WESTFIELD — Two entrepreneurs are confident they have reeled in a new technology they say will revolutionize the fish farm industry and provide an economic incentive for reforestation efforts.

Jere Northrop and Aaron Resnick, founders of TimberFish Technologies, have developed a commercial fish feeding system that reduces the use of water and energy when raising fish and the need to buy fishmeal — an economically and environmentally friendly alternative to current commercial fish farm technology.

In the forest behind Northrop’s house, outside of the village of Westfield in Chautauqua County, sits the new concept that they hope will be a big catch among commercial fisheries.

“This technology can produce fish that are economically competitive with existing fish farms,” said Northrop, the company’s chief executive officer.

TimberFish’s technology uses two fish tanks, one of which is filled with fish, the other with decaying plant and

tree matter. Small invertebrates that live and reproduce on the decaying matter are sucked into the second tank and eaten by the fish.

The fish waste is filtered back into the original tank and consumed by microorganisms. The invertebrates then eat the microorganisms, the fish eat the invertebrates and the cycle starts itself again.

Northrop and Resnick said the re-circulating technology uses far less energy and water than a typical system that requires more for feeding and flushing out the waste. It reduces food costs, since the invertebrates living on the plant matter reproduce and can sustain themselves. Naturally grown fish food on-site also reduces the risk of fish contamination. There is less pollution, since the fish waste is not taken anywhere else,

“We think this is going to be the future of agriculture,” Northrop said. “They will grow faster and more efficiently in a controlled environment.”

In addition, Northrop said the need for plant and tree matter to feed the fish will provide an economic incentive to keep and grow forests instead of cutting them down.

“This becomes the cornfield of the future,” said Northrop, pointing at the plants and wooded area surrounding him.

Resnick, the company’s president, said there are already several commercial fish farms in the United States and abroad that are interested in the technology.

Rather than travel around the world installing the systems, Resnick said that he and Northrop will likely profit off of the concept by licensing it and collecting royalties from companies who decide to install it.

Northrop, who earned his Ph. D. in biophysics in 1969, first began thinking of the concept about 35 years ago, but the idea didn’t gain momentum until he partnered with Resnick’s business savvy. Northrop previously cofounded Bion Technologies, a waste management company for the livestock industry, in 1989, 9 and As It Is, an intellectual property development and holding company, in 1999. He also worked in the Town of Amherst’s wastewater treatment plant.

Resnick has spent most of his career in thetechnology sector. According to TimberFish, Resnick has held positions in technical marketing, sales, business intelligence, product management and business line management.

TimberFish has plans to grow its company in Westfield, as both Northrop and Resnick have roots there. They hope to expand its workforce to include researchers and administrative personnel if the company takes off, and see the potential for new fish farms sprouting up in the region.

It’s the latest chapter in Westfield’s storied industrial history, as both Welch’s grape juice and Renold-Ajax coupling company trace some of their roots to the town.

“Western New York can truly be a hotbed for innovation,” Resnick said.