A Milwaukee aquapoinics company was recognized this week in the “Energy and Environment” section of the New York Times.

Save Water Organics was featured in a story about raising fish while growing water-based plants at the same time. The plants are grown on top of the fishpond. The fish waste supplies the plants with fertilizer, and the plants filter the water for the fish.

While the story came out of London, the writer focused on the techniques used at Sweet Water. It labels Milwaukee as the place where many of the “leading aquaponics entrepreneurs” are based. Since its start in January of 2009, Sweet Water has garnered $1 million in funding.
One of its sources of support comes from the US Sea Grant, a government program that supports a variety of coastal and aquatic research. The Sea Grant funded Sweet Water to grow yellow perch and blue gills, two species declining in the Great Lakes.

Writer Genevieve Roberts asks,  “Could this almost-waste-free food production method be the miracle solution to tackle worldwide food shortages that some expect?”

I guess we can’t quite call it a miracle yet since it is in early development. But if it did happen to become such a profitable and promising solution, one could argue that much of the current research came from the Great Lakes region.

If anything, it’s good to see a regional natural resource-based business mentioned in a prominent newspaper!