DATE: March 10, 2020
SUBJECT:
Title
PRESENTATION AND RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE BLUE ECONOMY INCUBATOR AGREEMENT WITH SUNKEN SEAWEED LLC TO EXTEND THE PILOT PROJECT TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF SEAWEED AND SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE IN SAN DIEGO BAY FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES RESEARCH FOR AN ADDITIONAL FOUR YEARS UNTIL NOVEMBER 2023 AND INCREASING THE DISTRICT'S ROYALTY PERIOD FOR AN ADDITIONAL FIVE YEARS FOR A NEW ROYALTY PERIOD OF 25 YEARS UNTIL 2043 REQUIRING NO ADDITIONAL DISTRICT FUNDING
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
On July 17, 2018, by Resolution No. 2018-0304, the Board authorized a pilot project with Sunken Seaweed LLC as part of the District's Blue Economy Incubator to demonstrate the feasibility of seaweed aquaculture in San Diego Bay for one year. The work conducted during the pilot project assisted the company to determine the best seaweed species for commercialization based on growth rate, environmental conditions, and best management practices to optimize operations including pilot farm structure, growth methods, and harvesting techniques. The pilot project contributed valuable baseline information to inform future potential of seaweed aquaculture in California and will inform guidelines for future San Diego based seaweed aquaculture.
Sunken Seaweed LLC has leveraged the assets and results from the pilot project to obtain additional grant funding to continue operations and measure the ecosystem benefits and services provided by seaweed aquaculture. The proposed amendment to the agreement with Sunken Seaweed LLC, will allow the company to continue its current seaweed farming operations, and add shellfish to the existing pilot seaweed farming system, utilizing a 3D ocean farming method of aquaculture.
3D ocean farming is a vertical underwater agriculture technique that uses the water column to grow restorative species, such as seaweeds and shellfish, together in the same ocean space. Shellfish and seaweed are ecologically beneficia...
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