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Neil Sims
Neil Sims
01:04

Neil Sims

Kampachi Farms, LLC

Kona, HI USA

"Nobody can do this stuff by themselves. Put your tendrils out into the broader scientific community—the more you get ideas bouncing around, the better your ideas become."

Career Roadmap

Neil's work combines: Science, Environment & Nature, and Problem Solving

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Day In The Life

Marine Biologist/Co-Founder

I am pioneering the next generation of ocean aquaculture and research on sustainable fish farming.

My Day to Day

Lotsa desk work, but occasionally I get to play with fish.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

I had to embrace making mistakes in order to learn what works and what doesn't.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography

    James Cook University of North Queensland

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Zoology/Animal Biology

    James Cook University of North Queensland

  • Graduate Degree

    Zoology/Animal Biology

    University of New South Wales, Australia

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    Says the mission of Kampachi Farms is to “soften man’s footprints on the seas.”

  • 2.

    Grew up in Australia and says he “wasted” his entire youth goofing off at the beach, surfing and snorkeling.

  • 3.

    He earned a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and biological oceanography, and a master’s in zoology and animal biology.

  • 4.

    When he was in school, he remembers a class briefly touching on aquaculture, but at the time it didn’t appeal to him.

  • 5.

    Served as the senior research fisheries officer for the Cook Islands, and started to see the acute effects of overfishing.

  • 6.

    Says that three billion people are going to rise into the middle class by 2050, and they’ll want to eat more protein.

  • 7.

    He knows fishing to feed the planet isn’t going to be sustainable for much longer—his solution is sustainable fisheries.

  • 8.

    Started Kampachi Farms to find better ways to build ocean pens and raise marine fish in a humane, green way.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Myself:

    Don't make mistakes.

  • How I responded:

    I had to embrace making mistakes in order to learn what works and what doesn't.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • Still haven't overcome them....