FELLSMERE — A delegation of government leaders from South Africa’s Guateng Province was in Fellsmere Aug. 7 to tour the Florida Organic Aquaculture shrimp farm, the largest such aquaculture farm in the U.S., to see if similar technology might work in their country.
The delegation also discussed with local leaders the community impact, job creation and positive economic influence such a project might have in Krugersdorp, an area similar to, but larger than, Fellsmere.
The state of-the-art, sustainable, land-based FOA operation will serve as a model for a similar venture to be undertaken by Bosasa Group, a facilities management company, and the 10 men and women wanted to see for themselves the operation, which they believe can be easily adapted to serve a community that faces many of the same economic challenges as Fellsmere.
After a welcome by FOA Executive Vice President Les Knoesen, the South African group loaded into golf carts and headed off on a tour the facility – all 4.2 acres of it – which is, essentially, the nursery for hundreds of thousands of shrimp.
Huge, barns contain from 10 to 20 Olympic swimming pool-sized recirculating water systems called raceways, (because they resemble huge, water-filled racetracks).
Each raceway contains 35,000 gallons of soupy, muddy looking water full of nutritious shrimp food, completely pollution free and carefully temperature-controlled.
The group’s leader Lebogang Maile, a member of the Guateng provincial council, says his government wants to support the project, which will be undertaken by Bosasa Group.
“I’m impressed so far. We have a similar operation on a very small scale and want to use this as a model to expand. We need economic diversity, to bring in new industries.
“In Guateng we have what we call triple challenges: poverty, unemployment and inequality. We are the most unequal country, there is a huge gap.”
Maile and other provincial government officials are currently looking to obtain more land in Guateng.
“Our goal is to have a bigger operation than yours,” he teased Knoesen.
Dr. Malcolm De Bude is Guateng’s Chief Director of Veterinary Services and Sustainable Resource Management.
Gazing down the length of a shrimp-filled raceway, he said, “This is just what we were looking for – people learn skills, and are empowered. It reduces unemployment.”
Following the tour, the group headed to Fellsmere City Hall to share lunch and an informal question-and-answer session.
Among local leaders present were: Florida Aquaculture Foundation Executive Director Teri Penney, Indian River County Commission Chairman Wesley Davis, Fellsmere City Manager Jason Nunemaker and Police Chief Keith Touchberry.
Also on hand were representatives from the Indian River and Sebastian River Area Chambers of Commerce and from Florida Institute of Technology and Florida Atlantic University.
FOA supports continuing education for its employees and is working with FIT to establish an education facility on site.
Jeffrey Spoeri, FIT Director, Office of Development, calls the FOA operation exciting.
“We’ve been collaborating for about a year now,” he said
Maile plans to continue the contact with FOA after the delegation is back home in Guateng.