Blue Ridge Aquaculture, the world’s largest producer of farm-raised tilapia using an indoor recirculating system, is investing $3.2 million to expand its operations in Henry County, Virginia according to an announcement made by state Governor Terry McAuliffe.
Founded in 1993 in Martinsville, Virginia, Blue Ridge Aquaculture produces four million pounds of tilapia per year and ships between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds of live tilapia per day. Raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones, the company generally ships its live fish to distributors located in major cities in the U.S. North East region, and controls approximately 20 percent of the U.S. market for live tilapia, according to the company’s website.
Consumption of tilapia has rapidly increased across the U.S. market, growing four-fold over the four years between 2003 and 2007, and has grown to become the fourth most popular seafood consumed in the U.S. behind shrimp, salmon and canned tuna, according to the National Fisheries Institute.
“Blue Ridge Aquaculture’s expansion represents another positive step for Virginia as we reinforce our reputation as a key player in the nation’s seafood sector,” said Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Basil Gooden.
The state of Virginia is the third largest overall seafood producer in the U.S., is the largest on the country’s Atlantic coast, and is the tenth largest aquaculture producing state in the nation. The state produces a wide range of species including sea scallops, blue crab, striped bass, clams and oysters from 620,000 acres of water, providing an economic impact to the state’s seafood industry of more than $500 million, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
“The success of Virginia’s agriculture industry is a testament to the diversity and quality of its products, as well as their outstanding reputation in the global economy,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I applaud Blue Ridge Aquaculture’s continued investment in Henry County and their expansion speaks to the high-quality seafood and marketplace success of the company.
In support of the expansion project, the Commonwealth of Virginia is awarding a $50,000 grant through the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). The company has also secured grants from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission and the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
“This expansion is a significant step in our future growth plans, and will maintain Blue Ridge Aquaculture’s leadership position in the industry. We would like to thank the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Tobacco Commission, and Henry County for their support of our project,” said Bill Martin, President and CEO of Blue Ridge Aquaculture. “This support is a reflection of their recognition of the importance of aquaculture, and the opportunity to supply a clean, healthy, and environmentally sustainable seafood.”
It is this reinforcement by the company that its tilapia is “clean, healthy and environmentally sustainable” that could gain Blue Ridge an even larger share of the U.S. market. Poor environmental practices, inappropriate diets and lacking operational management have led tilapia farmed in China and certain other Asian countries to be labeled as products to “avoid” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program in 2011. This ranking has since been lifted to “good alternative” in 2014 after the implementation of updated industry regulations, however continued consumer concern over chemical use and environmental stewardship in foreign aquaculture operations is causing Western consumers to opt for tilapia from the U.S., Canada, and Ecuador – the three producers labeled as “best choices” by the Seafood Watch Program and labeled as “best” by the Environmental Defense Fund.
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Lynda Kiernan
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