Saving the planet with appropriate biotechnology: 3. The high seas solution

The case is made for greater use of the High Seas to replace forage fish with mussels in the diet of farmed fish and produce the increasing amounts of food that will be required by the growing human population, whilst at the same time pulling down carbon from the atmosphere with bivalve cultivation. The vision is to preserve the oceans as a healthy and sustainable food source for mankind by emphasising conservation and ecosystem balance beyond coastal waters. The plans are for huge (centralised) bivalve mollusc farming facilities on the high seas, using factory ships and offshore factory rigs (re-purposed disused oil rigs?) located on seamounts outside Exclusive Economic Zones and employing Perpetual Salt Fountains on the flanks of the seamount to bring nutrients to the farms. If properly designed (and the design and building capabilities exist throughout the offshore industries around the world), this will immediately provide (i) feed for animals and food for humans, (ii) sustainable marine ecosystems, and (iii) permanent atmospheric carbon sequestration in the form of reefs of bivalve shells.