Gold River Aquafarms is waiting to hear from the federal and provincial governments regarding regulatory approval for a facility that could grow to produce 10,000 tons of salmon annually, and create up to 100 jobs. Taste of BC Aquafarms Inc. of Nanaimo, purchased earlier this year by Blue Star Foods Corp. of Miami Florida, is another Island operation at the forefront of companies hoping to capitalize on a push away from open-pen, ocean-based fish farms by environmental lobbyists and the federal government.
Rob Walker is President of Gold River Aquafarms, and says the company is backed by investors in the United States. The farm would be constructed on a former site of a sawmill in Gold River, with plans including adding a processing plant.
Gold River’s pulp and paper mill closed in 1998, and the new jobs would be a welcome addition to the community…