On 60 Minutes, cameras follow correspondent Lesley Stahl as she boards a boat to see a farm. She’s been invited by former fisherman Bren Smith, who Stahl describes as “the nation’s leading advocate for a whole new type of farming — ocean farming.” Smith’s field is the water. His farm is a vertical underwater garden in the Long Island Sound. On floating horizontal ropes, kelp and other kinds of seaweed grow vertically downward next to long mesh nets. In the nets grow scallops and mussels. Below the vertical garden are oysters in cages and clams buried in the sea floor. No additional fish, feed or fertilizer needed. Brilliant.
Smith is from Newfoundland, Canada. He explains in the video below that he dropped out of high school at the age of 14 and has been on the water ever since. Smith is the owner of one of the first sustainable ocean farms called Thimble Island Ocean Farm. It’s named after the Thimble Islands of Long Island Sound. His 3D ocean farm model is designed to resort rather than deplete the ocean. With the sugar kelp collected, chefs are making kelp noodles and ice cream, among other tasty edibles. 60 Minutes airs Sundays at 7pm on CBS.
