Montana committee hears bill to classify aquaculture as agriculture to open markets for shrimp farmers

Helena ' Sen. Greg Hertz, sponsor of legislation to add aquaculture and aquaculture products to Montana's agriculture code, told the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee that the bill aims to give small producers access to restaurant and wholesale markets they cannot reliably reach under current county-by-county interpretations of health rules.

"This bill ' it just talks about, kind of puts us in the same direction as to definitions as an agricultural product," Hertz said, introducing the measure and citing a prior food-freedom provision that opened farmers markets for similar products.

The bill hearing centered on Mission Valley Shrimp owner Jim Vaughn's effort to raise saltwater shrimp in above-ground tanks in Charlotte, Montana. Vaughn described a high-density biofloc system that he said produces a one-to-one feed-to-growth ratio and runs at about 84 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. He said he had to fight Lake County for three years to obtain a wholesale license and wants a state-level definition so future growers do not face inconsistent county standards.

"I do have a wholesale license now and it came down to me buying a $600 3 compartment sink to wash dishes I don't use," Vaughn said, describing the local licensure hurdles he…