My Favorite TED Talk
Full disclosure: I’m biased. There are too many brilliant TED Talks to choose from — and one for every topic under the sun — but my most recent favorite is by Mike Velings, with whom I co-founded the only investment fund devoted to sustainable aquaculture (aka fish farming).
Mike explains the potential for aquaculture to feed an exploding global population - and save the ocean’s species. So before you read on, watch the talk and share it with friends. This is the future of food.
Why does this talk matter? When it comes to the ocean, the Guardian just released a study showing global fish stocks are falling three times faster than estimated. Some scientists predict the ocean could be depleted by 2050, so this is pretty frightening.
Despite this harrowing news, we know aquaculture — if done sustainably — can provide a solution. The idea: if we remove pressure on the ocean by cleanly farming fish, species can regenerate. And because fish is the least energy and resource intensive form of protein to grow, aquaculture can help feed a growing global population - one the UN predicts will reach 9.7 billion by 2050 (just as the ocean is predicted to hit a point of no return).
Every day we meet entrepreneurs and aquaculture innovators who give us hope. Our job is to help them scale their technologies, businesses and farms in order to transform an entire industry. Two recent game-changers are Sogn Aqua, a Norwegian halibut farm that could put this red-listed species back on the menu, and a transformative fishmeal from Calysta.
Sogn Aqua has patented a low maintenance water system that pumps water from the clean depths of the fjord, through the farm and — after removing pollutants — back into ocean. Leaving no mark on the environment (95% of the materials used are recyclable), the habitat remains used but unharmed. They’ve also eliminated the use of chemicals and antibiotics — one of the most egregious aquaculture practices that we’re working to eradicate.
Sogn Aqua is currently producing about 50 tons of halibut annually, which is being delivered to restaurants throughout Europe, and we’re working to scale them to 800 tons - and beyond the EU borders.
And then there’s Calysta, with whom we’ve been working since January 2015. They have the potential to revolutionize fish feed — making it healthier and more environmentally sound. Since our early days, they’ve caught the attention of food experts around the world, securing investments from major players like Cargill. With them, this $30 million investment could resolve one of the single most challenging aspects of farmed fish.
Until now, fish feed has involved everything from chicken (as the chef Dan Barber notes in another favorite TED Talk) to wild-caught fish. This ultimately overshadows any environmental benefits. Calysta cultivates an efficient, methane-eating natural microbe that produces protein. Called FeedKind™, this single cell protein is sustainable and a perfect replacement for fishmeal. With a smaller carbon footprint than soy, it’s proven to be a healthy, readily available and highly digestible alternative for fishmeal.
We’re working closely with Calysta on their expansion — and this comes on the heels of their receiving a major conditional UK grant to help develop a facility in northern England.
I highlight these two change-makers because they can truly revolutionize this industry, and are part of the solution for feeding the planet and protecting the ocean. Mike Velings is another, with a TED Talk that should launch a global effort to transform the future of fish farming.
