SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah couple is on track to open the state’s first tilapia farm after they got an exemption from a law that prohibits commercial farming of the species because it can pose a threat to native fish.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports Cliff and Teri Sackett are looking to build an aquaponics facility capable of producing 17,500 pounds (7,938 kilograms) of tilapia each month in central Utah’s Sanpete County.
The Utah Wildlife Board approved a variance request Thursday for the Moroni farmers following a Certification Review Committee’s recommendation to approve the request.
The couple still needs an aquaculture license from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
They say it would take at least six months to build the facility.
