Summary Report of the 2nd Korea-U.S. Seminar
on Offshore Aquaculture Technology

July 16-19, 2005
Jeju, Korea

Representatives from NOAA Research met with scientists of Korea's National Fisheries Research and Development Institute(NFRDI) and academic and private sector representatives at the Second US-Korea Seminar on Offshore Aquaculture held in Jeju, Korea from July 16-19, 2005.Approximately 30 attendees with a broad range of interests including: engineering, biology, environmental monitoring and modeling, hatchery operators and private sector production, discussed the future of offshore(open ocean) production of fish and shellfish in Korea and the US.

This collaboration was initiated under the U.S./Korea Joint Coordination Panel for Aquaculture Cooperation.This panel has identified offshore aquaculture, polyculture systems and ecosystem-based management of aquaculture as priorities for technical exchange.The two countries complement one another with Korea having large scale aquaculture production of marine species that allows large scale testing of aquaculture concepts and the US, which does not have large scale marine culture production, except for shellfish, having developed promising new technology for offshore, submerged, aquaculture production which is critical to the future of aquaculture in both the US and Korea. Korea has recently instituted new legislation limiting aquaculture production in nearshore waters and the new offshore technology offers a way to reduce environmental impacts in Korea's coastal areas and allow additional production of seafood for their domestic needs.

Korea has already purchased three cages from a manufacturer for the test of submerged offshore aquaculture systems in Korea.Thus providing the opportunity for another field test and evaluation of this technology.In this regard the two countries have agreed to the following:

-- The US will provide advice and experience to Korea on the new offshore production technology,
-- Korea will share the information with the US about system performance and environmental monitoring and evaluation in Korea to reinforce the information coming from the existing US pilot projects,
-- US and Korean scientists will work together to determine the feed and nutritional needs for the marine fish species being cultured,
-- US and Korean scientists will work together to develop a socio-economic analyses of the new technology under both US and Korean conditions.

Presentation

♦ Strategy for Offshore Aquaculture in Korea:
Jung-Uie Lee, Jeju Fisheries Institute, National Fisheries Research and Development Agency, Korea

♦ UNH Open Ocean Aquaculture Project "Solution for Responsible Aquaculture":
Richard Langan (presented by McVey), CINEMAR, University of New Hampshire, USA

♦ Engineering Challenges and Opportunities in Offshore Aquaculture  
 Clifford A. Goudey, Center for Fisheries Engineering Research, MIT Sea Grant College Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA