Project Grant 20223941138251

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: FARM EFFICIENCY AND COMMERCIAL COMPETITIVENESS FOR KELP FARMING AND MULTI-SPECIES MARICULTURE (KELP PLUS SHELL-FISH) WILL BE MEANINGFULLY ENHANCED THROUGH SUCCESSFUL FINAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF NOVEL TECHNOLOGY THAT BLUE DOT SEA FARMS (BDSF) HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DEMONSTRATED/ADVANCED UNDER PHASE 1 SBIR. IN ADDITION TO IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES AND CREATION OF A SIGNIFICANT MARKETING ADVANTAGE, THE TECHNOLOGY BASE LEADS TO THE ABILITY TO FRANCHISE TO OTHER FARMERS AND CREATE A DRIVE TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE AND COMMERCIALLY VIABLE BROAD-BASED MARICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. BDSF IS PROPOSING A NOVEL, SEMI-RIGID, GROWING SUPPORT FRAMEWORK, BASED ON USING RECYCLED CARBON FIBER (RCF) CABLE, THAT WILL REPLACE AND ULTIMATELY ELIMINATE CONVENTIONAL PLASTIC LINE IN THE FARM MARINE ENVIRONMENT. THE MACRO-ALGAE GROWING SUPPORT SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO EASILY ACCOMMODATE STRUCTURES FOR SHELLFISH AND OTHER AQUACULTURE SPECIES, WITH DEMONSTRATED POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FARM SYSTEMS EFFICIENCY. THE APPROACH ENABLES:A SEMI-RIGID STRUCTURE THAT ELIMINATES FLEXIBLE PLASTIC (E.G. POLYPROPYLENE, NYLON, ETC.) ROPE, AND IS DESIGNED SO MARINE MAMMAL ENTANGLEMENT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.SIGNIFICANTLY CLOSER LINE SPACING TO GAIN 4-6X YIELD IMPROVEMENTS, AS THE SEMI-RIGID RCF CABLES HOLD THEIR POSITION DURING STORMS/SEVERE CURRENTS, ELIMINATING ENTANGLEMENT BETWEEN LINES AND THUS ABRASION OF DEVELOPING KELPS WHICH IS COMMON WITH POLY-ROPE.IMPROVEMENTS IN LONGEVITY BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE OVER POLY ROPE, RESULTING IN LOWER CAPITAL REPLACEMENT, OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE COSTS.FASTER AND EASIER SEEDING WITH INOCULATED TWINES THAT IS VERY SIMPLE TO AUTOMATE.MARINE BIOFOULING CLEANING TO OCCUR WITH EITHER A LIGHT ABRASIVE PAD CLEANSING (DEMONSTRATED) OR WITH HIGH-PRESSURE STEAM (POSTULATED), GREATLY IMPROVING LABOR PRODUCTIVITY, AND REMOVING CONTAMINATION BY HARMFUL MICRO-PLASTICS.COMBINED PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS THAT RESULT IN MULTI-CROPPING (WE DEMONSTRATED IN-SITU HARVEST, CLEANING, RESEEDING, AND RE-PLACING LINES IN ONE DAY), WITHOUT HAVING TO REMOVE THE SYSTEM, DISCONNECT ANCHORS, ETC. WHICH WAS NOT FEASIBLE WITH POLY-ROPE.ANTICIPATED RESULTS WILL PROVIDE A BASIS FOR COMMERCIAL LAUNCH, INCLUDING:COMPLETING OPTIMIZATION OF LINE SPACING FOR THE RCF LINES;COMPLETION OF SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT FOR IN-SITU LINE CLEANING;RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION INTO AUTOMATION AND COST ANALYSIS FOR A SEMI-RIGID SYSTEM, INCLUDING MULTI-LINE HARVEST, CLEAN, AND RE-SEEDING;RESEARCH INTO FARM SYSTEMS MANUFACTURING AND CAPABILITY TO ACHIEVE RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF SCALED SYSTEMS IN A TURN-KEY SOLUTIONS BUSINESS MODEL; AND,RESEARCH ON MULTIPLE SPECIES FARMING AND ANNUAL KELP MULTI-CROPPING FARMING AND ESTIMATION OF THE LIMITS ON APPLICABLE SPECIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PREFERRED SPECIES.THE COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL IF FULLY REALIZED COULD IMPACT ALL AQUACULTURE FARMS AS WE DRIVE TO REDUCE AND EVENTUALLY ELIMINATE PLASTICS,INTRODUCED VIA MARINE FARMING SYSTEMS. THE IMPROVED YIELDS AND ANNUAL MULTI-CROPPING SHOW AN EXCELLENT BUSINESS CASE. IN 5 YEARS, WE ANTICIPATE HAVING 25 LARGE-SCALE FARMS DEPLOYING THIS SYSTEM IN THE US, AS WELL AS DEVELOPING AN INTERNATIONAL EXPORT SALES POTENTIAL.