Thimble Island Ocean Farm

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Oysterman Brendan Smith is the owner/operator of the Thimble Island Ocean Farm. It is one of the first sustainable 3-D ocean farms in the country. Located in Long Island Sound, Brendan has transformed his shellfish and seaweed farm into an incubator for sustainable food production, ocean conservation and economic development.

Over the years, Brendan has worked a wide array of jobs in the commercial fisheries, ranging from longlining on the Bering Sea and sliming in the canneries of Bristol Bay, Alaska to lobstering in Lynn, Massachusetts and aquaculture research in Newfoundland, Canada. As a committed environmentalist, Brendan has joined the ranks of a new breed of green fishermen who have shifted from hunter-gatherers trolling the seas in search of declining fish stocks, to ocean-based 3-D farmers, sustainably growing shellfish and seaweed on small plots of ocean acreage for local markets. This new model significantly reduces carbon emissions by cutting fuel usage, while ensuring safe and reliable food for local communities.