Sweet Sound Aquaculture
The lust for growing sea creatures began at an early age. I grew up along the coast of Long Island Sound where I spent countless days exploring tidal pools, fishing, lobstering, and clamming. When I was about 12 years old, my dad brought home a book called Farming the Edge of the Sea. It was all about aquaculture—growing fish, oysters, clams, scallops, shrimp, and more. Its pages were filled with photos, graphs, descriptions, and tables of information that informed the reader how a variety of species could be farmed. Although my days living on the Sound came to an end when I moved to Vermont to attend UVM, the impulse to be on the water remained.
Eventually, I got a PhD in marine ecology and took a job at a marine sciences consulting firm in Duxbury, Massachusetts. One of our meeting rooms faced Duxbury Bay where several of my friends had oyster farms. It didn’t take me long to decide to jump aboard this career. I obtained an aquaculture lease from the town and spent the next 14 years working on the water nearly every day, in all conditions. Soon I established a wholesale business, and this gave me the ability to get back to Vermont on a regular basis to sell my oysters. After three years, the back-and-forth became arduous and I decided to make Vermont my full-time home. But I wanted to stay in aquaculture, so in the fall of 2018 I set to work constructing Sweet Sound Aquaculture at Nordic Farms in Charlotte to grow marine shrimp. “Shrimp? In Vermont?!” is what I am asked every day. Yes, shrimp in Vermont. In fact, indoor shrimp farms exist in many states, and you will see more of them in the coming years.
“Shrimp? In Vermont?!” is what I am asked every day. Yes, shrimp in Vermont. In fact, indoor shrimp farms exist in many states, and you will see more of them in the coming years.” –John Brawley
The title of the book my dad gave me was spot on: aquaculture is farming. However, many don’t think of it this way. All too often, the perception of aquaculture is mired in misunderstanding and media stories of the past that focused on improper methods, pollution, and disease. In earlier times, the vast majority of the seafood we consumed in the United States was wild caught. But the rate of wild harvest has leveled off, and the farming of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans now accounts for about 50 percent of seafood consumed here, and about 90 percent of that farming happens overseas. And this is where a problem lies because farming practices in other parts of the world can be destructive to native ecosystems and performed in unsanitary conditions.
At Sweet Sound Aquaculture, the shrimp are grown in what is known as a recirculating aquaculture system, or RAS. Nearly all the seawater is recycled back into the pools where the shrimp spend only three months until market size. My customers appreciate having access to fresh, whole, delicious shrimp that are grown right down the road and not in Asia, South America, or India where they are peeled, frozen, and shipped over long distances. My shrimp and delicious shrimp bisque are usually available weekly at the Burlington Farmers Market (Saturdays) and often through direct order through my website. But if you are dining out, you can usually enjoy them at several downtown Burlington restaurants including Juniper, Hen of the Wood, Frankie’s, and others. This is an exciting time, and soon the farm will expand and produce seaweeds, fish, and, perhaps, oysters. Stay tuned!
