Source: HAWAII FISH COMPANY submitted to
NOVEL MANUFACTURED AQUAPONIC/HYDROPONIC RAFT DESIGN TO ADDRESS FOOD SAFETY DEFICIENCIES AND PLANT GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
NEW
Funding Source
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031076
Grant No.
2023-33610-40789
Project No.
HAWK-2023-03979
Proposal No.
2023-03979
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
8.7
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2023
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2025
Grant Year
2023
Project Director
Weidenbach, R. P.
Recipient Organization
HAWAII FISH COMPANY
PO BOX 1039
WAIALUA,HI 96791
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Hawaii Fish Company Inc. (HFC) will pioneer a U.S.-manufactured raft designed specifically for domestic aquaponic growers, with potential crossover to hydroponic growers. HFC's durable and cost-effective rafts will comply with food safety standards and will incorporate novel design elements thatoptimize plant growth and raft durability, sanitation, and handling. HFC's research prototypes will be tested and refined at various aquaponic farms and research institutions to ensure the products' efficacy and commercial-readiness. The company's manufactured aquaponics raft products will contribute to agricultural manufactured products and manufacturing technologies, as well as provide farmers with a cost-effective alternative to homemade rafts and imported hydroponic rafts. This will, in turn, support the continuing growth of the domestic aquaponics industry and increase the nation's nutritious local food production and food security.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7125399106025%
7115399202025%
5115399202050%
Knowledge Area
511 - New and Improved Non-Food Products and Processes; 711 - Ensure Food Products Free of Harmful Chemicals, Including Residues from Agricultural and Other Sources; 712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins;

Subject Of Investigation
5399 - Structures, facilities, and equipment, general/other;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 1060 - Biology (whole systems);
Goals / Objectives
Hawaii Fish Company Inc.'s (HFC)Phase II objectives are to fabricate its custom designs with established manufacturers and to conduct comparative field tests on these research prototypes at various existing aquaponic operations, in addition to continued testing at HFC, in order to assess HFC's designs in real world conditions. Results from these field tests, as well as continued manufacturing and cost assessments, will enable HFC to advance its aquaponic raft designs to be commercial-ready.HFC's specific objectives contain proprietary wording. In general, the objectives are as follows:Objectives 1 - 3: Refinement of the design and material selection of HFC's raft technologiesObjectives 4 - 7: Field testing aspects of HFC's research prototypes related to commercial use and plant growthObjective 8: Commercialization Planning
Project Methods
Hawaii Fish Company Inc.'s (HFC) research prototypes will be tested in outdoor farms and indoor greenhouses at a variety of farms and research institutions. These research prototypes will undergo experiments exposing the research prototypes to typical commercial use, including growing and harvesting produce and cleaning, and will be compared to rafts currently in use by these facilities. The field-testing sites will collect data on plant growth and complete surveys assessing aspects of the research prototypes. The results of these experiments will be analyzed to inform refinements to the design of HFC's technologies.