South Florida salmon? Farming innovation brings cold-water fish to the Everglades' edge
When you think of farming in Southern Miami-Dade County, you typically picture rows of plants and shrubs with open fields of crops in between—but how about salmon? A fish that normally thrives in the cold fresh and salt waters of the North Atlantic can now call South Florida home.
"We're taking an industry that normally is done in Norway and Chile to a place where no one has seen a salmon raised," said Damien Claire, Chief of Sales and Marketing for Bluehouse Salmon.
As he walked around the company's facility, located west of Homestead right up against the Everglades, Claire explained the process of growing the fish—from eggs in freshwater tanks to their final stage in large saltwater systems before processing.
Raising salmon in the Sunshine State
Like most things in Florida's agricultural heartland, the process begins small.
"For the first seven weeks, we teach them how to come up to the surface to start feeding," said Claire. The fish begin their lives in freshwater, but eventually transition to saltwater—every step controlled by Bluehouse.
In a larger room filled with tanks and flanked by large windows shaded dark, Claire described the next phase: "In this system, we give them winter. We lower the temperature and turn off the lights for 16 hours." At this stage, the fish—still in freshwater—begin to turn and swim with the current.
"We get them ready to turn to salt water," Claire said.
Ancient aquifers power modern aquaculture
That transition to saltwater is part of what makes the South Florida location ideal. Just beneath the region lies the Biscayne Aquifer, a source of fresh water for millions—and also for Bluehouse. But even more crucial is the Floridan Aquifer, thousands of feet deeper and filled with saltwater that's been sealed in rock for tens of thousands of years.
"It's unlimited for us. Nobody else uses it. It's bio-secure—no parasites, no disease, no bacteria, viruses—which is good for our salmon," Claire said.
South Florida offers the perfect combination: clean freshwater, isolated saltwater, and a safe way to discharge wastewater—all within reach directly below the surface.
Sustainable, local and sushi-grade
That clean, ancient saltwater not only helps produce sushi-grade salmon—it also reduces the product's environmental footprint by eliminating the need for overseas shipping.
"Right here in the U.S. we have local production, which is great to be local, reducing the carbon footprint associated with air freights," said Claire.
That's significant for a product that's second only to shrimp in seafood popularity. Americans consume a total of 918 million pounds of salmon per year. Bluehouse currently produces 19 million tons, with a goal of reaching 440 million by 2031.
"We tell the story of Bluehouse, tell people it's local, fresher, sustainable, and extremely healthy," Claire added.
It's all of that—and it's produced right here in South Florida.
