By constructing a mill to make its own fish feed, Blue Ridge Aquaculture expects to save on operating costs as well as earn money by selling feed that it produces but doesn’t need.
As part of an approximately $5 million project, the company established Blue Ridge Aquafeeds next to its fisheries in the Martinsville Industrial Park off U.S. 220 Business (Greensboro Road). A grand opening ceremony was held Monday morning for the mill, which started production three weeks ago.
Blue Ridge Aquaculture, an employee-owned company, opened in 1993. It has become the world’s largest indoor producer of tilapia, a popular type of whitefish among seafood eaters, using a recirculation process in which water from fish tanks is filtered so it can be reused in the tanks. Oxygen is added to the water while carbon dioxide, ammonia and solids are taken out, according to the company’s website.
