U. looks into fish farming

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is actively trying to make high-tech indoor fish farming a reality at the defunct Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. The Delaware River Port Authority, which operates the four toll bridges connecting Pennsylvania and New Jersey along with the PATCO high-speed commuter line, agreed last week to fund a joint venture with the University. The deal, if all goes well, would provide Penn with $450,000 to use over the next two and a half years for the fish farming venture. "Penn is very excited about the possibility because the proposed program will draw from the Veterinary School, Engineering and Wharton," said the Communications Director of the Veterinary School Helma Weeks. "Test tanks are scheduled to be installed in the Veterinary School in September." This September, the University will receive $50,000 from the DRPA to perform a three month feasibility study. If the results indicate that running the farm is profitable, Penn will get the rest of the money to further implement the project. That means the University will receive $200,000 a year for the next two years, according to a spokesperson for the School of Veterinary Medicine. Don't expect to see the University abandon the education industry for fish-farming,even if the results are positive. University officials and the DRPA intend to sell the business to a private organization as soon as possible. "Our objective is not to get into the fish business, [but] to stimulate development of the technology and keep it in this region," said DRPA chairperson Manual N. Stamatakis. Heading Penn's efforts to make the fish farm a success is Leon Weiss, a professor of cell and human biology in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Members of the Engineering and Wharton Schools will be assisting Weiss and members of the School of Veterinary Medicine in accomplishing the task that lies ahead. There is some doubt to whether a fish farm can operate profitably in a city like Philadelphia. Fish farms in more rural communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Virginia have proven to be very successful, but that may be due mostly to the availability of cheaper labor. If it works, the proposed venture could create many jobs for Philadelphia. "It's been estimated that 1 million pounds of fish per year can create as many as 300 jobs," said Stamatakis. Penn plans to develop a farm that would produce over 20 million pounds annually, possibly creating many new jobs in the areas of fish processing, fish food development, and transportation. Not only would the fish farm help to create jobs, but it would also help to lower the price of seafood in the Philadelphia area. Specifically, it may mean lower prices on striped bass and tilapia, two of the fish that Penn will experiment with initially. Besides price reductions, there are several other facts supporting the construction of the indoor fish farm. The rising demand for fish, along with the increasing depletion of the oceans of the world, clearly supports the controlled breeding of fish in fish farms to supplement dwindling natural supplies. But at this point, there is still question to the whole venture -- and specifically, where operations will be located. The fish farm may not even end up at the Naval Shipyard, the location the University is hoping for. Terry Gillen, director of the city's Office of Defense Conversion, said that last year there was another fish farm proposal for the shipyard. Although that proposal did not go through, Gillen said she is still taking Penn's idea seriously. "If anybody gives us a proposal for creating jobs at the Navy Yard we'll look at it," she said. There are other suitable locations for the fish farm, but the Naval Shipyard seems the most convenient. Not only is it close to the University, but in the very nature of its design as a government military installation, it provides a safe atmosphere for Penn students to work in. Since the DRPA's agreement to fund the project came just last week, not all the details have been worked out, leaving many questions unanswered. Issues like allocation of future profits, location of the fish farm, and even which fish to cultivate are still not definite yet. However, the University does have the green light to begin feasibility testing in September. So now, when you cross one of the DRPA's four bridges between Pennsylvania and New Jersey and pay your two dollar toll, take pride in helping to support the Penn fish farm