Sustainable sea farming with passion and purpose.
Growing shellfish and seaweed together on an aquaculture farm enhances water quality, creates habitat, and provides a cost-effective and ecologically sustainable food source.
About Us
Our Vision
Farming the Sea for the Greater Good
Our mission and business reflect a deep commitment to sustainability. At a time when land-based agriculture is associated with increased resource constraints and costs, growing shellfish and seaweed provides an environmentally responsible source of food. We use zero inputs for feed or fertilizer. We grow seaweed and shellfish that support marine ecology, enhance water quality, and create habitat for salmonids and more.
Learn more about how we’re working to advance the science behind our mission.
Kelp Harvest Photos
Our Team
Partners in Progress
The members of Blue Dot’s team share a passion for the sea and its potential as a source for sustainably grown food and the environmental benefit which seaweed cultivation can create.
Joth Davis, Ph.D.
Principal
Joth has been living the sea farming life for over 30 years, beginning with founding Baywater Shellfish Company with his late wife, Karen in 1990 at the tail end of completing Ph.D. studies at the University of Washington. Believing fervently that research on the positive effects that shellfish farming, practiced sustainably, can have on the nearshore environment while still providing healthy food, and putting lessons learned into daily practice on the tidal flats, can materially assist in making shellfish farming successful. Baywater is now managed by his son Caleb and Dylan Gangness as they build the company for the future, leaving Joth to focus his time on climate change research on the sea, shellfish breeding and assisting in the development of Blue Dot Sea Farms. Joth has also never figured out, as every day dawns, whether to put on hip boots or don a white lab coat - and hopes that internal dilemma is never resolved.
Michael Rosenthal
Principal
Michael’s career reflects a deep commitment to both environmental and social values. After working as an elite-level forest fire fighter for 4 years be began a 20-year career as a commercial crab fisherman in Alaska, moving from “greenhorn” to captain in 3 years. Michael and his wife Alexa opened Island Fitness on Bainbridge Island in 2002. Now employing 60 people, Island Fitness has become a community presence valued for both its effective promotion of health and wellness and as a good citizen. Island Fitness has provided philanthropic and other support to many organizations and causes in the community, for which he and Alexa have been repeatedly recognized.
Jon Kroman
Principal
Jon has been a business lawyer and consultant for over 30 years, including for new and growing businesses. Since 2004, his work has focused on sustainability and included legal or consulting engagements for The Nature Conservancy, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, other nonprofit organizations, and a variety of mission-driven businesses. He has been an angel investor as a former member of E8, an investment community focused on clean technology. Jon has volunteered as a board member or advisor to numerous organizations involved in sustainability, including Washington Clean Technology Alliance (co-founder), Seattle Climate Partnership, and Washington Lawyers for a Sustainable Future. He has been a volunteer scuba diver at the Seattle Aquarium for over 10 years and PADI scuba instructor.
Charlie Delius
Farm Crew
Charlie manages all of Blue Dot Sea Farms’ operations, including on the water. He earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington in 2007, with a minor in Environmental Horticulture and a certificate in Restoration Ecology. Charlie has been handling boats throughout his life, ultimately earning his Captain’s License in 2007, and has extensive knowledge of botany and horticulture, including from his experience in the cannabis industry as a lead grower and consultant on systems ranging from organic soils to highly automated hydroponics. , Charlie’s food safety credentials include certification under Seafood HACCP, completion of Better Process Control School, and certification as a Process Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI).
Bobby Andrews
Farm Crew
Bobby grew up on a rice farm and is proud to be a part of the team on a floating farm, to honor the importance of producing healthy local food. His experience reflects the importance of health and fitness to him. Bobby worked at University Fitness when he first moved to Seattle and then as a personal trainer. He is also an accomplished ultra-marathoner, having completed exceptionally challenging races: Badwater 135 (twice), Hurt 100, Leadville 100, and Tahoe 200, the latter as charitable fundraising efforts. In his free time (when he is not running), he enjoys camping and backpacking with his wife and two rescued dogs.
Chris Brown
Farm Crew
Chris’ passion for regenerative agriculture and aquaculture began while living in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2014. He received a Certificate of Sustainable Urban Agriculture from M.E.S.A. while simultaneously working at multiple farm-to-table restaurants that embodied the same sustainability values. In 2018, he began working for Hog Island Oyster Co., which reinforced his passion for sustainable food systems and opened his eyes to the possibilities within the industry. Chris traveled to New Zealand in early 2020 to tour various oyster companies and understand their different methods of oyster farming. In 2021, Chris moved to Washington and has been working for Blue Dot Sea Farms ever since. Chris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
News + Resources
Making Waves with Sustainable Sea Farming
KNKX
Washington researchers tackle ocean acidification with new seaweed crops
By Bellamy Pailthorp | Feb 6, 2020
Crosscut
As the oceans change, can oysters adapt?
By Jess Burns | February 5, 2018