With the world's population likely to double by the year 2036, so is the demand for fish as a major source of protein.

And traditional methods of fishing through the use of long lines, nets and entrapment may no longer be sufficient to meet the escalating demand.

Now more and more people are looking at sea farming as a substitute.

And they say Bermuda should make every attempt to become a part of this burgeoning industry, one which could provide fish for local consumption and export, while also supplying much needed jobs, with little displacement for those involved in the aforementioned traditional methods of capture.

During a break at the Defining the Future of Aquaculture in Rhode Island Conference, Rhode Island State Representative Eileen Naughton told The Royal Gazette that with proper research Bermuda could become a significant player.

"I think it's definitely there (for the taking),'' said Mrs. Naughton, a Democrat, who chairs the Rhode Island Legislative Commission of Aquaculture.

"Again, you have to have the scientific data to know what would work -- title information, current information, temperature information -- but with the scientific approach you can identify what's appropriate in the area and what will be environmentally workable and sustainable, that's the key word.

"You can try to force the foot to fit into a shoe that's maybe too small, but it's going to be painful and you're going to have consequences after, so the concept initially is to make a real scientific, true reality kind of review of this so that it fits and works and sustains itself in providing food production, but we're also looking at the fact that new medicines of the next century are going to be derived from the sea.

"Seventy percent of this earth, this planet, is water and it contains resources and rather than in the past, where, when this country, America, was founded, they went in and just cut the forests down and they basically rampaged the natural resources, we have to not do that approach as we find things from the sea.

"We have to understand them and try to reproduce them without wreaking havoc in the wild.'' Another proponent of this method is former Bermuda resident Matthew Weaver, who brought the subject to the fore in his home state through several letters to the editors of newspapers all over the country and his preaching of it to anyone who would listen -- and even those who would not -- including congressmen, governors, legislators, scientists and business leaders.

A facilities manager for a Rhode Island manufacturer, Mr. Weaver was adamant that aquaculture is the way of the future and insisted there was no "down side, only up''.

He noted how the introduction of aquaculture would provide food for the world, solve solid waste problems and ensure clean air and drinking water for generations to come.

The plan would link the aquaculture, agriculture, recycling and shipbuilding industries and for the last year the bearded Newporter has gone around religiously promoting the proposed four-industry alliance under the banner of a company he created using the name `Circle of Industries'.

Waste from the fish farms can be converted to natural fertilisers for agricultural farmers and, in return, agriculture would supply the grains needed in the aquaculture industry, he says.

Recycling industries would convert aquaculture wastes to natural fertilisers and would also take other wastes and convert them into products such as pallets, packaging and crates.

Bermuda needs aquaculture industry Mr. Weaver envisioned shipbuilding or steel fabrication industries completing the circle by building the infrastructure needed for the other three industries.

As for Bermuda, Mr. Weaver said that the Base lands presented a perfect venue to establish an aquaculture industry, instead of another hotel or golf course.

And he highlighted fish farming as a three dimensional article, with one farm able to grow plants, fish and shellfish at once.

"The world population is going to double in 40 years. What better way then to solve society's problems such as starvation, unemployment, pollution, and bring back a sense of hope, then to focus our investments with business and industry that are bringing returns in such beneficial ways,'' explained Mr.

Weaver, who spent some of his early boyhood years in Paget.

"We need to be dedicated to keeping the wisdom of stewardship alive in our culture and legislating natural laws that reflect our ecosystem's needs, that support all life, to effect our future generations right to a healthy environment.

"Aquaculture feeds people and when brought about with agriculture, working hand in hand the 1.7 billion people starving today will be better off to afford high protein aquatic foods and organic vegetables. One acre of ocean can produce 2,000 pounds of protein. One cow needs one acre to create 246 pounds of protein, with a high cholesterol rating. A corn crop is two dimensional, whereas farms of the sea can be three dimensional with the introduction of polycultures.

"The days of hunting and extraction are over. The future must bring productivity and renewability. Aquaculture is an industry that will provide good jobs for generation after generation. Slow, steady growth, with a great benefit to society.'' Because of the decreasing demand on wild fisheries which farming would cause, it would increase their numbers and present more opportunities for the traditional fishermen that remained in the trade.

Mr. Weaver added that there was bound to be some objection from fishermen to the introduction of aquaculture, however, this was mainly due to their "ignorance'' of its overall benefits to society.

Mrs. Naughton was less abrasive in her terminology regarding the fishermen, but agreed that they needed a better understanding of what lies ahead.

"We think it's a learning time, that it isn't really their fault. What's happened is that populations have increased, so the world fisheries are still contributing, but it's not enough for the increase in people,'' she said.

"They can take that learning, that research, and apply it to education and actually go out in the water with the fishermen and say `if you do it this way...', so it's not really sitting in the classroom, they can be out on the water, showing them how to do this, because they love being out on the water and we know this and we know it's not their fault. It's just that people have increased in this world and we need more fish for it.'' And just what if the idea took off in Bermuda? How would we get rid of all the excess fish and byproducts produced? According to Mrs. Naughton the existing link between Bermuda and Newport could be used to foster trade within the United States, with Rhode Island as the main distribution centre.

There were several speakers at the two-day conference held at the Newport Islander Double Tree Hotel, which primarily focussed on the possibilities for aquaculture in the country's smallest state.