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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky will have a seat at the table when national aquaculture leaders discuss proposed regulations for organic certification of seafood products at Aquaculture America 2006 on Feb. 13-16 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Angela Caporelli, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s aquaculture marketing specialist, will attend the conference and will participate in talks on organic certification rules.
“I am pleased that Kentucky fish farmers will be represented at this conference,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “Aquaculture has tremendous untapped potential for Kentucky farmers looking for a way to replace tobacco income on the farm. Organic farming is one of the fastest-growing sectors of agriculture, and organic certification would help producers add value to their products.”
Some Kentucky producers raise seafood products using organic methods. They could label their products “organic” if organic certification rules for aquaculture products are established.
Our Best Catch, a fish processing plant in Graves County, produces local farm-raised, mercury-free fish. The fish are fed grain-based floating food pellets and raised without the use of antibiotics, steroids, hormones or pesticides. Producers use sustainable management practices.
Samples of fish from growers are tested for mercury content every six months by the Environmental Science Lab at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. Representatives of Kentucky State University’s world-renowned Aquaculture Research Center personally observe the harvesting of samples for testing.
Our Best Catch sells its products over the Internet and at selected outlets in western Kentucky and Tennessee.
For a list of products available from Our Best Catch, details on its production and testing standards, preparation tips, recipes and more information, go to www.ourbestcatch.com.
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