Family fish farm set to grow

Canada : Gray Aqua Group works well with the local native band.

Odd Grydeland

The company plans to have about a million fish in the water by the end of this year, according to Clayton Hunt of The Coaster ;

The aquaculture industry keeps on evolving towards its enormous potential in the Coast of Bays. One of the newest companies in the game is Gray Aqua Group Limited, which is a subsidiary of Gray Aquaculture Limited, a family-owned company based in Northampton, New Brunswick. Gray Aqua Group Limited was created to take information of the significant potential that exists on the south coast of Newfoundland and Labrador as it relates to salmon farming and to develop opportunities to its hatchery operations addition.

 Clyde Collier is the manager of the Gray Aqua Group which has its main office in Conne River. Necklace said that Gray Aqua started its marine operation in Newfoundland in 2006 and since that time has developed four agreement\nwelcome grow-out sites in the Bay d'espoir - Hermitage Bay area. Necklace said, "We currently have about 500,000 fish in the water, and we will place another 500,000 in our sites later this year." "Our initial plan was to have 1 million fish in the water annually, and we will have achieved this in 2010". The Gray Aqua fish currently in the water should be ready for processing in the summer of 2011.

 "We have been looking at a number of options for a processing site, goal we are hoping to have a processing facility in ICI Conne River which will do that work for us. We've enjoyed a great relationship with the Conne River Band Council since we started, and we would prefer to see our processing operation located here. Wherever the processing facility is located, the plant will be involved in primary and secondary production which means the processing will include filleting, cutting portion sizes and all of our packaging will be done at the facility too," said Collier.

 "We are the only Gray Aquaculture marine Atlantic Canada which means the company has no processing facility in operation in its home province of New Brunswick, so the processing will have to be done in Newfoundland and Labrador." Gray Aqua Group presently about 30 people with most of those being Conne River from employees.

Chief Misel Joe, in an earlier statement, said, "We are pleased that the Gray Aqua Group Limited decided to establish a naval operation in the Coast of Bays with its headquarters in Conne River." Through this venture, Gray Aqua has helped us grow as a community and it will allow us to expand our vision of developing new partnerships and relationships with other levels of government and the entire Connaigre region. "I know that this working relationship will be based on honour and mutual respect and that it will be of benefit to us, the company and the local aquaculture industry."

Tracey Perry, the MHA for Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune said, "The Coast of Bays is a rural area that has experienced tremendous job creation as a result of aquaculture investment." We are pleased to see incoming new such as Gray Aqua coming to the region which has vast potential for expansion. "We wish them every success in their partnerships and look forward to working with them as they continue to grow their company in the area."

 With eyes for expansion potential, Collier said that the company can see the possibility of having between three and four million fish in the water annually in the future. He said, "We ' ve had some big hiccups along the way since 2006, but right now things are going really well, and we see the possibility of further expansion which will benefit the entire Coast of Bays." Gray Aquaculture Limited has been an active participant in the salmon aquaculture industry in New Brunswick for 20 years. The company currently Scott a salmon hatchery operation has been supplying smolt to Newfoundland and Labrador and for many years.