BRA's seafood products are farm raised in our eco-friendly indoor recirculating aquaculture facilities and offer safe alternatives to the numerous cases of contamination with drugs and unsafe food additives found in imported seafood.

Indoor Fisheries Equal Safe Products

"Within minute detail, we can be sure that the product that comes out of recirculating aquaculture facilities is going to be very, very high and the product is going to be very, very safe. A prime example of this would be the safe farmed fish like the tilapia from Blue Ridge Aquaculture. Simply put, the four million pounds it produces in a year are fed properly and kept disease-free." -Ewan McLean, Professor of Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Virginia Tech

More and more consumers want live fish raised organically because they are concerned with warnings about toxic chemicals and metals in fish. Blue Ridge Aquaculture produces organic aquacultural products by not using any growth hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, or synthetic chemicals. Our indoor facilities also allow us to control the disease risks associated with open water operations. All of our Tilapia are bred, born, and grown in controlled environments on site. Our filtration systems operate continuously, keeping the water clean and providing a healthy environment for the fish. These recirculating systems also allow us to recycle the water back to the tanks, unlike outdoor pond operations, which are critized by environmentalists' because of their excessive water use and the pollution risks associated with the untreated water.

Land & Ocean Conservation Equals Greater Productivity

"Anything that can add value to agriculture and maximize the value of the land is vital to keeping the state agricultural industry strong. Blue Ridge Aquaculture, which produces millions of fish per year from a small site, is a great example of that." Dr. George Flick, University Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech

Recirculating aquaculture is emerging at a good time to meet market demands for seafood and to serve the changing needs of land-based farming operations. The world's ever-increasing seafood demands are depleting the oceans' resources. Large-scale recirculating aquaculture facilities such as Blue Ridge Aquaculture offer viable solutions to this problem. Our single facility in Martinsville, using only 2.4 acres under 1 roof, has doubled the freshwater fish production for Virginia and made us one of the largest tilapia producers (marine or otherwise) in the United States. The hope is to expand our tilapia production to 40 million pounds per year, making fresh fish locally available year-round, improving the lands and oceans, and generating new economic endeavors which will create livelihoods for many Virginians.