About Us
Roadmap to Success
EDS Aquaculture was established in 2021 by Eric Stafford, a proud 22 year military veteran.
During his military career he earned an MBA from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and hold various U.S. Army Watercraft Engineer certifications and licenses.
A passion for marine environments led Eric to pursue opportunities in the aquaculture industry, with a focus on responsible sustainability. Having a structured, technical background it soon became clear that to achieve his mission without an additional advanced degree assistance would be required.
He reached out to a seasoned industry titan to serve as his mentor, as a result EDS Aquaculture now has access to 50 years of experience and guidance. Our facility benefits from individuals deeply involved in state and federal efforts to expand aquaculture throughout the Delmarva peninsula, and the Northeast United States. With his primary mentor having served many terms and positions such as; President of the Delaware Aquaculture Association, USDA Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center Representative, Delaware Aquaculture Council Member, and for 8 years developed and taught the aquaculture curriculum at the Delaware Community and Technical College.
EDS Aquaculture is built on a solid foundation, with a roadmap to success!
Did you know
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. (FAO) projects that by 2030, fish farming, one of the fastest growing methods of producing food in the world, will be responsible for almost two-thirds of the fish we eat. Farmed seafood is incredibly resource efficient, especially when compared with other animal proteins (beef, pork, chicken). The feed conversion ratio, which is the measurement of how much feed it takes to produce the protein, is 1.1. This means that essentially one pound of feed produces one pound of the protein. Beef, pork and chicken’s feed conversion ratios vary between 2.2-10. As a result, seafood’s protein retention, as well as energy retention are remarkably high as well.
As farmed fish are closely monitored in comparison to wild fish, EDS Aquaculture farmers have more control over variables. This can positively impact the environment and the fish. Farmed fish are generally free of environmental contaminants like mercury and heavy metals, as they exclusively eat human-processed feed. Fish feed’s toxin levels are regulated.
In-Land Aquaculture
Land-based closed systems like EDS Aquaculture minimizes the amount of waste and nutrients expelled to the environment, eliminate fish escapes and limit the spread of disease.
key difference between fish farmed in open waters and fish farmed on land is that the latter require no antibiotics, while neither they nor their effluent come into contact with the surrounding marine environment. The same goes for the wastewater, which can be cleansed, re-used and/or disposed of in a sustainable manner, providing a highly effective state-of-the-art Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) is used.
Apart from generating minimal environmental impact, land-based fish farms like EDS Aquaculture, have to potential to be carbon negative. Going forward, it will be possible to collect the waste products from fish farms and use them to produce organic fertilizers and biofuels. With little investment in existing fish farms local energy can be produced at very little cost, thereby enabling EDS Aquaculture farmers to generate an even lower carbon footprint by repurposing and reusing these fertilizers and biodiesel made from fish residue and/or waste.