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About IPSF
Indo-Pacific Sea Farms is an aquaculture research and development company located at the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Our mission is to develop and commercialize innovative technologies for the sustainable production of coral reef fish, plants and invertebrates. The dedicated professionals at IPSF have more than 30 years experience in tropical marine science research and have directed continuous commercial-scale production of marine life products for domestic and international markets for over 20 years. IPSF personnel have worked professionally throughout the United States and in 16 other nations in the Asia-Pacific region. We bring a solid academic base, decades of hands-on field work and a "real-world" perspective to issues involving sustainable use of tropical marine life resources. At Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, innovation is our guiding philosophy!
Company Stats
Founder/Owner: Gerald Heslinga
Years in Current Field: 35
In Business at this Location Since: 1994
Principal products: Certified Captive-Bred® marine organisms for the saltwater aquarium industry, marine invertebrates, ornamental marine plants, algal feeds, live plankton, live rock, live sand, biologically active filter media
Principal services: Technical advisory services; production- and market-oriented consulting to the marine ornamental and seafood industries
Recent Customers: The Oceanic Institute of Hawaii, the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Reef Science International, Taylor Resources, Inc., the Waiono Coffee Company, the Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation, Inland Aquatics, Pacific Aquatics, the Smithsonian,Tropicorium and thousands of marine aquarium hobbyists across America
Facilities: IPSF leases a 50,000 sq. ft. coastal lot at the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park at Keahole Point in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The IPSF farm site has 160 mariculture tanks in place with a combined seawater holding capacity of over 350 metric tons. The farm is fully plumbed with warm surface sea water and cold, nutrient-rich deep sea water. Over 50,000 gallons of natural seawater are pumped through the facility daily. Discharge runs into a State-approved ground dispersion well. IPSF maintains an on-site office and larval research laboratory as well as packing facilities and vehicles. IPSF also maintains a Fedex Powership II shipping system on site and is linked via modem to the Cosmos Worldwide Tracking Network.
Memberships: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Marinelife Dealers Association, Hawaii Aquaculture Association, Keahole Point Business Association, National Wildlife Federation, World Aquaculture Society
Permits: IPSF's quarantine system for holding and breeding local and exotic marine life specimens is fully approved and permitted by the State of Hawaii's Department of Agriculture, Plant Quarantine Branch. IPSF also maintains current applicable permits from the State of Hawaii Division of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and all other applicable business licenses and permits.
Community Service: IPSF's staff currently donates more than 500 hours of volunteer work per year to two community youth organizations, the Hawaii Youth Soccer Association (HYSA) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). Our staff members have also been active in volunteer work with the Amercian Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the Kailua-Kona Rotary Association.
Favorite Business Quotes:
"The skill in envisioning what type of innovative product a potential set of future buyers may be willing to pay for is what distinguishes market leaders from followers. Such companies need to stay ahead of what customers can imagine. The concept of an innovative product is not something that can be gleaned from today's market research." - Tony Percy, from "On Listening to Customers"
"Compress the cycle. Test, fail, learn, succeed." - Michael Dell
"Almost all innovation comes from small companies." - John Scully
"The sea was angry that day, my friends... like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli." - George Castanza
"Success is falling down nine times and getting up ten." - Jon Bon Jovi
"We may be capable of great things, but life is composed of small things." - Tao Poets
Gerald A. Heslinga, Founder of Indo-Pacific Sea Farms
 Gerald Heslinga is a marine biologist who conducts applied research on the reproduction and developmental biology of tropical marine organisms. The emphasis of his work during the past 35 years has been on captive breeding of marine invertebrates, primarily echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins), molluscs (clams, snails and oysters) and cnidarians (corals, jellyfish and sea anemones). Gerald is best known for his pioneering research on the reproductive biology and mass culture of giant tridacnid clams in Palau, as principal investigator at the MMDC Giant Clam Hatchery during the 15-year period from 1981 through 1995. Innovative techniques and experimental results developed by Gerald and his research team at Palau have been widely disseminated among tropical Pacific nations and have positively affected Pacific coral reef conservation efforts, sustainable seafood production and the culture of reef organisms for ornamental and educational markets.
Gerald's work as founder and owner of Indo-Pacific Sea Farms in Hawaii is focused on the breeding and marketing of photo-symbiotic reef organisms such as tridacnid clams, alcyonacean and scleractinian corals. Recent applied research involves the culture of micro-invertebrates, ooze-dwelling detritivores, beneficial bacteria, planktonic feeds and various ornamental marine algal forms. Now in its twelfth year of operation on Hawaii's Kona coast, Indo-Pacific Sea Farms is recognized as an international leader in the development of environmentally sound approaches to the production and husbandry of beneficial marine organisms.
Gerald has been active in regional Pacific organizations such as the University of Hawaii's Pacific Aquaculture Association and the Oceanic Institute's Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture. He and his wife Kyoko have two daughters, Olivia and Lisa. In his spare time Gerald is a coach with Kailua-Kona's youth soccer programs.
Gerald is a 1976 Honors graduate of Harvard College and was a Graduate Fellow from 1976 to 1981 at the Resource Systems Institute of the University of Hawaii's East West Center.
He has conducted research at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), the Environmental Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), the University of Hawaii Department of Zoology, the University of Guam Marine Laboratory, the Micronesian Mariculture Demonstration Center (MMDC) in the Republic of Palau and the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii. He has lectured at Harvard, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the University of Hawaii, the University of the Philippines, James Cook University of Australia, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Marine Biotechnology Institute of Japan, as well as at numerous national and international marine science conferences. He has conducted international professional consultancies in Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae), as well as at Guam, Saipan and Palau.
Gerald's work has been funded by Harvard College, the National Geographic Society, the East West Center, the Hawaiian Malacological Society, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Agriculture and Interior, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), the International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD), the Marine Biotechnology Institute of Japan, Rolex of Geneva, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the United Nations South Pacific Aquaculture Development Program, the Marine Aquarium Society of North America (MASNA), the International Foundation of Canada and various other public and private sources. The support of these organizations is gratefully acknowledged.
Bibliography of Publications
by the Staff of Indo-Pacific Sea Farms and Colleagues
The publications listed here are available at no cost in the Science and Technology Reference sections of most major university libraries (updated 10/05).
Fitt, W. K., G. A. Heslinga and T. C. Watson. 1992. Use of antibiotics in the mariculture of giant clams. (f. Tridacnidae). Aquaculture 104, 1-10.
Fitt, W. K., G. A. Heslinga and T. C. Watson. 1993. Utilization of dissolved inorganic nutrients in the growth and mariculture of the giant clam, Tridacna derasa. Aquaculture 109, 27-38.
Hastie, L. C., T. C. Watson and G. A. Heslinga. 1992. Effect of nutrient enrichment on Tridacna derasa: dissolved inorganic nitrogen improves growth rate. Aquaculture 106: 41-49.
Heslinga, G. A. 1976. Effects of copper on the coral reef echiniod Echinometra mathaei (de Blainville). Marine Biology 35, 155-160.
Heslinga, G. A. 1981. Larval development, settlement and metamorphosis of the tropical gastropod Trochus niloticus. Malacologia 20: 349-357.
Heslinga, G. A. 1986. Biology and culture of the giant clam. In: Clam Mariculture in North America. pp. 293-322. (J. Manzi and M. Castagna, Eds.). Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Heslinga, G. A. 1993a. Regional yield trials for commercially valuable giant clam species, Phase I. Tridacna gigas and Tridacna derasa. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS NA16DO335-01) Southwest Regional Office, Honolulu, Hawaii. 46 p.
Heslinga, G. A. 1993b. Regional yield trials for commercially valuable giant clam species, Phase II. Hippopus hippopus and Tridacna derasa. U. S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS NA16FDO335-02) Southwest Regional Office, Honolulu, Hawaii, 46 pp.
Heslinga, G. A. 1993c. Palau country report. In: Genetic Aspects of Conservation and Cultivation of Giant Clams. pp. 38-40. P. Munro, Ed. ICLARM Conference Proceedings No. 39, Manila, Philippines.
Heslinga, G. A. 1995. Propagation of reef corals for the international aquarium trade, Phase I: Cnidaria, Alcyonacea. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS NA46DO45-01) Southwest Regional Office, Honolulu, Hawaii, 57 pp.
Heslinga, G. A. 1996. Clams to Cash: How to Make and Sell Giant Clam Shell Products. Oceanic Institute, Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, Waimanalo, Hawaii, 75 pp.
Heslinga, G. A. 1999. Culture of invertebrates, giant clams and live rock for the marine aquarium industry. First International Conference on Marine Ornamentals: Collection, Culture and Conservation. Abstract.
Heslinga, G. A., and W. K. Fitt. 1987. The domestication of reef-dwelling clams. Bioscience 37, 332-339.
Heslinga, G. A. and O. Orak. 1984. A permanent tag for large marine gastropods. Aquaculture 36: 169-172.
Heslinga, G. A., and T. C. Watson. 1985. Recent advances in giant clam mariculture. Proceedings of the Fifth International Coral Reef Congress, Papeete, Tahiti, 531-537. .
Heslinga, G. A., O. Orak and M. Ngiramengior. 1984. Coral reef sanctuaries for trochus shells. Marine Fisheries Review 46: 73-80.
Heslinga, G. A., F. E. Perron and O. Orak. 1984. Mass culture of giant clams (f. Tridacnidae) in Palau. Aquaculture 39, 197-215.
Heslinga, G. A., T. C. Watson and T. Isamu. 1986. Cultivation of giant clams: beyond the hatchery. In: Proceedings of the First Asian Fisheries Forum. pp. 53-57. (J. L. Maclean, L. B. Dizon and L. V. Hosillos, Eds.). Asian Fisheries Science, Manila,
Heslinga, G. A., T. C. Watson and T. Isamu. 1990. Giant Clam Farming. Pacific Fisheries Development Foundation (NMFS/NOAA), Honolulu, Hawaii, 179 p.
Lopez, M. D. G. and G. A. Heslinga. 1985. Effect of dessication on Tridacna derasa seed: implications for long-distance transport. Aquaculture 49: 363-367.
Maruyama, T. and G. A. Heslinga. 1997. Fecal discharge of zooxanthellae in the giant clam, Tridacna derasa, with reference to their in situ growth rate. Marine Biology 127, 473-477.
Munro, J. L. and G. A. Heslinga. 1983. Prospects for the commercial cultivation of giant clams (Bivalvia: Tridacnidae). Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute 35, 122-134.
Perron, F. E., G. A. Heslinga and J. O. Fagolimul. 1985. The gastropod Cymatium muricinum, a predator on juvenile tridacnid clams. Aquaculture 48, 211-221.
Shang, Y. C., P. Leung, K. Wanitprapha and G. A. Heslinga. 1993. Production cost comparisons of giant clam (Tridacna) production systems in the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands. Proceedings of the Third Asian Fisheries Forum.
Solis, W. and G. A. Heslinga. 1989. Effect of dessication of Tridacna derasa seed: pure oxygen improves survival during transport. Aquaculture 76, 169-172.
Watson, T. C. and G. A. Heslinga. 1989. Optimal harvest age for Tridacna derasa. In: Giant Clams in Asia and the Pacific. pp. 221-224. (J. D. Copland and J. S. Lucas, Eds.) ACIAR Monograph No. 9, Canberra, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Winter, S. J., G. A. Heslinga and L. D. McCleary. 1985. A photovoltaic seawater pumping system for giant clam mariculture. Technical Report No. 61, Water and Energy Research Institute of the Western Pacific, University of Guam, 16 p.
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