InforSim- Offshore Aquaculture


	InforSim has recently developed and applied a comprehensive system-level aquaculture model called the Offshore Aquaculture System Investment and Siting (OASIS) Model under funding from the United States Department of Agriculture. The OASIS Model is being used to analyze the operational and financial performance of aquaculture farms and farm complexes, and to estimate the economic implications of an aquaculture industry associated with a particular fish species.
	As shown in the illustration, the model incorporates detailed representations of the farm configuration, fish capture and growout operations, farm capital and operating costs, wholesale fish market price, farm revenues, and socio-economic impacts to nearby coastal communities. Specialized optimization procedures are used to determine maximum farm profits and associated design and operational parameters. The model also computes environmental impacts using state-of-the-science computational algorithms to estimate possible detrimental plankton blooms, organic particulate loading in surrounding bottom sediments, and changes to captured wild populations used to stock farms or for feed. The initial OASIS Model application considered Pacific bluefin tuna ranches in offshore Southern California waters. The results included an optimized farm design, an estimate of its profitability, and potential limitations on the development of the industry due to native fish impacts. A second phase effort is planned where we will implement model enhancements and analyze other species (e.g., striped bass) and other offshore coastal regions in the United States. Collaborators in these efforts include Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute.
	We have also conducted impact assessments for salmon aquaculture in Puget Sound, Washington and developed perturbation plume models and models of bay flushing dynamics for use in these assessments. An aquaculture farm growing edible red algae called nori was designed for operation in conjunction with an offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant in Hawaii. A financial analysis was performed and indicated the potential for a highly profitability enterprise.