Sablefish may be next big thing after Canadian breakthrough
From: Patrick Sorgeloos <Patrick.Sorgeloos@rug.ac.be>
To: Gilbert Van Stappen <Gilbert.Vanstappen@rug.ac.be>
Sent: April 26, 2002
Six months ago, Island
Scallops, a hatchery in British Columbia, became the first company to
commercially market juvenile sablefish. The company sold 20,000 juveniles in
their first sale, according to Marine Finfish Operations Manager Peter
Phillips, and plans to ramp up production to 150,000 this year. By 2004, the
company intends to offer 1 million juveniles for sale.
Island Scallops’ production success represents a breakthrough in sablefish
farming because it is believed to be the first time a company has been able
to show that it can successfully raise the species past 5 grams. Up until
then, researchers had trouble keeping larvae alive, reporting a die-off rate
of up to 80 percent which has made the commercial viability of sablefish
questionable. “Everyone was waiting for us to prove it could be done,”
Phillips said. “Once they are past five grams, they are virtually
indestructible.”
Island Scallops was able to overcome the 5 gram-barrier by paying close
attention to their diet, Phillips said, but noted that the trial and error
process “has been exceptionally difficult.” Unlike salmon which are born
with relatively mature digestive systems that can break down dry pellets,
sablefish eggs are small and less mature, requiring hatcheries to feed
larvae live feed, such as brine shrimp (artemia). “They are poorly
developed and don’t have the necessary enzymes,” explained sablefish
researcher Craig Clarke, a scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
In addition, sablefish (also known as black cod) require cold saltwater
temperatures of 6 degrees Celsius, Clarke said. And much of the mystery
surrounding the fish to date is due to the fact that they spawn in deep
water which has limited researchers’ knowledge, he said.
But since larvae come up from the depths to feed, farmers should be able to
grow them in shallow water, the researcher noted. And despite their special
diet requirements, sablefish, which produce rich white fillets, have shown
themselves to be good aquaculture candidates with a promising market, he
said.
Good news for salmon farmers
This will be good news for a number of salmon farming companies which have
been suffering from low prices due to overproduction. While salmon can be
found for as little as $1.99 a pound in US supermarkets, sablefish can
command up to $4.00 a pound.
And Pan Fish ASA, for one, seems to be taking notice. According to Kevin
Bright, operations manger for the company’s US subsidiary Cypress Island
Inc. (the only salmon farmer in Washington state), the company is planning
to look into farming the species within the next five years. “We would
like to look into it down the road,” Bright said.
Another company showing interest is a small independent Canadian aquaculture
company which bought juveniles from Island Scallops last year, according to
Phillips. In addition, a number of companies are currently conducting
research on the fish. Feed supplier EWOS Canada Ltd, for example, recently
received CA$ 96,200 (US$ 61,500) to study nutrition options for sablefish
from DFO’s aquaculture research and development program, while three other
companies were given CA$ 312,000 (US$ 200,000) to study the reproductive
cycle of sablefish and the effect of temperature on their spawning
cycle.