Blue Ridge Aquaculture Redefines ‘Fishy Business’
blue ridge aquaculture, henry county, maine's marical, martin gardner, virgina cobia farms, world's largest indoor producer of tilapia,
Henry County is home to one of the fishiest businesses on the planet – and that’s a good thing.
As the world’s largest indoor producer of tilapia, Blue Ridge Aquaculture utilizes indoor water recirculation technology to produce fish that are free of disease and outdoor contaminants.
“By controlling the environment, we can maximize natural growth,” says Blue Ridge Aquaculture’s Martin Gardner. “You get a much healthier fish without mercury, growth hormones or antibiotics, and it’s done in a highly sustainable way. It’s a fascinating system.”
The Martinsville fishery opened in 1993 and now produces four million pounds of tilapia each year in its 80,000-square-foot facility. While tilapia remains Blue Ridge’s biggest product line, the company is casting its net among other aquaculture species as well. Blue Ridge Aquaculture has partnered with Portland, Maine’s MariCal Inc. to launch Virginia Cobia Farms in Saltville‚ Va., and plans to produce one million pounds of the tasty fish in 2009. The company also has partnered with Virginia Tech to build a 30,000-square-foot shrimp research facility in Martinsville. Though still in its pilot stage, Virginia Shrimp Farms will be entirely scalable to demand.
Blue Ridge also operates West Virginia Salmon & Trout, an inland aquaculture facility that utilizes the clear, pollutant-free waters deep beneath the West Virginia Mountains. In addition, the company runs Rolling River Live Haul, which trucks the company’s products to markets in the Northeast.
“We’ve been successful because we’ve been able to develop a system that provides consumers with a safe, healthy seafood source that is sustainable and environmentally friendly,” Gardner says. “We’re bridging the gap between natural fishery production and demand in the marketplace, and we believe it can change the face of the seafood industry.”
Story by Melanie Hill
Photo by Ian Curcio
