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
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Look for divergent career paths .... Peace Corps, Gap year, etc .... know thyself. Cross the creek. Cross the ocean. Build bridges.
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
Still haven't overcome them....