When you’re shopping at the local grocery store for fish, some common choices are salmon, haddock or tilapia, but what you won’t find is bass. Now, New York State fish farmers are urging state lawmakers to lift a ban on the sale of black bass.

“I could grow around 20,000-30,000 food size fish annually and have a rotating cycle where I would have 25,000 food size going out the door and have 25,000 food fish coming up the ranks,” said Ted Universal, owner of Coolwater Fish Farm.

But that isn’t what’s happening. Universal spent $350,000 on equipment that is currently only running at 30 percent production. He can only sell his bass to stock ponds and feed animals at the Rochester zoo.

Universal, who is president of the New York State Aquaculture Association, is calling on leaders in Albany to change that.

“What we want to do is be able to sell our product to a third party vendor. A third party vendor is like a restaurant, a grocery store, a fish market, or someone like that, that isn’t in the business but deals with the public,” Universal said.

Right now in New York State, fish farmers are not allowed to sell food grade bass because of state regulations set forth by the Department of Environmental Conservation and state Legislature.

“Because of the restrictive laws that were put on the books back in the 70s. At that time, I’m sure it was to protect the wild stock of fish, but at that time there were not fish farms or fish technology available,” Universal said.

The DEC said in an e-mail to YNN that because the legislation is only proposed at this time that they would not comment for this report.

Universal said the market in New York State is untapped and virtually inexhaustible.

“If we were able to sell in New York City, there would be no end. I would be able to produce all the fish I possibly could. I would maximize all my production out annually and still not make minor dent in that market,” Universal said.

Senate Bill 4475