Paul Skartvedt of Eagle’s Catch Fish Hatchery located in Ellsworth, IA, was the featured speaker at a recent Thursday weekly meeting of Ames Golden K, which continue to be held virtually.  Mr. Skartvedt formerly owned Buckeye Fish, Radcliffe, IA, which was divested in favor of building a larger, better, and different facility in Ellsworth.  Eagle’s Catch is family owned and includes 58 investors, 90% of whom are involved in agriculture.  Their main product is Tilapia. Their mission is to provide American families with the safe, fresh, and sustainable seafood they need by engaging rural communities as providers.

Skartvedt explained that Eagle’s Catch is one of the largest on-land fish farms in the world, with Tilapia being the 4th largest U.S. seafood product by volume. He also noted that marketable “wild caught” seafood is unsustainable as most oceans are becoming overfished. Skartvedt stated Eagle’s Catch goals for the future include selling their product to live fish wholesalers located in large U.S. metro areas, building a new model of fish production that is forward looking, becoming more environmentally sustainable and advanced technologically.  Mr. Skartvedt concluded his presentation by inviting Golden K members to a virtual and/or in person tour of the Eagle’s Catch facility in the Ellsworth Industrial Park.

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