Industry update News Freshwater
Taste of BC identifies location of new RAS facility

British Columbia- (B.C.-) based aquaculture company Taste of BC (TBC) Aquafarms has chosen a 20 acre lot in Deep Bay, B.C. as the spot for a new recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility it plans to build. TBC intends to raise steel-head salmon in the planned facility.

TBC, which a wholly owned subsidiary of Miami-based Blue Star Food Corp., has signed a 20-year lease on the land with an additional option to expand its holdings for another 10 acres, a press release from the company said.

“Expansion facilities in British Columbia will utilize renewable, low-cost hydro-electricity which aligns with our core values of sustainable, low carbon emission seafood production,” said Ben Atkinson, chief executive office of TBC. “The temperate rainforest climate of western British Columbia offers suitable location to support our aggressive expansion plans.”

He said TBC aims to build a facility with a production capacity of 10,000 metric tons or larger.

“This will be the first location for our 1,500 MT facility already in progress and will potentially support up to 4,500 MT annual production,” said Atkinson.

The area chosen by TBC is inside a Designated Agricultural Reserve which supports commercial aquaculture without the need for additional re-zoning. It sits upon a site that has an aquifer that produces suitable water for land-based salmon production.