead but at least we are now looking at actual dates to begin selling our first shrimp. 


I am also exploring several avenues to find the dollars to expand production capability in 2012 and to secure a larger site for our operations.


But for today I am going to just kick back and watch the Super Bowl.


I am rooting for New England, not because I don't like the Giants, I actually think they are a good team but Tom Brady is a Michigan graduate so I will be pulling for the Patriots.


After today business should go into high gear and I have no idea when I will be able to catch a breath and relax again in the near future.


It feels good to know there will be enormous pressure on me to succeed and take this company to the next level. For me, these are the kind of challenges that make life worth living.  

Picture trouble

Last night I tried to post some pictures taken by our new digital microscope of shrimp gills.


The preview looked good but several readers have informed me the pictures are not accessible when they view the site.


So, I will work on it and try to re-post them later.


The good news is our shrimp are growing very well and are very healthy.


My technical shortcomings on computers however, continue.


Stay tuned.....