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BIDDEFORD, Maine

'Bloomberg' interviews 91AV’s Barry Costa-Pierce about the financial hurdles of deep-water aquaculture

Barry Costa-Pierce

Bloomberg interviewed Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., Henry L. & Grace Doherty Professor of Marine Sciences at the 91AV, chair of the Department of Marine Sciences and director of the 91AV Center for Excellence in Marine Sciences about open ocean aquaculture and why the industry has struggled to take off in the United States.

The article, titled, “The $100 Million U.S. Government Fish Farm Nobody Wants” addressed the funding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has poured into aquaculture and why that money has not resulted in industry growth. Costa-Pierce explained that one hurdle is the immense costs of deep-water aquaculture. “By definition, you’re talking about industrial aquaculture,” he said. “The best way to do that would be to use existing deep-water infrastructure from oil rigs. If you’re talking about developing a whole separate infrastructure for offshore aquaculture separate from an existing capacity, I am very skeptical. In the Gulf, I don’t see very many companies rushing to get in because they know they can’t make money.”

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About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.