Neil Sims: Scaling offshore aquaculture in the U.S.

In this episode, Neil Anthony Sims, CEO of Ocean Era, discusses the significant challenges and potential of offshore aquaculture in the United States. Sims talks about how the U.S. is not a huge player in aquaculture compared to other countries because of its rigorous permitting process and opposition from activist groups. He hopes the U.S. will start to scale offshore aquaculture and build an industry that produces delicious, healthy seafood for locals.

Tom Taylor works with the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) as its executive director.In this episode, he talks about Atlantic Canada’s farming practices and the support from Atlantic Canadians as seen in a recent survey. He also talks about the government’s net-pen ban in B.C. and the impact this would have on investments in the industry.

Live at the Canadian Freshwater Aquaculture Conference, Ian Roberts sits down with second-generation trout farmer, RJ Taylor. He talks about the hidden story of trout farming in Ontario and shares about his work as managing director of the Ontario Aquaculture Association to advocate for the importance of aquaculture in the province and across the country.

This episode delves into the sustainability, ingredients, and challenges of fish feed, emphasizing the importance of transparency and innovation. David Seeley, commercial director of Skretting North America - East, highlights that fish feed is a balanced blend of proteins, minerals, and vitamins, and that salmon farming contributes more fish to the world than it consumes.

Host Ian Roberts learns more about Vox Media's coverage about aquaculture with journalist Kenny Torella. His work focuses on animal welfare in the meat industry, and he shares specifically about how he delves into the environmental and animal welfare issues in salmon farming. Ian raises concerns about the potential bias in Vox's reporting due to funding from animal welfare groups, which Torella defends by emphasizing editorial independence.

Kicking off Season 4 by exploring one of the most unconventional frontiers in aquaculture: growing fish on large cargo ships in international waters. Long-time salmon farming expert and consultant, Alan Cook, talks about the Marinova project with Pan Ocean Aquaculture. He offers a clear, practical look at whether ship-based aquaculture could supplement existing salmon production and help meet rising global demand.

Young professionals representing the salmon industry around the world share their thoughts on the lessons learned from this season's Salmon Farming: Inside & Outpodcast. Host Ian Roberts was joined by Janicke Eckhoff from the Marine Stewardship Council in Norway, Michelle Franze from the B.C. Salmon Farmer's Association in Canada, and Andrew Richardson from the Young Aquaculture Society in the United Kingdom. Together, these three guests founded Next Generation Seafood Alliance to connect young aquaculture professionals around the world.

Dr. Ken S. Coates is one of Canada's leading historians and analysts on the challenges and opportunities facing the country. After his keynote at Cold Harvest 2025 in St. John's, N.L., Ken sits down with host Ian Roberts to talk about how B.C.'s salmon farming industry could benefit Canada by providing economic stability to coastal communities. His thoughts are based on his recently published Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) paper titled, "Swimming against the tide: The case for salmon fish farming in British Columbia."

Ian Roberts travelled to St. John's, Newfoundland and met with Canadian aquaculturists at the Cold Harvest Conference & Trade Fair (Sept. 23-25). He sat down with Keith Sullivan, executive director of Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Industry Association; Joel Richardson, vice-president of public relations at Cooke Aquaculture; Aaron Bennet, development and compliance director at Mowi Canada East; Janice Duggan-Malloy, technical operations supervisor at Cold Ocean Salmon; and Fabian Manning Jr., owner and president of 360 Marine Ltd.

Rochak Sharma, chief product officer at TidalX AI, explores how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing salmon net pen farming. Discover how advanced camera systems and machine learning are improving fish health, optimizing feeding, and tackling sea lice.