A Vancouver company that farms salmon with B.C. eggs in China is preparing to launch its sixth solid-wall, closed containment tank there in early 2012.
AgriMarine Holdings supplies five-star restaurants and hotels in Northern China.
It reported 100,000 chinook in production in Benxi, China, with another 600,000 chinook and coho juveniles in the hatchery.
AgriMarine claims it has an advantage over salmon imports because of Chinese taxes, air freight charges and inspection and quarantine red tape.
The company’s CEO, Richard Buchanan, said his company’s trademarked “Eco-Salmon” are superior in taste and more sustainable than the standard Norwegian farmed product.
“We are seeing more awareness of eco-labels and certifications than ever before,” Buchanan said.
“By adding more tanks, we are not only increasing production capacity but we are also ensuring that we can deliver fresh salmon year-round to the Chinese market.”
While the company’s closed containment model is what many environmentalists prefer, the B.C. Fisheries Survival Coalition (BCFSC) opposes the export of B.C. eggs.
“Why are we giving China our genetic code?” BCFSC’s Phil Eidsvik told the National Post last January.
AgriMarine was represented on Premier Christy Clark’s trade mission to China by senior strategic adviser John Reynolds, the former federal Progressive Conservative and Reform member of Parliament and B.C. Social Credit house speaker and environment minister.