Access to capital is aquaculture's top challenge next to sustainability, Boris Musa, CEO of barramundi farmer Mainstream Aquaculture, told IntraFish.
"The industry is capital intensive and many potential culture species present a long lead time before they can be commercialized," he said. "Access to institutional capital will support industrialization and larger scale investment in research and development."
This is intertwined with sustainability, he said.
"From my background in financial services, I understand the perception around aquaculture is operational risk is high and in account of this elevated risk profile, the industry does not generate acceptable returns on invested capital," he said.
"Patient capital is required and the aquaculture industry needs to do a better job of promoting its successes to investors.
