Aquaculture business finds a home in Oak Hill
Correspondent
Last update: 21 April 2004
OAK HILL -- The salty groundwater in Oak Hill might
discourage some entrepreneurs looking for a new business location. Michael McMaster, however, launched a nationwide
search for a friendly community with underground saltwater when he decided
to move his Mariculture Technologies International Inc. from the frosty
winters of Allentown, Pa., to a warmer climate. "I worked with the U.S.
Geological Survey, the state Department of Geology and the St. Johns Water
Authority to find a place with no fresh groundwater and contamination with
saltwater," he said. In Oak Hill, he discovered the perfect place to
develop his aquaculture business raising brine shrimp and other aquatic
products that are used for high quality live food for marine animals in zoos
and aquariums, pet shops and some home fish tanks.
McMaster, a marine biologist, developed a controlled method of farming live
brine shrimp at a facility in the Florida Keys in 1976. He moved his
business to Pennsylvania to be close to his largest markets --the New York
City area -- since quality control demanded short shipping distances.
Advances in packaging and shipping, however, have made transporting live
creatures over longer distances more practical. So, two years ago, McMaster
moved his business to a 10-acre site south of Oak Hill to take advantage of
the underground saltwater and the favorable climate.
Currently, he has 36 tanks nursing the development of about 4,800 pounds of
live brine shrimp per month, which he sells throughout the United States,
Canada and Puerto Rico. In addition to providing food for marine parks and
aquariums, the brine shrimp also are used for biological studies in research
laboratories.
Since brine shrimp are native to salt lakes rather than the ocean, the
company buys brine shrimp eggs from a supplier near Salt Lake City, McMaster
said. MTI hatches the eggs, raises the shrimp, packages them in breathable
plastic bags filled with pure oxygen and ships them by next-day
services.
"We began meaningful production in July 2003 and we're moving forward.
Right now, we're one of only two brine shrimp farms in the United
States," he said.
Brine shrimp can be difficult to grow because of their feeding requirements,
he added. The biologist has developed a proprietary method to create the
best food and water chemistry for the development of the creatures.
"This is a niche market, but it's a very important one. Many of the
ornamental fish used in aquariums can't thrive on dried food. Without live
food, they'll become stressed and die," he said.
McMaster also is developing a farming method for pompano, which he calls
Florida's best seafood dish. He has set up a hatchery to develop a
fast-growing strain of pompano that can be profitably farmed on small
lots.
While other countries can grow pompano and other fish in offshore cages in
the ocean, the process is illegal in the United States, mainly because of
concerns about pollution from waster products. McMaster hopes to create
ponds on 7 acres of land that could produce up to 250,000 pounds of fish
annually.
Once he's up and running, he'd like to see fish farming spread throughout
other areas of Oak Hill.
" 'The community needs more industry but it really doesn't have the
infrastructure for a lot of business operations. Small pompano fish farms,
however, are a good possibility," he said.
McMaster said he would help entrepreneurs who want to build pompano ponds
with technical support and a supply of fry, or young fish.
"It's one way to continue the fishing tradition that began in Oak
Hill," he said.
(http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/DailyJournal/03AreaDJ04042204.htm)
from Daytona Beach News-Journal Online (http://www.news-journalonline.com)