Behind the scenes of North Carolina aquaculture

Aquaculture — the breeding, rearing and harvesting of fish and other aquatic creatures — is a thriving industry across the state of North Carolina. In fact, the state's fish farms generate about $60 million in revenue each year.

For those running the farms, the key to success is making the practice safe and sustainable.

"Maintaining the quality of the water in the pond makes all the difference in a stress-free environment for your fish," said Aubrey Onley, a fish farmer in Perquimans County who specializes in hybrid striped bass. "We learned many years ago when fish farming first started in North Carolina that reducing stress on fish was a high priority, because it maintains quality of the meat, it makes a nicer product and it has a longer shelf-life in the market. We can't use medications that other countries use — we're not allowed to do that. So we learned how to reduce the stress on fish, so we don't have to do those things and compromise our fish or add anything to the product that doesn't need to be there."

Onley has been passionate about aquaculture for most of his life, starting back when he was a kid and tried to create a makeshift fish pond by digging a hole in the ground. Now, Onley's farm produces striped bass for North Carolina and beyond.

Striped bass is just one of the many fish breeds grown in North Carolina. Across the state, fish farms are creating safe, sustainable environments for everything from sturgeon and catfish to crawfish and prawns. As with Onley's farm, quality care is crucial to a successful operation.

"When you say farm-raised fish, people tend to raise their eyebrows," said Rand Gray, a Tilapia farmer from Wayne County. "But when those fish are raised here in North Carolina, what they may not realize is that we're held to a higher standard than anybody."

According to Gray, one of the biggest impacts on the health of his fish is water quality — the importance and proper maintenance of which has been emphasized on a statewide level.

At Gray's farm, the water comes from a well and is passed through a recirculation system. He then discharges the water on his fields to help with crop growth.

"With all the systems we've put in, the water's cleaner going off the farm than it is coming into it," said Gray.

For Onley, modern technology helps him and his team ensure that the fish are stress-free for the entire 18 months it takes for them to grow from fry to adult fish. Not only does that mean providing them with a diet that's specifically suited to whatever species is being raised, but also keeping their habitats clean and oxygenated.

"The most important thing is maintaining that water quality with proper oxygen and reduction in allergy content," said Onley. "Most ponds now are monitored through your cell phone or in conjunction with your home computer. Those monitors are in each pond, and they send readings back, so your phone or computer will tell you if there's an issue in your pond, as well as give you the readings."

"We'll start aeration throughout the night when oxygen levels begin to drop, since the system will send alarms, if something is becoming critical. Maintaining that level of quality is largely what helps us provide stress-free fish."

Once the fish are fully grown, they're often taken to markets around the state, while some are shipped as far as New York, where there's a greater number of fresh fish markets. On the heels of the pandemic and with a shipping crisis affecting businesses worldwide, Onley expects the fish farming business might see more direct-to-consumer sales in the future.

For those wary about fish farming, both Onley and Gray hope to show that the quality care in the operations and maintenance of their farms allows the fish to thrive.

"Quality is so important to the health of the fish and the livelihood of the farmer. We maintain quality water because otherwise, these fish would not live if we didn't maintain the water quality. We're smart about our discharge and our trout farms remove their waste. They're fed a diet that is based again on what that fish needs, with vitamins and protein and fat added that are consistent with that," said Onley. "The farmer takes great care in handling their fish to make the quality of the meat when it gets to the consumer the best it can possibly be. We can't say enough about how we take care of our fish and our water quality and maintain that throughout the growth cycle."