The Southold Town board had an unexpected guest at Tuesday’s work session — an eight-inch shrimp named Bob.
The super-sized crustacean was brought before the board by by Tess and Todd Gordon of Laurel, who hope to launch a new, indoor, business, Celestial Shrimp Farm, in Peconic — and if approved, it would be the first indoor shrimp farm in New York State.
The couple came before the board to outline the specifics of their plan, which would need the board to consider expanding the allowable uses within the existing residential zone to add fish farms as allowable.
Currently, fish farming is only allowed on the town’s marine-zoned parcels; the hope is that the business could be sited on nine acres of property currently zoned residential on Route 48, just west of Mill Road in Peconic.
The operation would involve water that is recycled back into a proposed 40 tanks inside the building, which would be designed for aquaculture, and not allow sunlight, as a traditional greenhouse might. “We don’t want algae, that causes problems with oxygen,” Gordon said.
The pair brought samples of water and the shrimp to show that the product was clean and had no odor.
Discussing the growth of tank farming across areas of the midwest and the nation where seafood is not traditionally found, Gordon said on land, the shrimp can be cultivated in a controlled environment, without use of pesticides that might pose a threat, via runoff, to area waterways, which is seen in operations in Asia.
“Shrimp today is a poor source of protein because it’s born, bred and grown in poor conditions,” Gordon said, adding that antibiotics banned in the United States can sometimes be found in shrimp bred elsewhere.
Tess Gordon also said internationally, many shrimp have suffered from “early mortality syndrome,” that prevents the shrimp from growing out. “They’re harvesting them early to get them to the plate.” Subsequently, she said, the cost for larger shrimp has “jumped.”
But despite the issues across the board in raising shrimp, the American appetite for the shellfish continues to grow: According to a July, 2014 by the New York Times, shrimp overtook canned tuna as the most-consumed seafood per capita in the United States in 2002. The article also stated that Americans consumed an average of 3.8 pounds of shrimp in 2012, twice the amount three decades ago, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But, the article states, most of the shrimp eaten in the “comes from farms in Latin America and in Southeast Asia, where environmental and human rights experts have long identified labor rights abuses, hazardous working conditions, damage to ecosystems and the use of hormones and antibiotics.”
And that’s just what the Gordons hope to address, right at home in Southold. “The shrimp provided by Asia and South America is just not as good as what we can provide,” Todd Gordon, a chef, said.
He added that oftentimes, those hankering for scampi buy shrimp only to find the a “metallic” taste, or one that hints of iodine.
Right now, the Gordons have their operation right in their home, in small tanks, testing out the process before expanding.
But, they say, they’ve given high-end eateries and chefs a taste, and everyone who’s sampled the shrimp is clamoring for a supply.
Locally, Gordon said, Erik’s is “dying to get their hands on it,” and South Fork restaurants including Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton and the East Hampton Golf Club, among others, have expressed interest.
“All the chefs we’ve spoken to have asked when the facility will be built,” Gordon said.
The proposed building would be 54′ x 270 feet and 20 feet high, they said. The property, if allowed with a zone change, would be ample enough to allow for a large buffer between Henry’s Lane and a substation.
Justice Louisa Evans reminded the board should be talking about zoning and not a specific parcel.
The Gordons said they believed the parcel, which is now zoned residential, would work with agricultural or light industrial zoning.
Councilman Jim Dinizio asked if there was a tasting room planned.
The Gordons said while they considered the idea, “pound for pound, it doesn’t pay,” when the shrimp can just be sold outright. The goal would be to raise and sell about 15,000 pounds of shrimp per year, with eight to 12 tanks a month ready for harvesting each month, with 40, 14-foot tanks altogether, and water aerated and circulated.
Tess Gordon said supply could meet high demand periods such as the summer season and Christmas, “a big fish holiday.”A bookkeeper with aquaculture background, Tess Gordon said the idea would be to hire two employees to start, to have extra hands onboard.
Todd Gordon has already been certified for the processing and distribution of seafood, he said.
Dinizio asked if the proposal opened the doors for other types of fish farming. The Gordons said tilapia, trout, or any other type of fish cold be farmed.
Southold Town Attorney Martin Finnegan reminded the board that fish farming is allowed under town code but the zone change was critical.
The entire operation would be sited in one building, the couple said; but a total of five buildings would be allowed on that parcel as of right, if allowed.
“The taste between these and any other shrimp is night and day,” Todd Gordon said.
Councilman Bob Ghosio asked if the taste of wild caught shrimp was better. The Gordons said almost all shrimp consumed in the United States today is frozen and from areas such as Asia, and all farm grown. “Very little shrimp today is wild and most of that stays in the Gulf states,” he said.
The town board took turns holding Bob the shrimp.
“I can hear that shrimp saying, ‘Don’t change the code. I’m a dead man,'” Supervisor Scott Russell joked.
The board asked the couple if any other parcel in the town’s current marine-zoned districts, might be suitable. The Gordons said none were available or within their budget constraints.
The supervisor suggested the idea be sent to the town’s code committee for review.
