1. Fish Farming News
Aquaculture's National Newspaper – Volume 18 – Issue 4 – 2011 – A Compass Publication – US$2.50
PRSRTSTD
USPOSTAGEPAID
BRUNSWICKME
PERMIT65
New seafood numbers • 5New seafood numbers • 5
Tilapia, pangasius show gains,Tilapia, pangasius show gains,
catfish holds its owncatfish holds its own
Fish Health Notes • 6Fish Health Notes • 6
High pressure makesHigh pressure makes
oysters safer to eatoysters safer to eat
AquacultureAquaculture
Perspectives • 11Perspectives • 11
Romantic notion of eatingRomantic notion of eating
wild fish must endwild fish must end
Site Visit • 12Site Visit • 12
Bell Aquaculture:Bell Aquaculture:
From tiny perch a mightyFrom tiny perch a mighty
business growsbusiness grows
From the Field • 18From the Field • 18
Being dragged alongBeing dragged along
into social mediainto social media
Fish FarmingFish Farming
Business Profile • 24Business Profile • 24
Riverdale MillsRiverdale Mills

2. 12 • FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011
Do you Maintain, Propagate, Grow Out or Study,
Finfish, Mollusks, Crustaceans or Larvae?
Do you Need Clean Water, Low in Dissolved Organics,
Proteins and Bacteria and High in Dissolved Oxygen
with Exceptional Clarity?
Do you Want Healthier and Faster Growing Animals?
Protein Fractionation does all of the Above and More.
DISTRIBUTORS:
United States
Aquatic Eco Systems
1767 Benbow Court, Apopka, FL 32703
Sales: 800-422-3939
407-886-6787
aes@aquaticeco.com
Custom Aquatic
1255 Distribution Way,Vista, CA 92081
Todd Gabriel: 760-599-6838
760-599-4413
R & B Aquatic Distribution, Inc.
137 Majestic Oaks Drive
Boerne, TX 78006
Brian Brawner: 800-259-9812
830-537-3748
rbaquatic@boernenet.com
International
Aquasonic
P.O. Box 134, 22 Norwich Road
Ingleburn, NSW 2565
Lindsay Hopper: 02-9605-2999
Techno Aquarium
Avda. Salamanca, 10,Anta Pola, Alicante
CIF B, SP 53319273 Joaquin Carcases
34-96-541-1129 34-96-541-1223
technoaquarium@wanadoo.es
Tropical Marine Centre
Solesbridge Lane, Chorleywood,
Hetfordshire, EN WD3-5SX
Bruce Burton: 44-1923-284151
Aquamesh
®
:
The World’s Best Aquaculture Wire
MADE IN
THE
USA
130 Riverdale Street | P.O. Box 200
Northbridge, MA 01534
800-762-6374 | www.riverdale.com
• The only wire mesh in the world specifically
designed and perfected for marine use
• Extremely strong galvanized/PVC coated wire mesh
• Easily formed into cages of many configurations
• Ideal for oyster and shellfish trays and cages, salmon pens, and fish farms
• Highly predator resistant
• A winning combination of strength, superior workability, and unparalleled longevity
Bell Aquaculture:Bell Aquaculture:
From tiny perch a mighty business grows
by Brian Robbins
REDKEY, IN – First, an admission.
Believe me, where I come from in
Downeast Maine, we have our share of
fish fries. Some folks live, breathe, and
die (literally) for the “Friday Nite AYCE”
specials at the local diner.
That would be “All You Can Eat,” of
course – a weekly ritual where all sense
of table decorum and dab-the-corner-of-
your-mouth-with-your-napkin manner
is tossed onto the floor along with said
napkin.
Sweat-drenched waitstaff are
kept on the run, charging from
the kitchen to the dining area
with platters of hot breaded
fillets fresh from the fryolator.
Diners nod “yes” when asked if
they’d like more, their mouths
packed full and a small heap
still on the plate before them.
There are no limits.
It’s probably the single most decadent
activity we have here in Maine.
Of course, what we’re dealing with
here are usually haddock fillets.
I’m talking big rascals: one of them
would make a fishburger that would set
you up for the day.
Note: A brief aside from the author …
The fishburger has always been my
preference for fried fillet consumption. I
remember the ones I used to get at Tall
Barney’s Restaurant down in Jonesport,
ME years ago: the fillet not only far
exceeded the circumference of the bun,
but usually draped down over both sides
of the dinner plate, as well. Add a slab of
melted cheese and some tartar sauce and
be ready to slobber up the front of your
shirt. It was a delicious mess.
Back to our story …
I mention all this in an effort to
explain my reaction recently to the sight
of the typical fish-fry-size yellow perch
fillet.
They were tiny.
I mean, one-ounce-apiece tiny.
Forget my tales of
wretched breaded excess
from Downeast Maine –
these are still, oh, 1/6 the size
of your average farm-raised
catfish fillet, or no more than
1/3 of what the typical piece
of tilapia might weigh in at.
Little buggers.
So my initial thought
when looking a plate of
yellow perch fillets in the
eye at Milton’s Family
Restaurant in Albany, Indiana was,
“Good grief – are they big enough to
taste?”
Well, they were.
Big time.
It just so happened that my tablemates
Bell Aquaculture photos
Yellow perch on ice ready for processing.

3. FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011 • 13
FLEXIBLE FINANCE SOLUTIONS
TERMS UPTO 10 YEARS RATES AS LOW AS 4.99%
AS LITTLE AS 10% DOWN
ON FABRIC STRUCTURES & GREENHOUSES*
*Subject to credit approval.
Greenhouses•ClearSpan™ FabricStructures•Netting•Heaters•Pumps
Filters•TemperatureControls•Pond&TankLiners •Meters&Testers•MonitoringKits
RainGear•Gloves•Boots•Rope&Twine •Corrosion-ResistantValves
Wehavecompletebuildingsystemsforfishfarming&aquaponics.
Call 1.800.476.9715 for your free catalog or shop online at www.GrowersSupply.com/ADFFN.
were in the business of yellow perch
themselves.
I was in town to take a look at Bell
Aquaculture, the largest yellow perch
operation in the US.
On my left was Nick Zaccaria, who
manages Bell’s growout operation. (He
had the fried perch sandwich). Across
from him was Brad Benadum, facilities
manager for the rapidly-expanding
company. (Another sandwich.)
And across the table from me was my
guide for the day, Norman McCowan,
president and CEO of Bell Aquaculture.
The two of us each had a fried perch
special sitting on the table in front of us.
“What do you think?” asked Norman.
I paused between mouthfuls long
enough to answer, “Really, really good.”
Norman grinned.
The owner of Milton’s called out
to the waitress from the kitchen door,
making sure that Norman heard her,
“That last order cleaned us out of perch.”
(That would’ve been us.)
“Tell that Norman he’d better get
some more fish over here.”
Norman grinned even harder.
Bell’s beginnings
When offered a fulltime postion with
Bell in mid-2008 (after working for them
as a consultant) Norman McCowan says
he didn’t hesitate.
“I told my wife, ‘Honey, it’s something
I’ve got to do. Nowhere else are they
See BELL AQUACULTURE, next page
Norman McGowan.
Bell Aquaculture photos
Yellow perch quickly go from whole fish to market-ready
fillets in Bell’s modern, efficient processing plant.

4. 14 • FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011
MADE IN USA
www.dtfiberglass.com
Sacramento, California USA
Tel: 916 · 383-9012 Fax: 916 · 383-1851
Huge Inventory
Custom Design
Favorable Shipping
Fiberglass Aquaculture Tanks
Panel Tanks
Raceways
“Piscadrome”
“Quality Products at Competitive Cost”
raising this many fish in the middle of a cornfield!’”
It’s true. The drive from Indianapolis to Bell
Aquaculture’s headquarters in Redkey passed by a lot
of cornfields. A lot of cornfields – punctuated by some
soybean fields here and there. The main reason I knew
I’d reached the Bell facility wasn’t because of any large
sign announcing it; it just wasn’t a cornfield.
After doing the prerequisite visitor sign-in,
McCowan and I head to his office to talk a little Bell
Aquaculture history.
After that we’d tour the Redkey facility (which
is home to Bell’s corporate headquarters as well as
its processing plant and fertilizer operation) and
neighboring Albany site where the perch is actually
grown.
In doing my research
about Bell, I was
surprised to find that the
company has only been
in existence since 2005.
The company’s roots
go back another 10 years
or so, however, when a
fellow named Michael
Miller found himself
bitten by the aquaculture
bug.
“Michael was actually
working for Turner
Broadcasting in Atlanta
at the time,” says
McCowan.
“He saw the word
‘aquaculture’ come
across his desk and
began to research it. He
and his wife were with
child at the time and
were looking to make a
move.
“Michael grew up in
Chicago, but his roots
were really here in
Albany where he spent
his summers with his
grandmother. When he
talked about ‘moving
back home,’ he was
talking about Indiana.”
If Michael Miller was the spark, it was his stepfather
Brian Baldwin who actually lit Bell Aquaculture’s torch.
“Here we are” in 2011 means an operation spread
between the two locations with a current workforce of
35 full-time employees.
“Vertically integrated” is a phrase that Bell uses
frequently in describing itself: pretty much self-
sufficient, relying only on outside suppliers for feed.
Other than that, they’ve built their own little world
in five years’ time and can definitely call their fish
their own, from broodstock and eggs, to harvesting
and processing on the other end.
With their existing facility, Bell is looking at
producing 1.8 million yellow perch in a one-year
growout cycle.
The new addition that’s currently under
construction (with plans to be up and going by
October) will add another 3 million yellow perch a
year to Bell’s forecast.
But wait – it doesn’t stop there: Bell’s next
expansion will boost that number significantly, with
the company hoping to have the capability to handle
an additional 7.5 million perch by 2013.
“Once Brian Baldwin got ahold of Michael’s vision,
things happened quickly,” says McCowan. “He does
not do anything on a small scale.”
Continued from previous page
Bell Aquaculture
Says McCowan,
“Brian Baldwin is the
founder of 12 different
companies; he sees
everything with a big
vision. Brian listened
to Michael talk about
aquaculture for several
years and one day he
basically said, ‘It’s time
to quit talking – let’s do
something.’
“The two of them
began their research
and discovered that
they didn’t want to do
anything in ponds;
the way to go was
indoors in a controlled
environment.
“In 2006 they began
moving some ground and putting up buildings on some
land just outside of Albany … and here we are just five
years later.”
Bell Aquaculture photos
Norman McGowan, at left, checks a sampling of fish for size
consistency in one of Bell’s growout tanks. Nick Zaccaria, Bell growout
manager, above, hand feeds a batch of yellow perch.

5. FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011 • 15
(707) 747-9600
www.PacificOzone.com
Complete Integrated Solutions.
Single Trusted Source.
EXPERIENCE YOU CAN TRUST.
EXPERTISE YOU CAN RELY ON.
)
Pacific Ozone – the oldest and most
experienced ozone system provider –
has a long history of successful ozone
installations. We offer a comprehensive
range of complete integrated ozone
systems designed to meet the needs of
the world’s most demanding industrial
ozone applications.
Put our industry-leading combination of
quality products and support services to
work for you today.
See BELL AQUACULTURE, next page
That much is obvious. But Norman McCowan himself plays no small
part in Bell’s rapid rise in the fish farming world.
The neat thing is he’s been waiting to do something like this his whole
life.
A passion for fish
“When I was a small child,” says McCowan, “I’d go out seining
minnows in the creeks to use for trout lining on the Wabash river for
flatheads. My job was to take care of those minnows and early on I made
a commitment to finding out why they were all dying.”
He shakes his head and laughs. “I didn’t understand at the time that
the water we had in town was full of chlorine – every time I poured the
water in, they’d die! But I was on a mission … and that’s when I began
Crist Wright
tends fish in
the huge Bell
facility, were
yellow perch
are harvested
and sold year-
round.
Bell Aquaculture photos

6. 16 • FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011
Manufacturer of Aquaculture Tanks
We have more than 400 standard
sizes and shapes, and specialize in
custom fabrications.
See our price list at
www.aquaculturetanks.com
Email: DolphinFBG@aol.com
305-247-1748
Fax 305-247-8750 • Homestead, FL
w w w . a q u a c u t l u r e t a n k s . c o m
my study of fish.”
Though formally educated and trained as a
machinist in the automotive industry, McCowan never
let go of his passion for fish.
“I bred and raised Japanese koi for about 20 years,”
he says. “I had 58 aquariums in my garage, importing
fish from everywhere and selling them right and left to
pet stores in the area.”
By 2007, Bell Aquaculture was needing the services
of someone who could teach others how to raise fish.
Norman McCowan fit the bill perfectly.
“I was first hired as a consultant to train some of
the associates they had hired on in fish husbandry
and water chemistry. By mid-2008 they decided they
wanted me to come on board fulltime.”
McCowan’s role as operations manager was
short-lived (in a good way); his talent for rearing
fish and leadership skills led to his being named Bell
Aquaculture’s president and CEO in 2009.
According to McCowan, the opportunity with Bell is
truly a dream come true.
“I’ve always said if we make it 10 years, 15 years, or
the rest of our lives, it’s going to be some of the best
times I’ve ever had.
“Out of all the jobs I could choose in the world, I
wouldn’t want anything different than to raise fish. It
doesn’t matter if I’m harvesting, processing, or sitting
behind a desk doing a project schedule for our next
expansion – I just love to do it.”
Proud parents
As we make a tour of the two Bell Aquaculture
facilities, it’s apparent that each time the company takes
one step forward, they’re actually looking ahead at least
two steps.
The whole operation feels modular in its way; neat,
professional, and fully-operational as is, but ready to
knock down walls and put up new ones quickly and
efficiently as they expand.
McCowan’s passion for what he does surfaces in the
discussion of Bell’s extensive documentation of what
they do and just how they do it.
“There’s no certification right now for an ‘organic’
fish, but that’s where we want the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and the US Dept. of Agriculture
(USDA) to come up with some guidelines,” he says.
“And Bell wants to be at the forefront of that movement.
“We don’t use any antibiotics; we don’t use any
hormones; and we’ve had our own HACCP (Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point) plan in place from the
beginning.
“Everything we say we do, we can prove on paper:
the transport records, the feed lot facts, the water
quality, the production layout, yields, everything.
“We can tell you when a fish was born, who its
parents were, which building it was born in, and which
tank in that building.
“We have records of what the water quality was for
Day 1 all the way through that fish’s life. And we can
tell you the food that it ate and where it came from –
everything.”
As mentioned, the process starts with Bell’s own
broodstock.
“We realized early on that our fingerling supply was
not going to come from ponds,” says McCowan. “There
were too many chances for contamination issues.
“We worked with outside farms in the beginning,
but we partnered with the University of Wisconsin in
Milwaukee to develop our own broodstock.
“We spawn our fish all naturally – we don’t use any
chemicals or hormones - and we hatch those eggs into
our own fry.”
As mentioned earlier, Bell went with an indoor
controlled environment from the start.
Says McCowan, “There are some individuals in
Ohio who are pond-raising perch, but it takes them two
years to get fish to market size (150 grams/8"-12" long)
– where Bell can do that in one year from an egg.”
The essentials
Bell’s fish go through a 3-step process: an “early life
stage” hatchery; a “late stage” hatchery; and then from
Continued from previous page
Bell Aquaculture
Bell Aquaculture photos
Mark Leavell tests samples from
the Bell processing room for the
presence of bacteria.

7. FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011 • 17
Silvercup has become one of the largest commercial fish feed manufacturers in the United States.
Our founder Sterling H. Nelson believed in meeting the needs of his customers by providing
a superior quality product at a fair price. You can be sure of getting the same complete satisfaction
today as when Sterling founded the company more than 65 years ago.
Questions or Orders
Tel: (800) 521-9092
E-mail: sales@silvercup.com
Visit our new website www.silvercup.com
feed needs for over
half a century
there into the growout buildings.
Water for the operation comes
from a pair of on-site 8" wells, with a
recirculation factor of 99.7%.
Waste water is pumped to a man-
made wetland that strips out the
ammonia and the nitrogen solids.
“It’s a very efficient, natural way of
handling the wastes,” says McCowan. “It
works extremely well.”
Bell relies on a low head oxygenator
system in their tanks.
“We found it to be a big improvement
over the original aeration system we
had,” says McCowan. “Much more
efficient; better technology.”
The lessons Bell has learned along
the way are applied as they grow and
expand.
For instance, the original growout
building is heated, kept at a constant
72°F.
In the new tank building that we
toured (which will house nine 35'
diameter tanks, each capable of holding
200,000 fish), the 55° groundwater itself
will be heated to 72° rather than the
building.
The end result? Approximately twice
the fish production using half as much
electricity. Not too shabby.
Another lesson learned along the way
was the need for reliable genset power
backup.
“When we first started,” says
McCowan, “we had an incident where
the generator was not hooked up
properly.”
He shakes his head slowly, “We lost
400,000 fish in one night.”
When one thinks about the volume
of fish Bell is planning on handling, any
sort of power blip could be devastating.
Currently they have five generators on
site.
“Just last week a storm came through
that shut down power in the area for
over four hours,” says McCowan. “And
it takes sixteen minutes to deplete the
oxygen in a tank that’s fully stocked.”
That made me cringe.
All feeding is done by hand, five
times a day.
“With yellow perch, you got to keep
them fed or they’ll eat the guy next to
See BELL AQUACULTURE, page 27
Young
perch
swim in the
foreground
as Bell’s
onsite
laboratory
facility can
be seen
behind them.
Bell Aquaculture photo

8. FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011 • 27
y,(Minnows, Fr etc.) (Polytanks) (Lots and Lots) (Polytanks)
Conical or Flat-Bottom Cylindrical Tanks, and
Rectangular Tanks available in many sizes
62824 250th Street
Litchfield, MN 55355
(320) 693-8370
1-800-328-7659
Conical Bottom Tanks
from 250 up to 1,500
gallons
Semi-Square Tanks 4 sizes available
Boy, have we got tanks! All
shapes and sizes. With stands
or self-supported. Filter tanks
and drain kits too. and very
inexpensive. If we don’t have
it — we can make it. Give us
a call, or visit us on-line at
www.polytankco.com
Aquarium, Zoo & Aquaculture Applications
Mermaids know...
Fybroc®
has the world’s most
complete line of aquarium, zoo
and aquaculture pumps...
PRIMARY ADVANTAGES
NO corrosion
NO harmful leaching of minerals
into the exhibit environment
FEATURES
Capacities from 5 to 5,000 GPM
Heads to 450 feet
Horizontal/vertical configurations
TYPICAL AQUARIUM APPLICATIONS
Filtration Recirculation
Ozone systems Sea water in-take
Foam fractionation Heat exchange
Ideally suited for both freshwater
and seawater exhibits
700 Emlen Way, Telford, PA 18969
TOLL FREE 1-800-FYBROC 1
Fax 215-723-2197
info@mp-gps.com
www.mp-gps.com
Met-Pro GPS is leading the way!
ANNOUNCING
a new name
in pumping
solutions!
MET-PRO
A Met-Pro Fluid Handling Technologies Business
Combining the Resources of Dean Pump, Fybroc & Sethco
Global Pump Solutions
‘em,” says McCowan. “It’s simply a
matter of paying attention - when they’re
not hungry, we back the feed off.”
The operation’s target feed conversion
ratio ranges between 1:1 and 1.2:1 – the
latter being very achievable, according to
McCowan.
Currently, Bell gets its feed from
Silver Cup Fish Feed out of Utah.
Premier Feeds in Ohio is also in the
process of developing some feed
formulas for perch growing, which
would be convenient for Bell, says
McCowan.
“They’re very close – only about an
hour and a half away – and shipping is
obviously a major factor in feed costs.”
It’s no surprise to find out that Bell
is doing its homework when it comes to
feed.
“Like most perch growers, we’re using
a trout/salmon diet,” says McCowan.
“We’re partnering with the Indiana
Soybean Alliance and Purdue University
to develop a feed that matches the
nutritional profile of the yellow perch.”
The massive tanks being built on-site
for the current expansion are round, as
mentioned.
“We’ll never build anything but
circular tanks from now on,” says
McCowan.
“Fish tend to bunch up in the corners
of a rectangular tank, causing all sorts of
problems. With the round tanks, they’re
constantly moving – it’s a much better
environment for them.”
It’s an impressive, almost
overwhelming schedule to think about.
The growout tanks we’re watching
being built will be stocked with fish
by October if all goes well. In March,
Bell will knock out a wall of that same
building and put in another 15 tanks.
And after that?
“The next jump would be a new
4-acre building,” says McCowan. “The
pad is already there – we’ll just scrape off
the topsoil and start putting it up.”
As I said, the Bell approach clearly
seems to be, “take one step, and look two
steps ahead – at least”.
The process of processing
“We’re producing fish all year round,”
says McCowan.
“We’re set up to deliver fish every day
of every week if need be.
It’s a very consistent flow and that’s
what the restaurants and the food
distributors like: consistent, quality
product at a consistent price.”
Bell puts their fish through a two-step
grading process – a rough grade and a
finish grade – before sending them to a
processing plant.
“Another thing our customers like are
very consistent fillets,” says McCowan.
“We do the 2-step grading process to
make sure they get that.”
The perch are harvested into an ice
slurry mixture and transported from the
Albany facility to neighboring Redkey.
McCowan explains the need for the
separate locations.
“Early on, we built the Albany
farm on some land that was zoned
for aquaculture. Cutting fish is an
industrial process, however, so we had
to purchase some land that was zoned
industrial. It’s about a 5-mile drive
between the two.”
Bell’s current processing line features
Pisces equipment. Small- and medium-
grade perch are machine cut, while the
jumbos are cut by hand.
“Our jumbos are used for our ‘Bell
Farms’ brand
fillets,” says
McCowan.
“That’s more
of a ‘white-
tablecloth
center-of-the-
plate’ type of
fish, whereas
the traditional
market for
yellow perch is
the one-ounce
‘fish fry’ fillet.”
Bell’s IQF
product line
includes fillets (both breaded and
unbreaded) and “Cajun Nuggets.”
“We do sell fresh jumbo fillets as well,
cut on the spot and delivered directly to
Continued from page 17
Bell Aquaculture
See BELL AQUACULTURE, page 29
Bell Aquaculture photo
Unbreaded
IQF fillets run
through Bell’s
rapid freezing
system.

9. 28 • FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011
FROM THE BELL AQUACULTURE RECIPE BOOK
“Perch are born to be fried.”
According to Norman McCowan, that’s a saying in the Great Lakes. And there’s no doubt about it, the vast majority of
the yellow perch consumed in the US goes from the processor to the fryolator to the plate.
But there are many other ways to prepare the little white fillets, as well.
We asked Norman about his fave perch recipes.
“Oh boy,” he said with a grin. “My favorite way to have yellow perch is a perch cocktail – a simple-to-make variation on
shrimp cocktail. That and a blueberry perch cake. It’s absolutely wonderful.”
We figure the man knows his perch. And how to eat them.
The recipes below and many more can be found at
http://www.bellaquaculture.com/our-products/bell-perch/recipes/
Brian Robbins
Bell Perch Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked Bell Yellow Perch nuggets
2/3 cup chili sauce
1 Tbsp horseradish
3/4 cup chopped celery
Mix and chill, present in 3/4 cup serving size.
Blueberry Perch Breakfast Bake
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/ 4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 lb. Bell Yellow Perch, browned
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream or yogurt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Mix flour, baking powder and soda. Set aside.
Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar, brown sugar and eggs, one at a time, beating each addition for 1 minute.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Fold in browned Bell Yellow Perch and sour cream.
Pour into lightly greased 9x13x2 inch pan. Sprinkle nuts on top. (At this stage, may be covered and
refrigerated overnight and baked in the morning.)
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly.
To serve, cut into squares, drizzle with blueberry sauce and top with a dollop of sour cream if desired.
Makes 12 servings.
Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Additional sour cream for accompaniment (optional)
Combine sugar and cornstarch, add water and blueberries. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
Advanced Aquaculture Systems, Inc.
PERMA-BEADSTM
REPLACE SAND IN ANY SAND FILTER!
Advanced Aquaculture Systems, Inc.
4509 Hickory Creek Lane
Brandon, FL 33511
Toll Free: 800-994-7599
www.perma-bead.com
advaqu@aol.com
Perma-Bead™ Media
Preassembled, compact,
skid-mounted systems with
automatic backwash, ultra
violet sterilizers, variable
speed pumps and many
other available options.
Minimize your install costs
with our“Plug & Play”system.
channeling and compaction
in all sand filters
quality and water usage
use for over 20 years in
thousands of filters
Perma-Bead™
Water Filtration Systems
ARE CUSTOM
DESIGNED FOR
YOUR
PROJECTS!
Call for a quote today!
System Design
Technical Support
SELL YOURSELL YOUR
STUFF!!!STUFF!!!
PLACE A
CLASSIFIED AD
CALL TODAYCALL TODAY
1-800-989-52531-800-989-5253
Bell Aquaculture photos

10. FISH FARMING NEWS • ISSUE 4 • 2011 • 29
1530 Harvard Avenue
Findlay, Ohio 45840
Phone: 419-424-5250
Toll Free: 800-837-3562
Fax: 419-423-0849
Email: inquiry@dlmplastics.com
www.dlmplastics.com
LINERS
Custom Designed & Manufactured
Fish Grade & Food Grade Available
Wide Variety of Thicknesses
Applications Include: Ponds, Tanks,
Raceways, Water Features,
Aquaponics & Hydroponics
Accessories: Underlayment, Fittings,
Flexible Boots, Nozzles & Adhesive
WISCONSIN FLOWGATE & CULVERT
YOUR SOURCE FOR ALL YOUR WATER CONTROL NEEDS
DUAL PURPOSE SLIDE GATE ALUMINUM FLOWGATE ON PLASTIC CULVERT FISH / SHRIMP GATE ALUMINUM FLOWGATE, AL UMINUM STOPLOGS & SAFETY STEP
MARINE GRADE ALUMINUM:
CUSTOM ALUMINUM FABRICATION, ALUMINUM FLOWGATES, SLIDE GATES,
FISH LADDERS, BOTTOM & TOP DRAW GATES, ALUMINUM STOPLOGS,
SCREENS, FRAMES AND MORE.
E-mail us: sales@wisconsinflowgate.com
Website: www.wisconsinflowgate.com
715-325-3302 or 1-866-FLOGATE
50 years
experience
the customer,” said McCowan. Plus, Bell
also offers custom cutting for other fish
growers.
“It’s always been ‘the chicken or the
egg’ for fish farmers,” says McCowan.
“You can’t have a fish farm because
there’s no processor; you can’t get the
processor set up because there’s no fish
farm.
“Now we have a processing facility
that’s willing to work with other
growers. They have standards to meet
before we’d cut their fish of course; but
once they do – hey, let’s start cutting
some fish! It’s time to create some jobs.”
Back to the land
A by-product of Bell’s processing
operation is their new line of “Fish Rich”
fertilizer.
Says McCowan, “We’ve taken all of
our scraps – all of our ‘remains of the
day’ – and developed a line of liquid
fertilizers.”
Bell has built a new building at the
Redkey site specifically for fertilizer
processing, including a full laboratory.
Currently, they offer both an organic
“Fish Rich” blend for crop usage and
“Fish Rich Plus” fertilizer, synthetic in
Continued from page 27
Bell Aquaculture
The Altima is the BEST, used by most of the major
feed manufacturers.
Producers are seeing growth result improvements.
Appearance is Great.
Uniformity of grind particle size is important for
starch conversion.
Particle reduces to 97% minus 40, 85% minus
60 & 50% minus 140 mesh, capacity to 15 MTPH
(Results may vary somewhat with ration)
Mill Technology's
Altima Multimpact™ Pulverizer
Highest Quality Post Grind of
Aquaculture Feedstuffs
Contact: Mill Technology Company, Inc.Contact: Mill Technology Company, Inc.
Phone: (763) 553-7416Phone: (763) 553-7416
Fax: (763) 553-7417Fax: (763) 553-7417
Email: gary@mill-technology.comEmail: gary@mill-technology.com
www.mill-technology.comwww.mill-technology.com
nature and suitable for lawns or golf
courses.
“One of our strong points is going to
be that we can do a custom formula,”
says McCowan.
“If you call us up and want a special
NKP (nitrogen:potassium:phosphorous
ratio), we will start with a natural-based
formula and will develop a fertilizer
to your NKP specs. We’ve had an
individual working with us for two years
now at Bell to develop those formulas.”
McCowan estimated that 2012’s
yellow perch production will yield
around 17,000 gallons of liquid fertilizer
per month.
“We see potential markets with
everyone from home gardeners to
organic crop growers and vineyards. It
has great appeal for hay growers because
of its nutritional value.”
Room to grow … and grow …
As we near the end of our tour, I ask
Norman McCowan who his competition
is. He doesn’t hesitate with his answer.
“We don’t see anyone as our
competition – we actually see ourselves
as opening up opportunities for other
folks to get involved.
“The demand far exceeds the supply
at this point,” he continued.
“Purdue did a study back in the 80s
that the consumption of yellow perch
in this country peaked at 38 million
pounds, okay?
“It looks like – with everything
combined – that there might be 11 millions
pounds of yellow perch produced this year.
“That’s a large gap between supply
and demand.
“So, no – we really don’t have any
competition; we see an opportunity for a
lot more growers.
“We see ourselves as creating a model
here: offering a great quality product to
the market and creating jobs for people.”
It goes without saying that Bell
Aquaculture could not operate as it has
(and looks to do) without the financial
support of investor Brian Baldwin. And
McCowan is quick to acknowledge that
fact.
“Brian’s an entrepreneur; he
understood from the beginning that it
was going to take time to get a return
from all this.
“He’s 80 years old with no plans to
retire. But as he’s said himself, ‘If I don’t
see it in my lifetime, my kids will.’”
I thank Norman for his time – with
so much going on, a good chunk of his
morning is worth a lot – and mention
how everyone we met along the way
seemed to like what they were doing.
That makes him smile, big time.
“Everyone here takes pride in what
they do,” he tells me.
“We had some people visit from a
perch producer in Ireland, and when
they got ready to leave, one of the guys
said to me, ‘Norman, you don’t have
employees – you have a family.’”
With that, I’m ready to shake Norman
McCowan’s hand and let him get back to
business. He has another idea, however.
“If you have time, why don’t you join
us for lunch at the diner in town?” He
pauses. “I hear they have a pretty good
fish fry.”
“Oh man,” I say. “That sounds great
– but I don’t want you to do one thing
different on my account. I’ve already
pooched half your day.”
“Aw, we’ve got to eat lunch,” says
McCowan. “That’s our time to solve the
world’s problems.”
“Well, in that case …” I say, “I’d better
turn off the recorder for this one.”
And that’s where our story began.
Brian Robbins is a contributing writer
to Fish Farming News. A former offshore
commercial lobster fisherman, he lives
in coastal Maine and can be reached at
<brobbins@fish-news.com>.