| The commercially viable species of catfish, Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Black Catfish and Brown Catfish, are all classed as an Invasive Species in BC. Right now, there is a $20,000 reward for evidence leading to the prosecution and conviction of anyone caught stocking these fish, along with perch, bass, crappies, bluegills, pike, pickerel and muskies in any of our lakes, ponds or rivers. You will need a permit from BC Fish and Wildlife, a self contained farm pond with no permanent or seasonal overflow, and will be required to post several remediation bonds to raise an invasive species. In most of BC, our waters are too cold year round, for catfish, bass, etc for sucessful commercial catfish rearing. If you have a self contained pond with no overflow, consider instead (Rainbow Trout), marketed as steelhead, if the pond temp stays below 70F in the heat of late summer. You will have to feed the fish, for the operation to be commercially sucessfull, and the feed will have to contain either the chemical Astaxanthin, or natural sources of Astaxanthin stereoisomers such as ground shrimp or lobster shells to produce the red flesh required for a marketable product. Keep in mind as well that the cycle for the pond in commercial production will be 6 years or less, with up to three harvests, before the waste from the fish will render the pond little more than a septic tank. Most commercial operations use above ground concrete tanks, as they can be cleaned and flushed between plantings. If the goal is the production of a few fish for the home table and an evenings sport after work, talk to BC Fish and Wildlife as dependant on area and location, Coastal Cutthroat, Westslope Cutthroat, Brook Trout, Redside Rainbow Trout, Kootenay Rainbow Trout, Coastal Rainbow Trout and Steelhead are just some of the species that may be suitable, and only a few fingerlings will be needed. |
