Aquaculture using cold OTEC water

The unique 2000 ft deep seawater pipeline installed at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii (NELH) supplies the only cold seawater available in large volumes anywhere in the tropics. Not only does the low temperature of the cold seawater required for the OTEC process permit the tropical culture of species normally found only in colder areas, it also allows inexpensive yet precise temperature control throughout even an open culture system. The deep water also contains high concentrations of the dissolved inorganic nutrients essential to plant growth, while the near total absence of pathogens, plants and particulates makes the water particularly well suited for the culture of sensitive organisms and also for the development of pure culture strains.