Morice Land and Resource Management Plan
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- Location Analysis
- Recommendations to the LRMP Table
- INLAND AQUACULTURE
Opportunity AnalysisAn opportunity exists for the catching and processing of Lake Babine sockeye, if a regular commercial fishery can be established. The processing plant would need to successfully deal with the fluctuations in supply. One solution would be to process only a set amount of the better quality fish, e.g. 100,000 pieces each year (5 lbs. average would make 500,000 lbs. available each year) that matches the capacity of a viable smaller scale operation. Processors have been able to operate successful small-scale operations with 250,000 lbs. of fish and this processor might be able to depend on at least 500,000 lbs. of fish. In addition, a fishmeal plant could be established with lower cost drying technology (drums or waste heat from wood processors) to deal effectively with a similar volume of low quality fish. To extend the season of the processing plant, specialty products can be made from the salmon that was cleaned and frozen initially and then thawed and reprocessed. Reprocessing is how the smoked salmon industry works for example. Community level processing plants have been analyzed for many coastal communities in BC and Alaska. University of Alaska has even put out a comprehensive handbook “A Village Fish Processing Plant: Yes or No? A Planning Handbook (2001)”, to assist communities to assess the viability of establishing their own processing plant. In this case, a comprehensive business plan would provide the foundation for deciding how to effectively maximize the value of this resource while minimizing the business and financial risks. Location AnalysisIf a commercial sockeye salmon fishery were established on Lake Babine then to develop a processing facility would require the following:
It is critical to note that the success of the Lake Babine sockeye run is heavily dependent on sustaining the high quality spawning grounds (similar to other salmon species). In addition, the quality of the Lake is critical for sockeye as they stay in the Lake for their first year prior to traveling to the ocean, a pattern exclusive to sockeye. Recommendations to the LRMP TableTo assist the commercial fishery the LRMP should consider the following recommendations: Recommendation - Salmon spawning habitat needs to be identified and the quality of this habit needs to be maintained. Recommendation - Water quality should be maintained in Babine Lake to support the fishery. Recommendation - Access to key fishing grounds should be maintained. INLAND AQUACULTUREOverviewThe inland aquaculture industry in Canada commercially is limited to Trout including Arctic Char, steel head and other minor species. The inland aquaculture industry in BC with production of 119 tonnes in 2001 is dwarfed by the large saltwater aquaculture industry in BC based primarily on Atlantic Salmon of 67,700 tonnes in 2001. There is considerable experience in BC and Canada operating trout farms (non-Char) both as U-Catch- Em operations and as a food production. In Ontario the combination of U-fish and commercial sales topped 4,100 tonnes in 2001. In Ontario and a few other provinces, there is a historic and current demand for fresh trout that is not reflected in local demand in BC where salmon is far more common. In the Morice LRMP area there are many large cold lakes that may hold opportunities for trout production including Arctic Char. Trout farms have been very successful in areas of BC and Ontario where there is U-Catch-Em component (Table 30) because the value per weight is often more than double that of commercial fresh cleaned fish. Fresh Trout is a delicacy in restaurants and speciality fish stores in many parts of Canada and forms the basis of much of the industry. Very little of the Trout is sold frozen as it only usually harvested to match current fresh orders. Idaho has a significant number of commercial trout farms, which have been very successful, where the operation is situated on inland gravity flow springs or artisan wells. Table 30. BC Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Harvest and Landed Value 1994 – 2001
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries: Fisheries Statistics Table 31. BC Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Average Prices 1994 - 2001
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries: Fisheries Statistics Arctic Char is another fish that is making significant market penetration. The Arctic Char is raised in fresh water and resembles salmon in taste, texture and growth habits. Arctic Char is being grown quite successfully in the Yukon by Icy Waters Inc. and exported fresh to many locations in Canada and US. Download 1.06 Mb. Share with your friends:
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