December 16, 2014

Aquaculture is responsible for approximately 50% of global fish supply as global seafood consumption rates are outpacing wild fish populations. Within the sector, Midwest producers are employing indoor closed containment systems that use tanks to raise fish. Through the use of tank systems, a producer can establish an operation in locations close to inland markets, and provides an opportunity for row crop farmers who are facing urban sprawl to expand within food production without the need for more land.  The system is billed as a ‘green’ method of food production with zero chance that the fish being raised will inadvertently spread disease or genetic mutations to wild populations. Midwest fish farm cooperatives import recently hatched fish fry of about a quarter inch long from a hatchery in Australia and then raise the fish to a market weight of between two to two and a half pounds. One cooperative, Iowa First, has recently partnered with VeroBlue Farms to build an indoor fish production operation that will have the capacity to produce 4 million pounds of fish annually by 2017.

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