Neil Anthony Sims
CEO
Neil is a marine biologist (B.Sc. James Cook University; M.Sc. University of New South Wales), with a professional commitment to "softening mankind's footprint on the seas". Neil worked in fisheries management and development in the South Pacific during the 1980s. Through this experience, he began to recognize the need for us all to move "more towards a culture of nurture" of marine resources rather than a purely extractive approach.
Neil has been based in Kona since 1990, first working in pearl oyster hatchery development and pearl farming throughout Hawaii, the South Pacific and South East Asia. As marine finfish stocks worldwide continued to decline, Neil and his partners saw both opportunity and imperative to apply their invertebrate hatchery and growout expertise to help solve the world's looming seafood crisis. To this end, Neil and Dr. Dale Sarver founded Kona Blue Water Farms in 2001, building a team that developed cutting-edge hatchery methods for 'difficult-to-rear' marine fish larvae: snappers, groupers, and yellowtail/jacks, and pioneering the first integrated hatchery and open ocean fish farm in the U.S.
Ocean Era formerly Kampachi Farms was co-founded by Neil and Michael Bullock to continue this tradition, focusing on the global need for expanded production of high-value, marine fin-fish, and pursuit of "next generation" technologies, including: remote offshore culture systems, more sustainable and scale-able feeds, and new species.
dR. DALE SARVER
RESEARCH FELLOW
One of the original co-founders of Kona Blue Water Farms, Dale is committed to advancing the cause of responsible mariculture as a marine conservation tool. Dale has 40 years of experience in both wild fisheries biology and aquaculture, working with organisms ranging from microalgae to pearl oysters, and of course, marine finfish. Dale now applies his vast experience in providing guidance for Ocean Era formerly Kampachi Farms various research efforts.
lUCIE lEONARD
oFFICE maNAGER
Lucie has lived in Hawaii since 1995, and is an accomplished small business administrator. She keeps Ocean Era on the straight-and-narrow; a one-woman H.R. Department, accounts office, and office manager. Lucie has a B.A. in Business and Economics from Trinity College, Dublin.
Daren Garriques
Fin-fish Researcher
Originally from Ecuador, Daren has been living and working in Hawaii for the past 14 years. He obtained his BA in Marine Science and MS in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science from University of Hawaii at Hilo and has extensive aquaculture experience with bivalves, crustaceans, finfish and microalgae.
Jennica Lowell-Hawkins
FinFish Program Manager
Jennica was introduced to marine aquaculture after high school, and immediately believed in its potential to mitigate many of the challenges our oceans face. She received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Florida Atlantic University in 1999 and her Master of Science (focusing on fish health in aquaculture) from the University of Florida in 2002. She worked with Florida's Cooperative Extension Service after graduate school, then spent two years raising marine ornamental fish in Florida and Puerto Rico. In 2006 Jennica joined Kona Blue Water Farms as a hatchery technician, then assumed the role of Research and Fish Health Manager. KBWF's research team explored new species for aquaculture, new product development and processing, novel disease treatments and fish nutrition. In 2012 she joined Blue Ocean Mariculture (Kona, HI) to focus on commercial food fish production and helped lead the company's successful offshore permitting and expansion efforts. From 2013 - 2014, Jennica was also a member of the Hawaii Agriculture Leadership Foundation's Class XIV. This experience imparted on her a greater appreciation of Hawai'i's history and its uniqueness.
Jennica spent four years as a contractor with the Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability (CASS) group, part of NOAA's National Ocean Service, in Beaufort, North Carolina. Here she was part of a team that provides science, guidance, and technical support to coastal managers so communities can grow a sustainable aquaculture industry, while maintaining and improving ecosystem health. Working with CASS, Jennica gained insight into the processes that much of the industry struggles with. She also gained respect for the people who chose to serve our Nation in often complicated roles.
In early 2021 Jennica joined Ocean Era. She is excited to be part of a company whose focus is on the research and expansion of responsibly practiced aquaculture.
IAN McComas
Hatchery Manager
Ian originally started working in aquaculture in Kailua-Kona in early 2000. He has worked in all aspects of both research aquaculture and commercial production.
Madelyn (Trixi) Gilroy
Fish Research TECHNICIAN
After graduating from St. Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation Biology with a focus in aquatics and marine ecology and a minor in outdoor studies, Madelyn spent the next three years working in the field of conservation, primarily with sea turtles in Massachusetts, Florida, Hawai’i, & South Carolina. She later got her MS in Marine Biology from Northeastern University (NEU), completing her master’s thesis on deep sea sharks in The Bahamas and Bermuda. Her primary focus was utilizing a Baited Remote Underwater Video Device (BRUV) using a program developed by National Geographic. After graduate school, her devotion to conservation led her back here to the Big Island of Hawai’i. She took on a contract position as the Project Leader for the Hawai’i Island Hawksbill Project. After Covid-19 shutdowns, she got the project back up and running. In the field she was able to incorporate her knowledge of outdoor studies and implement updated Sea Turtle conservation techniques gathered from multiple projects helping increase efficiency with a reduced crew. Knowing she wanted to stay in Hawai’i and work in conservation, Madelyn came to Ocean Era due to our emphasis on sustainability. She may be new to aquaculture, but is very farmiliar with fish, due to her extensive diving experience. When she’s not in the yard, she moonlights as a Scuba Instructor with Kona Diving Company.
Chris Chang
Fish Research Technician
Chris was born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo where he obtained a BS in chemistry with a concentration in biological science. When Chris is not on the farm taking care of our fish, he is in the ocean surfing, swimming or playing waterpolo.
Dan Jackson
Fin-Research Manager
Dan grew up near Boston, spending a lot of time in the water and salt marshes fishing and having fun. After high school he wanted to go somewhere that he would not need to shovel snow and could get in the water all year. He moved out to the Big Island and graduated from UH Hilo with a degree in marine science. After finishing school he started his aquaculture career with a job at Kona Blue Water Farms and is happy to have been able to continue working in Kona with various species of fish, mollusks, and algae since 2007.
Cooper Lund
Macro-algae Research Technician
Cooper grew up in Idaho, Graduated from UH Hilo with a BS in Marine Science.
water quality
bouy monitoring
AAUS
Juliana Zolopa
Macro-algae Research Technician
Juliana grew up in California, Graduated from UH Hilo with a BS in Marine Science.
Stats wizard
Reading in Hammock
Shark internship.
