FELLSMERE — The aquaculture industry in South Florida is growing, spearheaded by an expansion that is already underway at Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC, the largest land-based shrimp aquaculture farm in the United States.
In April, 2015, Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC (FOA) broke ground on their second full-size production building, which is estimated to produce more than 1 million pounds of shrimp per year upon reaching full production capacity. Initial sales of Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC’s Happy Healthy Shrimp, their brand name for delicious Pacific White Shrimp, began in the summer of 2014, but demand for their product has already outpaced supply.
FOA plans to complete construction of their second full-size production building by Fall of this year. The fully-insulated pole barn structure will cover an expansive 4.2 acres and is expected to double the amount of shrimp grown by Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC.
This exciting phase of development is anticipated to provide an additional 10 jobs to residents in the City of Fellsmere and the surrounding communities. Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC’s 2015 expansion is backed by a US Department of Agriculture loan. Shrimp are expected to begin growing in the second Production Building around early Fall.
Since 2013, Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC founder and CEO, Clifford Morris, has watched as his vision for a sustainable seafood supplier developed from the ground up, on 122 acres of fallow farmland just outside the scenic rural town of Fellsmere, in Indian River County.
Morris explained the drive behind his project, saying, “Aquaculture presents one of the most exciting investment opportunities in the immediate and long-term future. The challenges are more than offset by the significant profit potential.”
In the few short years since the company’s inception, Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC already features one full-size Production Building on-site, along with vital infrastructure to support the company’s growth. The Production Building stretches one-quarter of a mile long and houses 20 individual raceways, where up to 500,000 shrimp may be growing per raceway at any given time. Pristine, warm saline water is supplied to the facility from a 2,300 foot well, which taps into Florida’s Deep Aquifer.
In anticipation of future expansion, the company established Hatchery and Nursery facilities on-site last year. Premium broodstock, or large adult male and female shrimp, produce the next generations of Pacific White Shrimp that will grow at FOA. The Hatchery and Nursery are already large enough to support three to four full-size production buildings, which will become vital as the next phase of Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC’s expansion begins in 2016.
In early April, the hatchery marked an important milestone, as the first on-site shrimp spawn took place and the first generation of Happy Healthy Shrimp to be raised entirely at their Fellsmere facility were born.
To learn more about South Florida’s largest, innovative aquaculture farm, please visit their website at www.flaquaculture.com or call (561) 741-3000. For regular updates, photos of the farm, and community event information, you can follow Florida Organic Aquaculture, LLC on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/happyhealthyshrimp.