Anchovies? Breeding, farming in fresh water?

[Chris Duke]

I was wondering if anybody has tried breeding or raising anchovies in their AP systems?

I know they are for the most part a salt water fish, but breed in fresh water. I wonder if the desirable qualities would diminish if raised exclusively in fresh water? I suppose a salt tank could be set up for at least a period of their development, but I don't think I would want to get into that.

I am considering them to use as fish food (feeder fish) as well as chicken and pig feed supplement. Not to mention the occasional Cesar's salad base ingredient for the dressing.

I'm sure a market could be made for them with all the pollution concerns in the ocean. GMO and pollution free anchovies.

[Robert C. Wood]

there is a type of smelt that already lives in fresh water. They are called smelts or rainbow kippers. they are in the great lakes, they were brought in by the ocean fairing ships ballast tanks. I would reckamend that you talk to your local MNR office about what you can or can't have for your aquaponic system.

[Chris Duke]

Robert C. Wood said:

there is a type of smelt that already lives in fresh water. They are called smelts or rainbow kippers. they are in the great lakes, they were brought in by the ocean fairing ships ballast tanks. I would reckamend that you talk to your local MNR office about what you can or can't have for your aquaponic system.

Thanks for the reply.

That's interesting to know. I lived next to lake Michigan for ten years and never learned that while I was there.

As far as asking a agency of government what they would "allow" me to do on my own privately owned land in a closed system, not attached to any stream, river, lake, or contributory, I'm not in the habit of asking public servants what they will allow me to do. They are the servants, and I am their master. Their only legitimate purpose is to defend my rights, not treat me like their property. I would take what they have to say only as a suggestion, but will not stand under color of law, or courts of equity.

Back to the OG question. If they were raised in a fresh water AP system, would they still be sardines, or just smelt? I'll be raising other feeder fish, but it would be nice to add actual anchovies to the list that could be harvested and marketed as actual anchovies. Even if only used by myself in the occasional Cesar salad and for feeder fish.

I did some on line research already, but didn't come up with anything useful. There is a company (I think it was in Australia) getting ready to farm them, but I didn't read the article, because It sounded like it was going to be done in salt water tanks.