 This is the VOA Special English Education Report. There are schools of fish and there are schools for fishermen. The Codd Academy is a year-long program in Maine, one of the New England states in the American Northeast. The academy is new. The idea is to train current or former ocean-going fishermen to become fish farmers. Sebastian Bell is director of the Maine Aquaculture Association. That group launched the Codd Academy with the University of Maine and other partners. Mr. Bell says the academy teaches all about managing a floating farm. One of the things we've been teaching the students is how to feed the fish and not overfeed the fish, he says. You want to give them enough feed and not waste any. The students practice at eight fish pens about a kilometer and a half from shore. These circular pens are 50 meters wide and covered with netting to keep out seabirds. Each one holds as many as 50,000 Codd. A partner in the academy, Great Bay Aquaculture of New Hampshire, operates this fish farm. Most of the Codd will become someone's meal somewhere in the world. Bill Thompson is 59 years old. He served in the Navy and worked as a commercial fisherman. He says the Codd Academy made him a believer in fish farming. Even if the wild stocks came back to their fullest capacity, they still wouldn't be able to feed the world. So I think this is the way of the future. He and his son were among the first four students who graduated in August. Like any business, fish farming has financial risks. Program Director Sebastian Bell says students have to develop a marketing and business plan before they can graduate. Students can receive financial assistance from the Main Aquaculture Association to start their own Codd Farm. But they will be expected to raise about half the money toward any project. Mr. Bell says the Codd Academy is based on programs to retrain displaced herring and tuna fishermen in Norway and Japan. These government sponsored programs started more than 30 years ago. He says it's never been done before in America, and we're trying to see if it's a model that has some potential. Main had just one commercial Codd Farm when the students graduated last month. But Mr. Bell hopes things will change. It's a native fish to Maine. The growing conditions in Maine are very good for Codd, and it's kind of a natural choice for us as a state. For VOA Special English, I'm Alex Villareal.