New yellow perch farm in Indiana

Tor-Eddie Fossbakk According to an aquaculture marketing specialist at Purdue University’s department of agricultural economics, the farm will start out producing about 500 tons per year. Miller researched for 10-15 years before he finally decided to invest and build his operations. His initial plan is to sell the yellow perch to fine restaurants, legion halls and churches. A native of Chicago, Miller left the corporate business world and a job at Turner Broadcasting System in Atlanta more than a decade ago, then lived in Indianapolis and Colorado before moving to Albany, the publication reported. Two years ago, Miller indicated that he expected a 10-year investment of USD 10 million in Bell Aquaculture, and that the company planned to hire 20 to 25 people. According to Bell Aquaculture's operating permit, the fish farm will include four production units. The prototype facility contains six 3.8 m3 tanks, three 7.5 m3 tanks and six 38 m3 tanks. The full fish production buildings will each house 30 3.8 m3 tanks and 33 38 m3 tanks. On-site wells are the intake water source. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's first aquaculture census in 1998 reported 24 aquaculture farms in Indiana with sales of USD 2.7 million. By 2002, the number of farms had increased to 47 with sales of USD 3.2 million, but those numbers remain "relatively low compared to neighboring states," according to Purdue University. According to a 2005 survey conducted by Purdue, the majority of Indiana's aquaculture farms produce less than 2.3 tons of fish a year, and none produces 45 tons or more annually.