Projects around the Globe

In 1998, his Seaphire International company signed a deal with the Eritrean government to build the first seawater farm. While the deal was easy, the initial start up was a bit rocky due to a border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Hodges showed up with the first shrimps and the seeds for the specialty crop called salicornia and immediately had to make a decision between his personal safety and following his vision. While colleagues left the country, Hodges stayed behind to take care of the baby shrimp.

On June 2, 1978, the world’s first commercial prototype of controlled environment aquaculture of marine shrimp was inaugurated at Puerto Peñasco by the Director of Mexico’s Fisheries Department, Lic. Fernando Rafful.

Celebration of this important milestone was short-lived, however, complicated by laws restricting shrimp commercialization to fishing cooperatives, a dispute between the partners, and a virus impacting shrimp populations throughout the Gulf.

Living with the Land (originally Listen to the Land) is a slow-moving boat ride consisting of a dark ride and greenhouse tour located within The Land, a pavilion at World Nature at the Epcottheme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The focus of the ride is on agriculture, especially new technology to make agriculture more efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.