Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing-related Issues & News => Topic started by: Dogbreath on October 05, 2011, 08:18:44 PM
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Click Here for an article on a local food blog about the nascent Sturgeon closed containment farm on the Sunshine Coast (http://urbandiner.ca/2011/10/04/is-the-world-ready-for-white-sturgeon-caviar-from-the-fraser-river/#comments)
It's a piece of fluff (well so is the whole blog) but does give some info on the operation
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"When the fish reach a juvenile stage (around 7 kg) their sex is determined, either by ultrasound or by biopsy and they are then separated; the males are processed for meat while the females are further matured to produce eggs, which can be 11 or more years in the making"
hmm so the poor males get pulverized into meat when they are just 7kgs? the way i read that part it looks as though thats the case >:(
Good for them to pioneer this idea though $$$$
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There was also an article about this operation that I read in the Vancouver Sun several months ago.
Can't find it in a quick online search though
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I toured this facility back in May and an important development is that it is a fish farm/hatchery that is entirely shore based and self contained. They use about 1% make up water and that is all. In addition to the sturgeon, they raise coho brood stock and sell eggs to other fish farms and for put and take fisheries in reservoirs and the like down south.
Being self contained they have invested a lot in water quality: oxygenation, ph control, waste removal, temperature control and so on. The first thing you see when you arrive at the site is a large white tower where they store their oxygen supply.
Good on them. I hope it can be a template for the rest of the industry.