Sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria: Synonyms: Blackcod (Can. USA.), Butter fish (Hawaii), Gindara (Jp.).
This highly prized, high value and succulent fish lives in the deep cold waters of the North Pacific. Despite being a deep water fish, sablefish readily grows in cages located in regions with cold surface water.
Between ’97 and 2007 I developed full cycle hatchery production process and established Sablefin Hatcheries Ltd. where hundreds of thousands of juveniles were produced and sold to farms (Sablefin Hatcheries currently belongs to http://www.goldeneaglesablefish.com/). The significantly complex rearing technology in which alternating deep sea conditions from spawning through egg incubation, to surface water conditions at larval rearing and nursery, form a significant barrier to entry.
In recent years there have been significant developments at the NOAA research facility in the USA where scientists have developed a method for producing all female stock. (http://hatcheryinternational.com/husbandry/all-females-all-the-time/).
Sablefish farming offers a highly profitable and unexploited opportunity for aquaculture businesses.
