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GreatBay Aquaculture was founded in 1995, establishing the first land-based commercial marine fish hatchery in the U.S. Leasing property from the Public Service Company of New Hampshire, GBA pumps salt water from the Piscataqua River, part of the Great Bay Estuary. The water is filtered prior to its use in the hatchery to maintain a healthy growing environment for the young fish, and again prior to discharge to ensure the water is returned cleaner than it started.
GBA started producing summer flounder in January of 1996, placing its first juveniles in the ocean in the spring of that year into a submerged cage off Plum Island, New York. Since then GBA has placed millions of juvenile fish into commercial grow out operations, including its own, and research institutions around the world. GBA has shipped juvenile fish to 7 different countries and 13 different states. In 1999, GBA began to diversify into Atlantic cod and have sold over one million fish that are growing in the waters off New England and New Brunswick. In addition to cod, GBA also produces black sea bass and most recently, cobia. GBA shipped 100,000 cobia to grow out operations in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in 2006.
GreatBay is concerned about environmental responsibility and utilizes recirculation technology to minimize its water use and discharge, has an active R&D program and is helping to develop novel feeds that reduce the amount of fish meal in the diets without sacrificing performance or nutrition, while maintaining its focus on the production of high quality marine fish.
George earned an MS in Marine Environmental Science in 1982 from SUNY at Stony Brook. He assisted in the commercial development of queen conch culture in 1981-82, including the development of a fish farm. As seafood specialist for the Kroger Company, he learned the retail side of the fish business, acquiring an understanding of suppliers, products and quality standards. As a manager for Sahlman Seafoods, Inc., he managed over 100 employees and a fleet of 48 shrimp trawlers in South America. Serving as Program Director for the New England Fisheries Development Association from 1988 to 1995 Mr. Nardi received, managed and directed over $4,000,000 in federal fisheries aquaculture research and development grants, including serving as Principal Investigator on a $250,000 summer flounder research project. He is an expert on the application of HACCP principles to the fish and seafood industry.
Chris earned his MBA from the University of New Hampshire School of Management in 1988, where he graduated first in his class. Before business school, he conceived and organized a sales program that led to doubling sales at Boston Harbor Fisheries. He also increased revenues at the Environmental Hazards Management Institute from $300,000 to $1,500,000 in two years. He has worked in every area of commercial fishing, from harvesting to production to sales. He became a finfish expert by majoring in zoology in college and by working as a university lab assistant and research assistant for the National Marine Fisheries Service. He began specific studies of summer flounder in 1992.
Brian received his B.S. degree from the University of Maine in Machias in 2004, where he double majored in marine biology and environmental studies in marine ecosystems. After graduation, he worked as facilities and production manager for the Downeast Institute for Marine Research and Education. Working for DEI, he had an integral role in the design and building of their new research center and commercial shellfish hatchery. In 2006, he joined the team at GreatBay where he specializes in live feed management and production.
