Joe Cardenas changed careers in his mid-30s when his job in banking had lost its luster and he was looking for a challenge. “What industries in Florida are young? What industry do I want to invest in that’s a challenge?” Aquaculture got his attention and he spent nine months researching the business. “We’re surrounded by salt water,” he says. “That’s the biggest potential here,” he says. He looked for a product where there wouldn’t be huge competition and landed the Florida pompano, a native fish that migrates annually from Florida to the Northeast United States.

Atlantic Sapphire opened their facility to bring this popular fish closer to the U.S. market, where 90 percent of the salmon is imported. Their salmon grow from egg to full-grown in tanks, are harvested and processed onsite and are shipped to U.S. customers, arriving more quickly than salmon raised or caught in Chile, Norway or the North Atlantic. Bluehouse Salmon is available at Publix.

In Pine Island, Sun Shrimp farmers grow Pacific White or Ecuadorean Whites (Penaeus vannamei) without preservatives, and ship them fresh immediately after harvest. They start with breeder shrimp that produce strong, large shrimp. Hatched shrimp grow in larvae culture tanks for three weeks, and then head to grow-out tanks. When they’re ready for harvest, shrimp are washed, graded and packed for delivery to clients, including restaurants like Michael’s Genuine.

The farmers – Marilyn Evans, 80; daughter Jane Evans Davis, 61; and granddaughter Lauren Davis, 33 – raise some cattle, but it’s their fish farm that gets most of their attention. “There’s a healthy market for our live tilapia and hybrid striped bass,” says Jane. “But two-thirds of our operation is sturgeon,” and their caviar business, Anastasia Gold Caviar.   

Members of the seabass family, grouper is a popular menu item, available year-round with peak months from April-Oct. High in protein and low in fat, grouper flesh is firm and white with a large flake. Black grouper has firm, sweet flesh that tastes of lobster and shrimp because of its shellfish diet.