Fish farming a growth industry for Ohio? Written by Linda Martz News Journal mansfieldnewsjournal.com State veterinarian says state is ripe for jobs in this market MANSFIELD — Ohio has potential for a huge boom in aquaculture-related business, State Veterinarian Tony M. Forshey told the Northeast Ohio Agribusiness Forum on Friday. Currently, the state ranks first in commercial bluegill production and fourth in yellow perch, Forshey said, at a monthly forum breakfast at Der Dutchman in Bellville. But as global demand for seafood rises, fish-farming operations and businesses that produce the nutrients used to raise fish or shrimp could become a much bigger producer of jobs, he said. Ohio’s assets include ample water, plenty of warehouse space and strong support for entrepreneurs from the OSU extension office at Piketon, Forshey said. The state veterinarian pointed to EnviroFlight, run by Glen Courtright of Yellow Springs, as a business that has come to the forefront by showing how to provide food for fish farms, without using fish meal.“That’s never been done before,” Forshey told the forum. EnviroFlight has begun marketing fish meal developed by raising black soldier flies. The insect doesn’t bite, doesn’t sting and produces larvae about the size of a thumb. “(The black soldier fly) will eat anything, including table scraps,” Forshey said. The larvae can be processed very efficiently, with no by-products left over, into high-protein meal. Used in combination with soy meal, it makes nutritious food for a wide variety of fish, Forshey said. EnviroFlight plans a major expansion in 2014, Courtright said Friday. The company, working closely with the Ohio Soybean Council, will continue to market black soldier fly meal itself, but will license the processes it has developed to blue-chip companies, he said. “It’s a brand new industry,” Courtright said.Forshey predicted seafood produced through aquaculture will be in increasing demand globally. Oceansare being fished out — and commercial fishing in freshwater areas like the Great Lakes is being destroyed because of invasion by non-native Asian carp, he said. The U.S. carries an $11 billion trade deficit in seafood products — with far more fish, and other seafood shipped in from Thailand, China and other countries than what leaves. But Americans are likely to become increasingly concerned about food safety issues related to seafood shipped in from abroad, he said. Shrimp purchased in groceries in Ohio typically come from Thailand, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Seafood can be produced more cheaply there, because stringent safety standards like those in the U.S. don’t have to be met, Forshey said. The state veterinarian believes there is a huge untapped potential for aquaculture in Ohio, as technology has improved, helping fish farmers learn to produce safe, nutritious food more efficiently. Low energy costs have increased the potential to make money in the industry, he said. “We can produce fresh saltwater shrimp in Ohio. It has been done,” Forshey said. As the economy recovers, more Americans are likely to choose safer seafood at the market, he said. Forshey said he has talked with industry associations and grocery chains, including Kroger and Giant Eagle, about the potential for Ohio-grown seafood. Ohio also has warehouse space sitting empty that could be pressed into service in an aquaculture industry. The state veterinarian predicted use of recirculating, closed-loop fish-farming systems, rather than open water. Ponds don’t work as well for aquaculture, because of uncertainties including predators such asturtles and blue herons, he said. The major bar that has held back aquaculture as a growth industry has been over-regulation within the U.S., Forshey said. When business owners want to dig ponds, for example, they face regulation both by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency and “both say they are in charge,” he said. “It’s a pet peeve of mine — because somebody is going to make a lot of money on this, one day,” he told those at the agribusiness forum. “We’re getting there. It’s just not as fast as Tony Forshey wants to get there.” The Ohio Department of Agriculture has been helping to promote growth of aquaculture in Ohio by educating bankers on exactly what entrepreneurs need to do to put together a sound business plan, he said. “I think aquaculture is the next new thing to really do well,” he said. The forum, sponsored by Braintree Business Development Center, meets monthly. Photo - Black soldier fly at the larvae stage. / Photo courtesy of GlenCourtwright, EnviroFlight