April 29, 2009 - Global fish stocks have been in crisis for decades. Factory ships have been so successful that some experts fear that tuna, cod and other large fish will be effectively extinct within 40 years. Until recently fish farming was seen as a solution to fulfilling limitless demand for seafood. But problems with fish farms have become evident. The farms tend to be located close to shore in relatively shallow water. In near-shore locations fish farms are exposed to run off from farms and cities. The heavy concentrations of fish pollute the water too. Disease, concentrated toxins and other problems have been reported with farmed fish. 29 year old Brian O'Hanlon wants to change that.

O'Hanlon is the founder of Open Blue Sea Farms, a venture dedicated to farming fish in deep water offshore. Farming fish offshore avoids problems with pollutants from land and from the fish themselves. Because of regulatory problems and a 200 mile territorial limit, O'Hanlon has located his first farm outside of the USA near the Panama Canal. There, 2 miles offshore, his 6 story AquaPod fish cage will be anchored in 220 feet of water.

Open Blue began as a small experiment in deep-ocean fishing off the coast of Puerto Rico, where O'Hanlon and nine employees worked for six years. That's where he first deployed the AquaPod, which was designed by Ocean Farm Technologies, a Searsport, Maine startup backed by the same venture firm that funds Open Blue. The AquaPod is a geodesic dome made of triangular nets stitched together, and its vinyl-coated thin wire mesh turned out to be ideal for raising tiny fish.

Here's the full story from Alessandra Bianchi at CNNMoney.com.

April 11, 2009 - In honor of Health Day (today) here's a story about pregnancy and fish. Studies have shown that the omega-3s in fish are critical for brain development and positively affect motor skills and intelligence. The benefits of moderate fish eating, including canned tuna, seem to outweigh the risks of ingesting too much mercury. Here's the full story.

April 9, 2009 - In the south of Spain there's a tasty seafood dish called tortillita de camarones - a thin crispy fried pancake with baby shrimp. There are variations with other seafoods as well. The pancake itself is a mixture of regular and/or chickpea flour with salt, black pepper, chopped onion or scallions, chives, parsley, thyme or cilantro. Add seafood of choice and pan fry in olive oil. Here's a nice story with a link to a recipe and video from Mark Bittman NYTimes

If you've been concerned about mercury in tuna, the eco-friendliness of farmed salmon and whether or not to order the Chilean sea bass at the sushi bar, help is now available. The Blue Ocean Institute, Environmental Defense Fund and Monterey Bay Aquarium have worked together to create guides ranking sushi selections based on their ocean friendliness, whether they're caught or farmed responsibly and if they're safe to eat. Albacore tuna has elevated levels of mercury and should be eaten in moderation - but there's no harm to the environment or fish stock when it is caught by trolling or on poles. On the other hand, bluefin tuna has very high mercury levels (the guides say to never eat it) and its population has been severely depleted. Wild Alaskan salmon and farmed bass are ranked eco-friendly as are clams, farmed oysters and much more.

• Blue Ocean Institute
• Environmental Defense Fund 
• Monterey Bay Aquarium