SeaChoice Profile

Farmed Tilapia- Not all Farmed Fish are Created Equal.

This profile was written by SeaChoice volunteer Eric Mjanes

For many consumers, the presence of some species of farmed fish on the SeaChoice “Best Choice” list is a head-scratcher. In B.C., the confusion is due in part to some very real concerns about the sustainability of salmon aquaculture. As a result, people often see “farmed” and “sustainable” as mutually exclusive. But can farmed fish be a sustainable choice?

Up on the east coast of Vancouver Island, a trailblazing former commercial fisherman is proving that not all farmed fish are created equal. On a 50-acre piece of land outside of Courtney, Barry Sjostrom runs Redfish Ranch, the first and only tilapia fish farm in Western Canada. “Farm” is certainly the appropriate word, since Redfish Ranch is an entirely land-based, freshwater operation.

Mr. Sjostrom has an intimate knowledge of both sides of the wild-versus-farmed debate. A former commercial fisherman, Mr. Sjostrom has trolled, gill-netted and long-lined up and down B.C.’s coast since the 1960s. His career as a fish farmer began when uncertainty and fleet reductions shook the fishing industry in the 1990s and he began looking for something new.

In 2000, Mr. Sjostrom turned his attention to 50 acres he owned north of Courtenay. He initially planned to try his hand at dairy farming. When the huge financial and environmental costs became clear, Mr. Sjostrom passed on the idea and shifted his attention to fish farming. After considering trout farming and rearing salmon smolts, he finally settled on tilapia, a species that was only being farmed in Asia and a few American operations.

Tilapia are a hardy, fast-growing, warm-water species. Nourished on a diet of low-protein trout feed, without chemicals or antibiotics, tilapia at Redfish Ranch grow to market-ready maturity in eight to nine months. This gives the fish a considerable advantage over slower growing species like salmon that require 18 to 24 months to reach the same point. The lower protein requirement means tilapia culture results in a net gain of edible fish protein. (In fact, it’s even possible to raise them on a 100 percent vegetable diet.)

Another unique aspect of the Redfish Ranch operation is the high level of water recirculation. According to Mr. Sjostrom, between 95 and 99 per cent of the water is recirculated. Whereas many species will perish when water quality drops, tilapia can tolerate low oxygen levels and a wide range of salinities. This allows farmers like Mr. Sjostrom to re-use water, thereby reducing consumption.

A major challenge for an operation like Redfish Ranch is moving all that water. Huge quantities of electricity are required to run the pumps that keep everything moving. As a result, utility bills are one of the biggest operating costs. Today, after six years of trial and error and innovation, Redfish Ranch is just breaking even.

Mr. Sjostrom is a self-described trailblazer. He is mostly self-taught, and has had little contact with similar operations south of the border. “Almost all of my technology and methods come from the salmon-farming business,” he says. Trial and error and a lot of hard work got him to where he is today. “Most people would have packed it in a few times by now,” he laughs. “But you’ve got to learn by doing. If we don’t try it, we won’t develop new better ways of doing it.”

Currently, the major markets for Redfish Ranch’s fish are the Asian communities in Vancouver and Calgary. Mr. Sjostrom expects the market to grow as the availability of wild cod shrinks and people become more open to non-traditional species. “This is an industry that can grow,” he explains. “There are many other species of fish out there that are good eating; we’re just not used to seeing them in the grocery store.”

Mr. Sjostrom hopes that with time, consumers will begin to examine all fishing practices more critically. Just as fish farms can rank differently when assessed against various sustainability criteria, so too do the various commercial fisheries. The SeaChoice program encourages people to think critically when it comes to purchasing seafood: where and how something was caught or farmed are important questions to consider. Consult Canada’s Seafood Guide to answer these questions and help you make sustainable choices.

Endnote:

Farmed tilapia is an example of the complexity facing seafood consumers. Not only is farmed tilapia on our “Best Choice” list, but it can also be found on our “Avoid” list. This apparent contradiction illustrates the importance of asking where your seafood comes from and how it was raised. Tilapia farmed in North America has earned a spot on the “Best Choice” list as a result of improved regulations surrounding effluent treatment, pollution and risk to wild stocks. In contrast, tilapia farmed in Asia lands on our “Avoid” list due to serious concerns surrounding risks to wild stocks, the effectiveness of management and the associated levels of pollution and habitat destruction.

To read more about the sustainability of tilapia farming, please read the SeaChoice sustainability profiles for Farmed Tilapia- Asia (“Avoid“) and Farmed Tilapia- US (“Best Choice“).

For more information about Redfish Ranch, please visit www.redfishranch.com