Remember Bluegill Aquaculture?

It has been a while since I posted anything about farm raising bluegills. It's rather sad for me as a former fisheries Biologist, to put your dream of bringing bluegills to the masses on hold as you pursue another business venture. However, I still can get excited from time to time whenever I hear someone talk about them. It might be true that I may never be in a position to chase down that dream, Or that I may have lost the passion that is required to follow a rainbow to that pot of gold. But I thought I would at least keep it up front to those people who check in from time to time. I tracked down a restaurant that has bluegill in the name but not on the menu. Symbolic of the up hill battle that the bluegill farmers face. However, there is still research being done to find the economic value here: In the mean time, Cheryl and I have been making stockings and more tags. I finally finished the 150 tags that I was working on, and came to the conclusion that they will not work out as a full time option. But that is why I can experiment and make more. I'm sure I'll find something that is good looking AND easier to make. Those last ones took way too long to put into full time production. Hope everyone has a great week!

So where does a former Artist go?

Ah yes, the same question I have been asking myself over and over after the carving business no longer became profitable. There are moments where I look forward to the "next big thing" ( probably bluegills) but in the mean time and every now and then I get this brief flare up where I ask"what if I had done this?" People say things like," you should be an artist!" And all I can say is...."thanks." I don't have the heart to tell them that I was for the past 10 years and 6 of those years it was our exclusive income. I don't intend this to be a negative, but rather I feel like I've "been there, done that, now off to the next thing." I don't know where I'll end up, but I have not shaken the addiction to business or entrepreneur. There is still some areas that I might have to explore there. In the mean time, I still have my chisels ( even though I have not been eager to get back to carving anything) and I still have my origami to occupy my time. The bringing Bluegills to the masses idea is still on a slow burner in the back of my mind and every now and then I get an idea and have to write about it. Perhaps I'll look back at this post some day and smile at my ramblings.

So where do you start with Bluegill aquaculture?

I know it seems like the simple question that is the most complex. But the reality might be something that is no where close to the question. First you might think you need water, fish, food, etc. All the things that are needed to grow and sustain the fish themselves. However, I think it might be something else that has little to do with the growing of the fish. The market! That is right, I am wondering if the demand is that will ultimately determine the future of Bluegills as a farm raised product. I've been told by the Ohio guys from Blue Ribbon Fish Farms that the demand is there and they need growers to meet it. This is good, but then I talk to farmers in Iowa and they don't believe it is feasible to grow a fish to production weight where it would be profitable ( It's all about profit! There is no point in doing something if you cant get something in return for your trouble.) After talking to the Blue ribbon Fish farm, I learned that there is a wonderful government bureaucracy messing up the free flow of live fish across state borders. So fish produced in Iowa can't be shipped ( without lots of red tape and expense,that is, It CAN be done.) to Ohio where they could be processed for food. The alternative is to make a processor here in Iowa that will cut the fish and package and distribute them to the various markets. However, that would mean that the entire supply of fish would have to come from Iowa to meet the food demand. What a MESS! Well, I'm still looking into it, and I don't want this post t be too long. I guess I just don't have much else to blog about today.

The other day I might have mentioned that it is difficult for some people to see what you see when you have an idea or a vision of something. Last Saturday, I had the fortune of talking with a fish farmer who was selling fish in Kalona. When I asked him about growing bluegills for the food market, he seemed a little sketchy, like that will never happen. Now it might be true that I don't have the experience that some people do when they run their own farm. But I do have a degree in fisheries with a focus on aquaculture, and some experience working with a small scale trout farm for both the private sector and the DNR. I have researched the Bluegill question a bit and I know that there are always more questions than answers. But until people start growing bluegills for the food market on a scale where these problems can be solved, people will never have the opportunity to sample one of the best tasting fish. Perhaps by writing a little bit about it every now and then, I can create a little buzz and get people talking. We'll see how far it goes.

Could Iowa be ready for Aquaculture?

There I go again....I'm in this state less than a month and I'm thinking "what could my next business venture be here?" Cheryl thinks I'm crazy! And after Oak and Chisel, Allenbrite, Picklejar books, and great lake vending all going the way of the Dodo, I'm thinking I'm crazy as well! So here is the scoop: There are only a handful of current operating aquaculture facilities here in Iowa according to my latest Google search. Most of them focus on fee fishing or pond stocking operations. None, That I had researched, grow fish for the seafood industry. You could look at it as 'I've moved the the wrong place!' Or you could look at it as 'this is the Perfect place to get something started!' I'm the latter. Thinking that I, with my limited knowledge and business experience could actually make a go of bluegill aquaculture here. Oh! Have I mentioned that I'm still broke! Yes! Starting another business with no start up capital! Perhaps this is why Cheryl and I are not as successful with our business ventures. Lack of funding! Anyway, here are the reasons that I think that Iowa in general and Wellman/Kalona specifically, could have the potential to spearhead the bluegill aquaculture industry. These small towns are located near several small rivers and tributaries. ( supply of water) I have also seen several plots of land with small ponds already existing on them. Wellman and Kalona seem to be small towns that, after several years of downsizing, are now back on the rise with new blood, new people, and new ideas ready to grow their small town back to its former glory. In Wellman, there are a number of vacant building s that once were used to grow and produce turkeys! When this business folded, it took several families down with it and currently, no one is operating the property. ( a convenient location next to a skilled labor force) So now all I need is MONEY! Money makes life happy and helps grow business like fertilizer to a plant. I also am wondering what the town council would think of my idea and if there is some legal mumbo jumbo that has to take place before we can get the ball rolling. But first, I have to secure my place here and that means getting back in the black and out of the red with our current job. I have not been blogging lately, but this rant has been building up. I can't wait to get some pictures on the blog because the countryside is very pretty. And a picture is worth 1000 words and are not as challenging to read. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Update! I just found an interesting article on the web about just this subject! And...get this....They got their study fish from IOWA! But they are doing the research in Missouri. Anyway, here is a link to the article.

Our trip to Blue Ribbin Fish Farm

As stated before, Cheryl and I went to Ohio this Wednesday and Thursday to take a look at a fish farm that is producing Bluegills to the seafood market. The trip took 7 hours, but we made it a small vacation checking out a few sights along the way. Nothing really fancy, Just a small Japanese store in Novi Michigan. There was a lot of cool stuff, but we could not read Kanji, so mostly we stuck with the stuff we could recognize. I got some origami Paper and Cheryl bought a necklace. Then we ate lunch. I didn't get much of a tour of the facilities, and even if I had, I left the camera in the car. Ah well. On the return trip we saw some Bison and ate at a Waffle House. To those who do not know this, Waffle house has the best pecan waffle I have ever had ( better than Perkins, Denny's, and Sambo's just to name a few) They do not reside in Michigan, so whenever we are able to leave this state and find one....Well it ends up being on the "must do" list. I don't want to make this post too long, so I will add details as I remember them and as the experience sinks in. Hope everyone has a great weekend!