2024
Social License in Offshore Aquaculture
Contributor/Checkoff:
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Aquaculture
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Dennis Peters, Gulfstream Aquaculture, LLC
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
44211
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Leveraged Funding (Non-Checkoff):
Gulfstream Aquaculture is committed to supporting this project with an equal, in-kind value via their participation with labor, travel, and per diem.
Show More
Institution Funded:
Brief Project Summary:
The Social License in Offshore Aquaculture project utilizes Community Advisory Panel (CAP) meetings as a process to build trust among critical stakeholders. This approach to stakeholder outreach engages key community leaders/residents early in the business development to ensure that existing community values and expectations concerning a new venture in that community, and in this case, building a new offshore aquaculture industry for Florida and the USA are transparently considered. This enables the new business to make informed decisions respectful of the community and fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between the community and the intended business.
Unique Keywords:
#commercial, #community engagement, #social license, #stakeholder outreach, #trust building
Information And Results
Project Summary

The Social License in Offshore Aquaculture CAPs are a structured process for building relationships, sharing information, and resolving concerns that help align community expectations with company or organization performance. The goal of the CAP is to reduce the gap between performance and expectations through a structured process of identifying community concerns and discussing how they might be addressed. The first step is for CFI to identify (via invitation only) approximately 15 leaders/residents in the community, those considered to be driving change. Individuals are confirmed based on their commitment to the process, a willingness to serve as conduits for sharing information (community concerns), and their ability for raising questions and issues in a constructive manner. In the ensuing 12 months, the CAP participants will meet monthly at local area conference rooms for 90-minute sessions (lunch provided), facilitated and moderated by CFI. Leadership from Gulfstream Aquaculture will also attend. During the initial CAP meeting, the South Florida Offshore Aquaculture business concept will be presented to CAP participants where a range of issues or topics of conversation generating community concern will be identified and prioritized. During the ensuing meetings, CFI and Gulfstream Aquaculture will identify and invite a third-party Subject Matter Expert (SME) to address each of the topics of concern that are raised during the first meeting. Using CFI facilitation, the issues of concern will be deconstructed so each element can be effectively addressed by CAP participants and the SMEs thru sharing information via an open discussion forum. CAP participants are additionally encouraged to informally share their experiences with their communities of influence and bring questions and concerns from those same sectors back to the following CAP meetings for further discussion. Names and contact information of the CAP participants are held in strict confidentiality; they, their organizations, and the outcomes of the CAP meetings are purposely not made public in any social or other electronic media platforms, including email. CAP participants are invited via invitation only and provide their time on a pure voluntary basis. The CAP (closed-door) meetings serve as a pre-stakeholder outreach initiative to better understand the community sentiment of the proposed business.

Project Objectives

Identify (via invitation only) approximately 15 leaders/residents in the community, those considered to be driving change and committed to the process and participation thru 2024.
Prioritize five (5) key topics of concerns and invite a third-party Subject Matter Expert (SME) in-person or via video to address each during the five (5) remaining CAP meetings.
Utilize the CAP discussion materials to make informed decisions respectful of the community, that fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between the community and the intended business.

Project Deliverables

Preparation of six (6) Progress Reports highlighting the outcomes of the individual CAP meetings.
Preparation of a Final Progress Report highlighting a summary benefits resulting from the project.

Progress Of Work
Final Project Results

Benefit To Soybean Farmers

Development of a better understanding of the likelihood of community acceptance and steps toward acquiring the necessary social license to support a commercial scale aquaculture facility in South Florida.
Development of an updated feed demand for the facility based on an estimated projection of 6,750 T/year, where the range of potential soy inclusion rates can reasonably range from ~20% SBM (minimum, based on SBM inclusion in a Skretting trial diet), and up to ~40% SPC (maximum, based on prior NE Soy Board-supported feed trials). The projected range of soy demand per year: ranging from (a) 1,350 T/year of SBM, up to (b) 2,700 T/year of SPC.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.