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Meet The Extra-Terrestrial Aquaponics Pioneer
Former salmon farmer Dr. Carl Mazur aims to design an aquaponics system that could one day be used on Mars. In the meantime, he aims to use it to produce high-value fish and flowers on Earth
Rob Fletcher
May 8, 2021
Former salmon farmer Dr. Carl Mazur aims to design an aquaponics system that could one day be used on Mars. In the meantime, he aims to use it to produce high-value fish and flowers on Earth.
Can you tell us a bit about your aquaculture experience?
Dr. Carl Mazur, founder of Terra-Mars
My aquaculture experience is primarily with saltwater salmon production on the east and west coast of Vancouver Island, in Canada. I gained hands-on experience immediately after graduation from McGill University with a degree in marine biology. This was in the mid-1980s and the issues we had with fish loss due to bacterial kidney disease at the time lead me to pursue a master’s and then a Ph.D. at UBC, focused on the effects of rearing and environmental fish stressors on their immune systems and disease susceptibility.
The Terra-Mars project may be ambitious in the long run but it aims to start with more modest goals
Why did you decide to return to the sector and what inspired you to look into aquaponics specifically?
I returned to the sector after owning and operating a national licensing, sales, and distribution in Canada focused on providing human tissue regeneration products to dental and medical specialists across Canada for 15 years. I returned as I had always intended to do so and had gone to the biotech sector to support my family and to learn business lessons that I could then bring back to the aquaculture/aquaponics sector. My first love is “all things marine” and it’s great to be back in a sector where I feel at home.
The reason for migrating a short step from aquaculture to aquaponics is that I feel aquaponics is more holistic in that a well-conceived aquaponic system can essentially be near-closed and self-sustaining. Aquaponics systems today do need external input in the form of fish feed which then provides carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous (and other trace elements) for plant growth. The next step in closing the loop will be to produce fish feed from the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous delivered from the system in the form of human food, fish offal, and the inedible stem and root plant products.
From aquaponics to aquaponics on Mars, that sounds like quite a leap. What's the logic?
The simple premise behind developing an aquaponic system for use on Mars [as part of the Terra-Mars project] is that a system advanced enough to be on Mars will be able to grow food anywhere on Earth, with modifications. The ultimate goal is to have a system that can provide food security for any environment on Earth and thereby end the suffering that still occurs in some developing countries. Having the ambitious goal of developing a food production system for Mars should provide ample PR exposure which can then be leveraged to promote the project and help to carry it forward.
It must be noted that the initial systems will be produced on a small scale and will be developed to produce high-value fish for the ornamental aquarium fish sector and high-value plants for the fine dining and floral industries. The technologies developed for these high-valued products will later be used for larger projects which will produce higher volume, lower value products for middle class consumers. Eventually, we will transition to industrial-scale operations for low price, mass consumption products. This model is borrowed from the automotive industry, as demonstrated and proven by Tesla motors.
What species of fish are you thinking of growing in your system on Mars?
The three species of fish we’ve shortlisted to date for Mars are tilapia, barramundi and Arctic char. We’ll need to test many species under the simulated Earth environment that we’ll attempt to create in our simulated Martian environment.
Are you able to apply the skills that you gained in the conventional aquaculture sector for the project?
Yes, many of the skills gained in the conventional aquaculture sector (especially related to fish health and nutrition) can certainly be used with this project.
Who are your key collaborators and what do they bring to the project?
The key collaborator for this project is Dr. James Rakocy, known worldwide as the “father of aquaponics”. Dr. Rakocy has had a distinguished 30-year career at the University of the Virgin Islands and his UVI aquaponic system is known worldwide as the best researched and established system for growing tilapia and a variety of greens including lettuces and herbs. Dr. Rakocy is the author of the seminal book Aquaponic Q&A. His educational aquaponic systems are used in over 1,100 high schools across America for foundational teaching in the STEM areas of biology, chemistry, math, and food systems.
Other key collaborators are Garth Wardell, CEO / owner of Allsite IT, a digital intelligence firm currently dedicated to the advancement of intense data solutions for the hospitality and healthcare sectors. Garth is very keen about this project and has been a trusted advisor since 2018. Several other advisors in the areas of law, engineering, computer science, multimedia technologies, education, urban farming, and accounting are also on standby and eager to begin work on this project.
The other noteworthy collaborator is Dr. Christopher McKay, an astrobiologist at the NASA Ames research centre in California, who has offered assistance at the academic level and must sit as an unpaid advisor, as is mandated for all full-time NASA employees.
How have your plans been received to date?
The plans have been very well received to date, most notably by Elon Musk who was informed of the intentions several years ago and stated that “this will be very important down the road”. Mr Musk was presented the concept for informational uses only and was not approached for funding or resources, as he had intense funding and resource requirements at Tesla and SpaceX at the time.
How the system might one day appear
How much money are you hoping to raise for the project and what will you use this for?
The initial round of financing for this project will be for $2.6 million and will be used to:
Develop a first aquaponic system prototype.
Secure an IP patent portfolio of aquaponic patents.
Build a physical model of the Space Exploration Theme park
Develop a mixed reality (VR&AR) tour of the park
Perform an extensive feasibility study for the project.
What are the key milestones for your project?
Obtain the initial round of seed funding.
Become cash-flow positive with the acquisition of existing ancillary businesses in the fish, vegetable and floral, growth, packaging, distribution, retail, media and entertainment sectors.
Building global brand recognition for Terra-mars products and entertainment facilities.
Acquisition of real estate (primarily distressed suburban shopping malls) where the aquaponic facilities will be installed to grow the fish and plants for local distribution to populations in North America and Europe.
Series A financing round to raise $100 million in 2023 or 2024 at the latest.
What is the end goal for your project and do you think that this is feasible to achieve in your own lifetime?
The end goal for phase one of the project is to have four Space / Mars exploration theme parks – one in North America, one in Europe, one in MENA, and one in China. These will have the dual purpose of entertainment and providing research facilities for Mars colonization technologies, featuring the aquaponic food production system. Other technologies for Mars colonization will be in the fields of transportation, communications, housing, healthcare, and recreation.
If you don’t make it to Mars, where will you target using your aquaponics systems on the Earth?
If we don’t make it to Mars, the aquaponic system will first be used to produce high value fish and plants for Western markets and eventually be developed in for larger commercial operations to be used anywhere on earth.
What are the major challenges that you still need to overcome?
The major challenges which we need to overcome are to raise the initial round of financing and to become cashflow positive in the shortest time possible.
Rob Fletcher
Senior editor at The Fish Site
Rob Fletcher has been writing about aquaculture since 2007, as editor of Fish Farmer, Fish Farming Expert and The Fish Site. He has an MA in history from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in sustainable aquaculture from the University of St Andrews. He currently lives and works in Scotland.
Plans For Aquaponics Project In Belgian Port of Ostend
Columbi Salmon aims to harvest 12,000 tonnes of salmon and 4,000 tonnes of salad leaves a year by 2025
Columbi Salmon aims to harvest 12,000 tonnes of salmon and 4,000 tonnes of salad leaves a year by 2025, at a site in the Belgian port of Ostend. Kolbjørn Giskeødegård, CFO of the startup, explains their unique production system, why he thinks the time is right for growing salmon in RAS, and what persuaded him to swap finance for farming.
“For many years working for Nordea was the best job in the world – I had a great degree of freedom in my role and it was very exciting. I could probably have worked there until retirement, but had got to the point where I had seen most of the issues – the sector reports and updates started to feel like they were going in a circle,” explains Giskeødegård, who was the Norwegian bank’s chief seafood analyst for 25 years.
However, amidst the increasingly familiar cyclical trends of the conventional salmon farming sector there was one part of the industry which began to catch his attention.
“In the last two of three years, land-based salmon farming was emerging as the most exciting and disruptive part of the sector. I’d talked to many of the players about their plans and roles and licences,” he reflects.
The combination of the entrepreneurial spirit of the RAS pioneers and the development of disruptive new technologies that were needed to enable these systems to produce market-sized salmon appealed to Giskeødegård – and there was one company that stood out.
“It was a group of people I really believed in, including former colleagues – four from finance and four with a deep knowledge of fish farming,” he explains.
Read the complete article at www.thefishsite.com.
Publication date: Fri 30 Apr 2021
Aquaponics AI Releases New Video Series ‘People of Aquaponics’ Connecting With The Movers and Shakers of The Aquaponic and Aquaculture Industry.
The People of Aquaponics series is highlighting the movers and shakers in the industry
Aquaponics AI is a social-impact aquaponic technology company powering the heroes of next-gen aquaponic food production. Their recently released video series, People of Aquaponics, aims to validate the rapidly growing aquaponic community by connecting with awesome people, doing amazing things globally with aquaponics and aquaculture.
“I’m personally inspired by the aquaponic community. You are a unique group of people with an underlying vibe for social impact and caring for people and the planet. Of course, aquaponics is an impactful avenue, but the people behind all of this, that’s who I’m excited to connect with and share with the community through this series “said Daniel Robards, co-founder, and CBDO.
The People of Aquaponics series is highlighting such movers and shakers in the industry. Some interviews so far include a professor who was trialing aquaponics 40 years ago, a researcher discussing her work with microorganisms and bacterial communities, as well as a business training persons with disabilities within their, grow space; that happens to be hosted in a brewery.
Jump in and watch the series on Aquaponics AI’s Youtube page!
About Aquaponics AI
Aquaponics AI is the leading provider of cloud-based aquaponics software. A data and intelligence-driven approach to growing with Aquaponics enable small and large farms to simplify data, understand their system and become better growers. With Aquaponics AI, growers can leverage key data insights to increase overall success and impact. For more information visit aquaponics.ai or email connect@aquaponics.ai.
The First Online Dashboard For Aquaponics
“We’re about empowering people to be the best aquaponic growers possible. Tech is what gives people the tools to do awesome things.” - Jonathan Reyes, CEO, and Co-founder of Aquaponics AI
Aquaponics AI, a US-based aquaponic technology research company, just unleashed their software into the wild. It’s the system every aquaponic grower has been waiting for.
It has traditionally been difficult to get started in Aquaponics because of the steep learning curve but they are making it easy to get started and maintain a system with features like a project template that gets your system running with recommended maintenance schedules by big players in Aquaponics.
They’re bringing innovative usage of artificial intelligence and big data to Aquaponics for the betterment of the global aquaponics community. Their vision is to unleash your Aquaponic growing powers. You’re the beneficiary of high-quality produce and revenue streams created from your system.
In addition to being the forerunner in Aquaponic technology, they also have invaluable libraries for fish, plants, and diseases, as well as calculators for managing your system.
“We’re about empowering people to be the best aquaponic growers possible. Tech is what gives people the tools to do awesome things.” - Jonathan Reyes, CEO, and Co-founder of Aquaponics AI
You can see the latest developments on their website https://aquaponics.ai alongside invaluable resources and calculators that are available for free.