Summary

A fully operational, fully staffed, turnkey warmwater fish farm in northern California is for sale for $2,296,000.00. The farm contains 18 ponds, which are supplied by on-site wells. All required permits for operation of the farm are in place. View additional details below and submit your contact information if interested.

Property Location and Size

The property is located approx. 4 miles South of Red Bluff, California and approx. 1.5 miles West of Interstate 5. The Northern California location allows for live fish market South to Los Angeles and San Diego as well as North to Portland Oregon and Seattle Washington.

The site is located at 2900 Marenco Ranch Road, Red Bluff, CA 96080 and is comprised of 104 acres of prime farm land.

Water Resource

Currently, there is one well on site that was retested early November 2016 with a confirmed rate in excess of 2250 per minute of 68 degree F water. The well is 600 feet deep with a 16” well casing and powered by a 125 H.P pump.  The water is pumped from the well into a “header” pond which is plumbed to gravity feed all other ponds on the site.

A second “domestic” well is on site providing water for the residence and can serve as a back-up source of water for the hatchery.

In addition to the header pond, there are four (4) one acre ponds, four (4) 3.5 acre ponds, one (1) approx. 2 acre pond, seven (7) 7 acre ponds, and one (1) approx. 1 acre “drain” pond.  All ponds are plumbed independently with gravity fed well water and all ponds have gravity drains independent of each other to allow for complete draining.

There is year around access roads to all ponds.

Permits in Place

To the best of our knowledge, all permits required for operation are established and in place including, but not limited to;

1. Ingress/Egress access
2. Building permits for all structures and improvements on the property
3. Aquaculture Permit through Ca. Department of Fish and Wildlife
4. Depredation Permit through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Improvements

In addition to the well described above and the earthen ponds, roads, etc., there is a Modular Residence Unit (24’x60’) with a fenced yard area and back porch.

One Domestic well as referenced above along with a pump and pressure tank plumbed to the residence.

One septic tank for the residence.

Power, phone, etc. are in place at the residence and shop/hatchery building.

One metal shop building; 40’ x 60’. Half of this area is dedicated to a full shop complete with tools and equipment necessary to make repairs for the farm, and the other half of this structure is a hatchery complex dedicated to the production of fry and fingerlings for the farm. There is a small office located upstairs and overhead of the shop part of the building and a 20’ x 20′ storage area that exists above the hatchery side of the building.

There are four (4) fiberglass tanks approx. 8’wide by 40” long by approx. 3’deep plumbed for fish rearing and holding, 3 bulk feed storage tanks, two fuel storage tanks, one diesel, one gas.

Overview

This site is an established (2006), permitted, mature, PROFITABLE, “turn key” aquaculture site as is, with a tremendous potential for expansion. The current manager has been with the company approx. 4 years, is very experienced with catfish culture on this site, and is extremely reliable, dedicated and honest. Additional experienced staff is also in place.

Annual production of catfish ranges from approx. 180,000 lbs. to approx. 240,000 lbs. with all necessary year classes of fish on site for continued production.

Genetic selection of catfish has been a primary focus of this farm for years and this effort is now paying off through faster growth and better conversion rates.  With the implementation of the genetic selection program, along with the existing oxygen management strategy and food fish diets, this farm has been able to shave approx. 1 year off the earlier growing cycles associated with channel catfish for this region.

There are currently two strains of channel catfish that are being line bred, and the current lines are now in their third generation.

Two of the one acre ponds are used for traditional spawning of catfish.  In 2017, the farm will institute an advanced spawning procedure to streamline the spawning process.  This will allow the farm to produce fry earlier in the season which will lead to additional growth, and better overall fingerling survival.

All fish are inventoried when moved, and sample weight counts are taken on an “as needed” basis for an accurate inventory analysis report conducted regularly.

Fish are fed on a prescribed feed rate to maximize growth and performance.  Daily records are kept related to feed consumption, feed sizes fed, water temperatures and oxygen profiles.

Oxygen and supplemental aeration systems in use

All ponds have their own oxygenation systems independent of each other, and not dependent on electricity.  This is a significant point when one considers overall risk factors associated with a business plan and has proven to be a valuable decision over time.

In addition, there are 5 mechanical tractor driven paddlewheels that are available for supplemental aeration as needed.

To the best of our knowledge, there are NO pathogens on site that are categorized as significant or catastrophic by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.  The parent company, Mt. Lassen Trout Farms, Inc. has a wet lab for diagnostic purposes, and has conducted reviews of fish health at the catfish farm on an “as needed” basis.

Phase II

This site has been designed to accommodate a significant Phase II expansion to incorporate other species in high demand in California including Largemouth Bass, White sturgeon and hybrid carp.

The site can also accommodate companion projects such as aquaponics.

Upon determination of significant interest from a prospective buyer, a complete inventory of fish, equipment and financials along with a plan for expansion will be provided.

Asking price: $2,296,000.00

The site is closed to the public. Visits are by appointment only.

If interested, please submit your information here.

A first ever state hearing on aquaculture will be held on October 4th in Bodega Bay, California. Tony Vaught of Professional Aquaculture Services will address freshwater aquaculture at this hearing. The full hearing agenda can be viewed here. Additional hearing details can be found in the media release below:
Sacramento, CA – Senator Mike McGuire, chairman of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Congressman Jared Huffman will convene a special hearing on Tuesday, October 4 at the Bodega Marine Laboratory to take an in-depth look at the aquaculture industry in California, as well as receive an update on the outlook for the upcoming Dungeness and Rock crab seasons.

This hearing will be the first time that the Joint Committee has focused primarily on Aquaculture, which can be thought of as “farming in water.” The farmed fish, oysters and seaweed industry is larger than ever and panelists will explore finfish, shellfish, inland production and perspectives from state agencies. The public is encouraged to attend.

“A major turning point in history was reached in 2014. That was the first year humans consumed more farmed fish than wild,” Senator Mike McGuire said. “World per capita fish supply reached a new record high due to vigorous consumer demand and growth in aquaculture, which now provides half of all fish for human consumption worldwide. This development highlights a new era, indicating that aquaculture will increasingly be a main driver of change in the fisheries sector.”

Unfortunately, 91 percent of the seafood we eat (by value) originates abroad, half of which is from aquaculture, creating a seafood trade deficit of over $11.2 billion annually.

The hearing – “Crab Season Outlook for 2016-17 and Modern Aquaculture in California” will feature testimony and updates on the upcoming crab season and current and anticipated domoic acid levels from representatives with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Public Health and top ocean scientists.

The hearing will include testimony on how the aquaculture industry will change with modern techniques and what challenges and hurdles the industry faces. The hearing will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 4 at the Bodega Marine Laboratory in Bodega Bay, California. The hearing will be streamed live at www.senate.ca.gov. The public is welcome to attend.

For more information about the Fisheries and Aquaculture Hearing visit the Committee web site at: http://fisheries.legislature.ca.gov/.

A full hearing agenda will be released on Friday of this week.

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We just stocked a pond with 70,000 2″ to 4″ catfish that will, in turn, supply nutrients to the rice field below. It’s amazing what adding fish to a system like this can do for the rice!

Let our experienced staff help you insure your pond or lake survives the drought. Protect your investment!

Let us evaluate your pond. Be water-wise, reduce maintenance, and protect valuable fish from low water conditions.

Get started here!

“This process would be so cumbersome and drawn out that it could effectively block many stocking ponds and hatcheries from continuing to operate,” Mlikotin said.

PLF challenged the new regulations, saying they were drafted without public input, which is mandated by the California Administrative Procedure Act (CAPA). Essentially, the Court ruled the hatchery and fish farm regulations were “underground regulations” that were set without sufficient public input.

“This court ruling is a powerful victory for everyone who values recreational fishing opportunities, and for everyone who values openness and accountability in government,” said PLF senior staff attorney Joshua Thompson. “The DFW concocted these radical regulations all on its own, without any request from the Legislature and without seeking public review and comment as state law requires. This court victory saves recreational fishing from out-of-control regulators and protects everyone’s rights by reminding bureaucrats they aren’t above the law.”

The new, illegal regulations were rooted in a 2010 Fish and Wildlife Environmental Impact Report that claimed that the stocking of lakes and ponds with hatchery-bred fish puts indigenous fish and habitat in danger. The environmental document also radically changed the the permitting process for stocking private fishing lakes and ponds without any public review or input, and without direction from the State Legislature…

Read the full article at UTSanDiego.com.

This year I am unable to attend the Aquaculture America conference in New Orleans. I have attended many in the past and will miss seeing all of my friends and wonderful colleagues. In my place, I have representatives that will be in attendance at the conference. For those attending, if something comes up while you are at the conference, please contact me by email at info@proaqua.com or call me at 530-343-0405. I can also arrange for our representatives to contact you or meet with you in New Orleans.

Have fun and prosper! I will see you all at the next Aquaculture America conference!

Also, check out our consulting page to see what we’ve been up to:http://www.proaqua.com/aquaculture-projects

We have several new projects for 2015 on the drawing board! Agriculture grows local food and fiber. Call us if you want of be part of our growing team!