THE PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL OCEAN STATION

           

The next frontier for Humanity is not Space, but the Ocean. 

WHEREAS, 71% of our Earth’s surface is water, and three-quarters of the heat of the Sun shining daily on Earth is stored as thermal energy in the oceans.  By pumping or upwelling cold deep waters to warm surface waters for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) into electricity, the thermal energy potential of the oceans would in theory be equal to 10,000 times the total energy currently used by mankind, indefinitely, at all times of the day and year.

WHEREAS, just a portion of the energy that could be generated from OTEC conversion could be used to desalinate potable water to supply the needs of human populations of the world.

WHEREAS, deep ocean waters store vast concentrations of dissolved minerals that if brought to the surface could act as natural fertilizer for growing 3.5 billion dry tons of new marine biomass annually from just 1% of the ocean’s surface.  This would be equal to 3 times the total terrestrial biomass that can be collected annually on land in the U.S.  It would also represent about 1 billion tons of carbon sequestration annually.

WHEREAS, each ton of marine biomass could be cleanly processed into 400 gallons of clean fuels such as methanol, green diesel, ammonia or hydrogen, and the biomass residue can be further processed into organic fertilizers, protein-rich animal and fish feeds, bioactive pharmaceuticals and other high-value marine co-products.

WHEREAS, pumping or upwelling cold ocean water to the surface in volumes sufficient for OTEC energy production could improve the world’s environment through cooling surface water temperatures to prevent the formation of typhoons and hurricanes, and absorbing large volumes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to reduce global warming.

WHEREAS, pumping or upwelling cold ocean water to the surface could have a beneficial effect of nutrient enrichment in euphotic zones of ocean waters to stimulate marine life growth and enhance marine food chains to revitalize the world’s wild fish stocks.

WHEREAS, current technologies exist that could be deployed on integrated platforms in the oceans to produce all of these ocean energy, potable water, clean fuels, sea food, and bioproduct benefits.  However, field testing and operational research on these technologies need to be conducted in the ocean in order to refine and optimize them for economically justified, widespread use throughout the world.

            WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii is in an ideal location of tropical ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean, and can build upon its unique assets in ocean and OTEC research, commercial fisheries, traditional and current knowledge in aquaculture, and state and federal government agency support to promote international cooperative research for optimization of ocean resources technologies for the benefit of the world and our Planet Earth.

NOW, THEREFORE, WE SUPPORTERS OF BLUE REVOLUTION HAWAII, (“BRH”) a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, declare as our vision, that:

1.  We advocate the building of the PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL OCEAN STATION (PIOS) in Hawaii’s ocean waters as the world’s first floating island supporting international cooperative research on sustainable and environmentally beneficial, ocean resources development.

            2.  To promote international cooperation and tap some of the best ocean thermal conditions in the world, PIOS is to be deployed in extra-territorial waters southwest of the Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (out to 200 miles) bounding the State of Hawaii.

            3.  PIOS is to be supported on a large artificial island (about 2 miles in diameter) having a floating understructure engineered to weather ocean waves, storms, and tsunamis.  It could have in the range of 1500 acres of surface area for research activities, and residential quarters sufficient to accommodate 5,000 or more international researchers and visitors.

            4.  To the extent practicable, all live/work activities on PIOS should be designed and managed to be environmentally protective, zero-emission, carbon-reducing, and closed-recycling enabled.

            5.  PIOS will invite and host important research activities of ocean universities, institutions, and agencies from other countries in international partnership under an international cooperative research agreement. 

            6.  BRH will seek to orchestrate private philanthropic, inter-governmental and research partnership funding support for design, building and deployment costs of the PIOS platform.  Research partners will be given priority for conducting research activities on the PIOS platform, and will be assessed only allocated incremental costs of hosting their activities.

            7.  BRH plans as target dates: April 2013 for securing the necessary funding commitments for PIOS platform deployment; April 2014 for start of construction; October 2015 for completion and deployment of the PIOS platform in Hawaii’s ocean waters; and April 2016 for start of research activities of its international research partners.

 

8.  BRH plans to host a Pacific International Ocean Station Summit Conference in October 2013 to promote international cooperation for realization of PIOS, to which its international research partners, funding sources, inter-governmental agencies, and enthusiastic supporters will be invited.

April 29, 2011

THE BLUE REVOLUTION HAWAII TEAM

SUSTAINABLE U.S. MARINE AQUACULTURE EXPANSION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The May/June 2010 issue of the Marine Technology Society Journal is devoted to "Sustainable U.S. Marine Aquaculture Expansion in the 21st Century."  The Guest Editor is John Corbin of Hawaii.  To quote:

What is the state of technology for open ocean fish farming? How are U.S. policies and programs helping or hindering the inevitable movement toward sustainable aquaculture in the open ocean? These and a host of other questions are addressed in the May/June issue of the Marine Technology Society Journal, Vol. 44, No. 3.

Edited by John S. Corbin, President of Aquaculture Planning and Advocacy LLC and former Manager of the Hawaii Aquaculture Development Program, this timely issue gives historical perspective, describes the current state of affairs, and unveils the technologies of the future. Here are brief overviews of the peer-reviewed papers:

• Sustainable U.S. Marine Aquaculture Expansion, A Necessity – In his overview, John  Corbin sets the stage for this special issue by providing detailed background information on U.S. seafood consumption, supply, and projected needs. He looks at the potential for future disruption of seafood imports and reviews the status and potential for the development of  the expansive and diverse U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.
• Site Selection Criteria for Open Ocean Aquaculture – Daniel  Benetti, of the University of Miami, and his co-authors focus on site selection criteria for open ocean aquaculture, not only practical considerations like ocean conditions, materials and manpower, but also socioeconomic and political issues. Among other things, they address lessons that aquaculture operations can learn from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
• A Case Study of an Offshore SeaStation Sea Farm – Gary  Loverich discusses the SeaStation cage his company, Ocean Spar LLC, has been developing since 1994, presenting   a review of a large commercial cage system  operating off Keahole Point, Kona, Hawaii. His paper describes the features that make the cages unique, as well as the  challenges that arise when multiple cages are deployed to grow fish at commercial scale .
• Technology Needs for Improved Efficiency of Open Ocean Cage Culture -  Richard Langan, University of New Hampshire, explores the status of aquaculture support systems capable of autonomous operation in the open ocean. Successful farming will require necessary tasks, such as  feeding, maintenance, and observation of stock and the environment to be carried out routinely, even when   harsh conditions may keep vessels and personnel on shore.
• Shellfish Culture in the Open Ocean: Lessons Learned for Offshore Expansion– Daniel Cheney, of the Pacific Shellfish Institute, joins his fellow authors for a look at the state of the art, as well as future prospects and challenges, in shellfish aquaculture, providing three case examples to illustrate the extent and types of open ocean shellfish farming underway.
• What Can U.S. Open Ocean Aquaculture Learn from Salmon Farming? – The U.S. imported 83% of its seafood needs in 2008. In this paper, John Forster, of Forster Consulting, Inc., explores the history of farmed salmon, which he has been involved with since the late 1960s. He discusses why other countries have been successful and the lessons for the U.S., noting that for open ocean aquaculture to succeed, containment systems must be easily deployed and operated, and governments must create space in their coastal waters.
• Deep Ocean Water Resources in the 21st Century – Brandon  Yoza, University of Hawaii, and his co-authors from Norway, Japan and Hawaii, discuss some cutting edge, large-scale concepts for using deep ocean water for energy generation and offshore aquaculture. They explain how “artificial upwelling”–bringing deep ocean water to the surface mechanically–could enhance the ocean food web and restore depleted marine life at all trophic levels.
• Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Systems: The Need for a New Social Contract for Aquaculture Development – Barry  Costa-Pierce, University of Rhode Island, describes ecological aquaculture, an emerging, new paradigm for global aquaculture planning, policy, and development. He argues that policymakers should consider this approach to foster environmentally, economically, and socially responsible aquaculture.
• Marine Stock Enhancement, a Valuable Extension of Expanded U.S. Marine Aquaculture – Guest editor John  Corbin provides a brief  commentary on the history and current status of U.S. marine stock enhancement as a valuable tool for coastal fisheries management. He discusses the need for increased research funding, greater infrastructure planning and development, and inclusion of marine stock enhancement in current national ocean policy and marine spatial planning efforts.
• U.S. Open Ocean Fish Farming: Are We There Yet? – Randy Cates, of Cates International, Inc., and Hukilau Foods LLC, provides a commercial, offshore fish farmer’s hard-won insights into the state of the technology as well as the status of emerging federal support policies and programs. From his perspective of 10 years of research and commercial experience, Cates discusses research needs for open ocean fish farming and highlights areas for innovation that could help successfully establish commercial farming in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

The "Deep Ocean Water Resources in the 21st Century" paper was co-authored by Brandon Yoza, Gerard Nihous, Patrick Takahashi, Jan War, Lars Golmen (Norway), Koji Otsuka (Japan), Kazuyuki Ouchi (Japan) and Stephen Masutani.  Japan has the Takumi Project to study the effect of pumping nutrient rich waters from the deep on the fish population.

Filed by Patrick Takahashi.