TransparentSea

Humans are still early in the process of quantifying the changes we have made to the Earth, especially when using CO2equivalent footprint metrics to measure commodity food production. Said more simply, do we know just how big of a problem is it that we have lost more than half of the worlds mangroves and wetlands? This post might be loaded, but it speaks loudly to our mission of scaling a farming system that can produce delicious, guaranteed clean shrimp, but also allow nature heal by moving away from productive coastal habitats. While reviewing our preliminary LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), I came across this paper. It attempts to estimate the “land-use carbon footprint”, or the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated when natural ecosystems are converted to produce commodities. The authors estimate that there is a land use carbon footprint of 1603 kg CO2e for every kilogram of shrimp produced on lands formerly occupied by mangroves! For comparison, our 5-year goal is to get our footprint down to 5kg CO2e, with a 10 year goal of 3kg. So all other things being equal, we have the potential to be leave 500-1,000x less carbon footprint. The next steps for LCA should include some measure of biodiversity loss. Stay tuned. https://lnkd.in/g8ujw6zG

As we get into diligence with some folks on the fundraise for our first commercial production site, I had the opportunity to join the world’s foremost aquaculture business accelerator Hatch in Hawaii and then this past couple weeks in Asia. While I wasn’t sure what to expect, the program really delivered. We visited farmers and feed mills in Vietnam, which brought me back to my time in Thailand and showed me some of the reasons why I started TransparentSea. Farmers are working hard there as always, but many are getting middling to poor results. A new path is needed to supplement production and show that a rising tide can lift all boats. The trip was building toward the Hatch Blue Demo Day event, where our #CREST colleagues b.fab GmbH Knip Blue Pond Group Living Seas Aquafeeds Algaeba OoNee Sea Urchin Ranch all dominated on a super cool stage in front of over 100 investors and industry players. Can’t say enough about the Hatch staff. Marilyn Kang Benedict Tan 陈勇安 Dylan Terry Wayne Murphy Caitriona Kelleher I’m returning home renewed and refreshed. Thanks to the great people I got to know, learn and laugh with. After a short stop in the Indo jungle with my wife, my cup is full for the first time in awhile. Ready to build this next step in precision prawn farming.