B.C. steelhead farm waiting for regulatory approval

Principals of a Vancouver, B.C.-based aquaculture company, which aims to raise 3,000 tons of steelhead annually, say they are now just waiting for provincial and federal approval to break ground on the project.

Gold River Aquafarms plans to build a land-based facility at the site of a former sawmill near the village of Gold River, in Vancouver Island. Initial plans call for a facility that can produce 3,000 tons each year of steelhead. However, owners of the company also said they will eventually look for a secondary in order to boost production to 10,000 annually.

Long-term prospects for the current site are terrific, Rob Walker, president of Gold River Aquafarms said in a recent interview with the Campbell River Mirror. He also said the water was ideal for their purposes and that there was lots of local support for the project.

A lot of people in Gold River lost their jobs when the saw mill closed in 1998. The aquaculture project has the potential to create 75 to 100 new local jobs, according to the Campbell River Mirror.

Gold River Aquafarms has reached a long-term leasing agreement with the owner of the site.

The company has also secured financing independent of regulatory approval.

Early this year, Gold River Aquafarms applied for both provincial and federal approval for construction of the facility. The company is still waiting for a response from the appropriate government agencies.

This article was originally published in RAStech Magazine on Sept. 28, 2021.