Susan Bedwell is far from your typical fisherman. In fact, she’s not a fisherman at all—she’s a fish farmer. If you’re picturing fields of fish, you’re not as far off as you might think. Susan farms fish on land, in a type of self-contained system known as “recirculating aquaculture.” Aquaculture means raising fish in captivity. Recirculating means that the water used in the system is continuously reused. How does this work?  Using a technology called “aquaponics,” the farm raises plants—in Susan’s case, vegetables—using the nutrient-rich water from the fishponds. The plants absorb nutrients and thereby “clean” the water so it can be reused with the fish—and this cycle is repeated over and over. It means that the farms are able to create more food in less space with efficient use of water.

Susan is the co-founder and CFO of Premier Organic Farms, and is a fourth-generation farmer and businesswoman. Much of her experience comes from growing vegetables in Imperial Valley, CA., long known as the “winter garden” for growing produce. Susan has been working with recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) technology since 2006, and much of this time has been figuring out how a system should work best. Susan and her business partner learned a lot along the way, she says—“including what not to do!”  Now, they’ve got the operation down to a science: “We evaluate every step of our operational processes and analyze better ways of doing things.  As we monitor the growing environments through the use of technology and web cams, we are able to control water temperature, feed conversions, and water quality to provide the optimum growing environment for our fish and produce.  By being constantly aware of the growing environments through data analysis, we can ensure that we are producing the highest-quality food in a sustainable environment.”

The system is not only profitable and efficient, but also very environmentally friendly. By reusing and recycling at every opportunity, the farm creates almost no waste and also reduces many “cost centers”—resources or expenses that must go in to run the farm. The “pod growing units” that the farm uses require 70% less water than conventional agriculture. In addition, Susan’s plan is to locate future farms close to markets instead of transporting food long distances. “We can deliver the products to market within hours of harvesting,” explains Susan, thus reducing emissions and providing fresher food. This approach is both ecologically sustainable and good for Susan’s bottom line.

In addition, Susan runs her farm with community health in mind, offering free daycare to employees, free lunch at an onsite cafeteria, and flextime. “Healthy families are as important in my book as a healthy planet,” says Susan. In addition, RAS is great for communities because it doesn’t compete with local fishermen. Since the fish are grown in closed containers, any kind of fish can be raised—not just species that are native to the area, so RAS can supplement rather than overtake a local market for fish.

Susan is really excited about RAS and proud of her work with Premier Organic Farms. “RAS is the future of agriculture,” she says. “We all need to be responsible for taking care of our environment, in any positive way we can.  Premier Organic Farms allows me the opportunity to do good things for my immediate environment, as well as positively impact the community.” 

Ask your legislators to look into RAS technology to help meet Americans’ demand for seafood.