The islands, they said, can become the leading aquaculture center in the region.
Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service and the institute are holding a workshop on the economic opportunities offered by aquaculture.
The workshop, slated for July 10-11, will be conducted by Dr. Shaun Moss, director of the shrimp program of the Oceanic Institute; Dr. Hui Gong, aquaculture development specialist from the University of Guam; Clyde Tamaru, aquaculture specialist from the University of Hawaii’s sea grant college program; Clete Otoshi and Dustin Moss, shrimp program research associates at the Oceanic Institute.
NMC President Carmen Fernandez yesterday lauded CREES for its “partnership” with the experts.
“The CNMI is surrounded by vast water resources, blessed with a warm tropical climate, and located in a strategic proximity to major Asian markets,” she said. “The workshop is a recognition of those advantages and how they can play in the growth and expansion of the island’s economy.”
Fernandez said aquaculture activities have made significant economic contributions in many other parts of the Pacific.
In the CNMI, she added, Saipan SyAqua is now capable of producing 10,000 pounds of shrimp a month valued at $80,000.
Fernandez is convinced that the CNMI can develop an aquaculture industry capable of providing jobs and creating business opportunities for the benefit of the local people.
She said they are expecting about 120 participants in the workshop that will be held at the Saipan World Resort from 8 to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Oceanic Institute’s Dr. Shaun Moss said the CNMI’s bio-security and geographically isolated location will help ensure the success of an aquaculture industry.
Oceanic Institute develops technologies and provides technical expertise in aquaculture.
Michael Ogo, aquaculture specialist of NMC-CREES, said the workshop topics will include global shrimp farming opportunities, aquaculture bio-security, artificial propagation of marine finfish, culturing coral reef species, import and export requirements, the permitting process, writing a business plan for an aquaculture venture, and securing venture financing.
Several local experts and representatives from local regulatory agencies will also deliver presentations, and these include Ogo, Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Ignacio Dela Cruz, businessman Anthony Pellegrino, and NMC Small Business Development Center director Eric Plinske.
Ogo said the workshop is sponsored by NMC-CREES and funded by a grant from the Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, one of the five regional aquaculture centers in the U.S. established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
