March 6, 2007

India to grow Arctic char

Most people buying an Arctic char would assume it comes from a Scandinavian fishfarm but soon, consumers may find it in sub-tropical India.

A Canadian fish farm is sending some of its young Arctic char to be raised in northern India.

In the fall, Icy Waters, a fish farm, sold about 15,000 live eggs to the fisheries department in India's northern Himachal Pradesh region. The young char are now growing up alongside imported trout in trout farms, president John Rose said.

The northern Indian climates have streams with cold waters, Rose said, adding that there is a misperception that India is too warm and humid for Arctic fishes.

The exported char would be sterile so they will not mix with native fish populations, he said.

The Himachal Pradesh department of fisheries said 82 percent of the imported fish have survived so far.

Jim Currie, owner of a wild fish processor in Iqaluit, said char raised in an Indian stream would taste very different from the wild char as its food source will be different. Still, the demand from consumers meant more interest from fish farms eager to cultivate it, he added. 

The company has had inquiries for years from fish farmers all over the world who want to try it, Currie said. The growing interest meant people are starting to recognize it is a good fish with strong commercial potential.

Among the company's customers are Germany, Chile and China. Prices of Arctic char usually goes for three or four times the price of salmon, he added.