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Bulletin of the Hawaii
Aquaculture Extension & Advisory Network: On the (first day) of Christmas, a
farmer gave to me: Clyde Tamaru has been hired as the new Sea Grant/ADP Aquaculture Extension Specialist to begin on January 1. Clyde has over 18 years of experience in aquaculture. His most recent work experience was through his own consulting company, Hawaii C's Aquaculture. Clyde previously worked for the Oceanic Institute and the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. His educational background is also well rounded with degrees in Biology (B.S.), Zoology (M.S.), and in Fisheries (Ph.D.), emphasizing fish reproduction. Clyde assumes the position left vacant when Paul Olin moved to the Mainland to work for Sea Grant in California.
Over 50 people attended the HAA Membership meeting
held on Nov. 19 at MRTC. Members learned the ins-and-outs of starting a cooperative
from Tim O'Connel, a co-op specialist with the USDA. Members addressed legislative
and other industry issues and formed committee work groups. Afterwards, everyone was
treated to an aquaculture feast which included farmer donations of shrimp, tilapia,
catfish, and limu ogo. Minutes of the meeting will be distributed to the membership
shortly. OUTER-ISLAND EXTENSION
ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE: Neighbor Island farmers can now receive direct
production assistance from two new extension agents. Bob Howerton is the new Sea
Grant agent for Maui County (Maui, Molokai and Lanai). Bob brings both educational
background (doctorate in aquaculture from Auburn University) and extension experience to
the job. Based on Molokai, he can be reached at 567-6833. Wayne Okamura has been retained by Sea
Grant, with support from DBEDT and ADP, as a part-time extension specialist for the Big
Island, focusing on the Hamakua area. Wayne is one of the pioneers of aquaculture in
Hawaii, having been involved in fish culture since his childhood. Wayne's
experience in aquaculture includes both public research and commercial farming, as well as
owning his own tilapia farm in North Kohala. Wayne can be reached at 775-9505. Calvin Chun is the Oahu distributor for OSI
Ornamental Fish Feeds. Call Calvin at 247-7520 to get a catalog and price list. The Hawaii State Employment Service's "Jobhelp
Store" provides volunteer labor in exchange for work experience. This service
could provide you with extra farm labor at no cost. If interested, call the Jobhelp
Store Unit in your area (listed under the Dept. of Labor in the phone book), or call Dean
at ADP (587-0030). Resource Guide to Aquaculture Information (USDA
publication) lists all aquaculture journals and newsletters, electronic and on-line
resources, trade and professional associations, Federal agencies, State aquaculture
coordinators and contacts, and other useful information. An electronic version is
available at AquaNIC (gopher to thorplus.lib.purdue.edu). . . Preliminary
Observations on the Marketability of Salt-Water-Cultured Florida Red Tilapia in Puerto
Rico, Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, Vol. 24, No. 3. Call ADP to view
these and other publications in the ADP library. Aquaculture '95 Conference & Exposition,
sponsored by the World Aquaculture Society, National Shellfisheries Association, and the
American Fisheries Society. February 1-4, 1995, San Diego, California. ADP and
NELHA are sharing booth space. If you would like your company's material at the booth, or
if you plan to attend and would like to use the booth as your "home base", call
Dean at ADP or Jan War at NELHA (329-7341). For the first time, the Kauai Sunshine Markets (open
markets) are allowing aquacultured fish vending. Run by Kauai County, the Sunshine
Markets are responding to the increasing interest in aquaculture. Previously, the
Markets were open to produce vendors only. Kauai aquafarmers interested in selling
live fish at the Sunshine Market should contact Bill Spitz at 241-6390. Seafood counters are big draws in retail grocery
stores, according to the Food Marketing Institute. Approximately 84% of new
supermarkets built in 1993 included a seafood department. During the first 6 months of 1994, U.S. imports of ornamental fish were valued at $24.4 million, up 3% from a year earlier. Imports continue to be dominated by southeast Asian countries, with Thailand as the largest source. U.S. exports totaled over $10 million in the first half of 1994 (19% increase), marking ornamental fish as the highest valued domestic aquaculture export. Europe continued to be the largest market, although the most growth was shown in four Asian countries: Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Source: USDA Economic Research Service.
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