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Chamber loan gives fish farming a boost

Grayling Fish Hatchery

A federal business loan will help a trout farm expand production in Grayling. The development loan approved by the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce is for $210,000.

Dan Vogler manages and co-owns Harrietta Hills Trout Farm, the company borrowing the money. It’s the only business in Michigan producing fish for food in large volume. He says finding investors for fish farms in Michigan is a challenge because of questions about environmental rules.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” says Vogler, “because of the regulatory process. And unknowns are not things that investors like.”

Two groups are contesting Vogler’s plan to expand production at the Grayling Fish Hatchery: the Sierra Club and Anglers of the Au Sable.

The state issued a permit last summer to increase production at the hatchery on the Au Sable River. But the groups say the regulations don’t do enough to protect wild fish from disease or to assure the hatchery won’t harm the river’s water quality.

The business loan approved in December is through a new federal revolving fund and is among the first approved in Michigan. The Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce is designated to manage the fund to help businesses in a 10-county area.

Projects must either reduce blight or create jobs. Harrietta Hills Trout Farm says six jobs will be created in Harrietta, just south of Mesick.

The expansion there will allow enough fish rearing to scale up production in Grayling, at the hatchery owned by Crawford County and operated by Harrietta Hills. Grayling Fish Hatchery is run as a tourist destination and produces less than 20,000 pounds of fish annually. Under the new permit, it can produce up to 300,000 pounds.

Peter Payette is the Executive Director of Interlochen Public Radio.