NANAIMO – Taste of BC Aquafarms Inc. has substantially increased biomass within its pilot facility in the second half of 2022, Miami-based parent company Blue Star Foods Corp. announced this week.
Taste of BC Aquafarms Inc. is a family operated incorporated in 2010. And operates the oldest continuously operating Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) full grow-out salmon farm in North America. Their “Little Cedar Falls” brand Steelhead Salmon has been on the market since 2013, and the company is a member of Ocean Wise.
Taste of BC President Ben Atkinson states the biomass increased by 10 metric tonnes to 50, and adds “Unprecedented high temperatures stressed the capabilities of the chilling system within our pilot facility which led to poorer growth performance and elevated mortality during the summer months. As a result, total harvest volume was below target for the remainder of the year with the expectation that volumes will increase substantially in the first quarter 2023.
“A higher downgrade percentage is the result of our decision to prioritize culture space for our best performing cohorts by harvesting some slower growing fish. Overall, our fish are growing to expectations and continue to validate the model used to design our upcoming expansion facility.”
Over the last six months, the average fish harvest weight was 1,898 grams, and the company targets a minimum weight of 2,000 gram for its steelhead salmon. The total harvest downgrade percentage was 5.04 percent, and the feed conversion rate of 1.190 kg per kilogram was just under the industry standard for open nets at 1.20.
By Mark MacDonald
