Fish-farming in West Virginia

Today I visited The Conservation Fund's Freshwater Institute in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where we grow fish.   Our first stop was the "fish eyeball" trays - the eyes of baby Atlantic salmon, 28 days old (photo above).

They asked us to guess how many fish eyes were in this tray, about the size of a desk-top inbox for papers.  I guessed 300, but the answer was 3,000.  3,000 baby Atlantic salmon. 

 Next, we visited the medium sized-fish.

Finally, we saw the full-grown fish. 

The Freshwater Institute is a premier national institute for research on sustainable water use and reuse.  As part of their work to enhance the sustainability of the modern fish farming industry, the Freshwater Institute raises Atlantic salmon to market size in indoor freshwater tanks with currents.

I learned that the male salmon are mean and take bites out of the female salmon.   I also learned that wild salmon gain their orange color from eating krill, and since these salmon are tank raised, they are not orange, but they feed them pellets that help them turn orange, or else people are scared to eat non-orange salmon.  The process is safe, and the Freshwater Institute's methods for all of fish-growing does not use chemicals or other non-safe products. 

I learned that we eat female salmon, because the male salmon mature too quickly, and then the meat is too soft to eat (people don't want to eat it). 

Fish-farming is an interesting line of work and science that I am learning more about, and interesting in its role in the corporate fish business, as well as a strategy for dealing with food security. 

For more on the Freshwater Institute - see this link.  Who knew about all of these Atlantic salmon growing in West Virginia!! They also grow Rainbow trout, Arctic char, and other fish, too.