Small Farm Spotlight: Satilla Ponds Catfish Farm

Small Farm Spotlight: In this series, get to know more about the small farm operations that are using sustainable methods to help meet the local demand for fresh food. And meet the farmers that are making it happen!

Satilla Ponds may not be the typical small farm we feature here, but we strive to shine a light on all the different ways food can be farmed here in Southeast Georgia. Producing locally raised and organically-fed catfish is one of the latest ways proprietor Zack Gowen is growing the local food community in the Golden Isles.

The farm currently produces catfish solely for Gowen’s St Simons Island restaurant Georgia Sea Grill, but has the potential for future growth and could become a supplier to other area restaurants and markets down the road.

Satilla Ponds is managed by Eric Miller who had experience working with aquaponics (growing food in a symbiotic relationship with the fish living in the water), but was new to catfish farming. Because so much of what they are doing on the farm and the infrastructure itself was not standard to the catfish farming industry, Miller has had to learn to adapt industry practices to fit their unique set up.

Pond Manager Eric Miller and Georgia Sea Grill Executive Chef Timothy Lensch

Miller has been a proven problem-solver and works closely with Georgia Sea Grill Chef Timothy Lensch as they look for more efficient ways to harvest the catfish. Currently, the two meet up on Sunday mornings to enjoy the beautiful setting, each other’s company and catching the week’s supply of catfish for the restaurant with a rod and reel.

Miller is in the process of fine-tuning a shock system of harvest which would allow for more humane selection of mature fish (without having to catch and release fish that are too small). An electric shock is sent into the water, stunning the fish and causing them to float to the top. This allows for the selection of the best fish for harvest while leaving the rest to recover and swim away.

Miller has worked with a company in Kansas that produces their organic feed. Due to a high level of avian predation, they needed to develop a food that would not float on the surface of the pond. This is just one of the many unique challenges that the team has faced through the process of not only learning this business, but in many ways developing a brand new way of farming catfish.

Most catfish used in the restaurant industry arefarmed overseas in conditions that are less thanideal and in most cases downright deplorable.

By farming their own fish, the team can ensurethat Georgia Sea Grill customers have the highestquality and freshest catfish available.

The fried catfish and grits plate that is regularly on the menu at the restaurant is, according to Chef Lensch, the most local dish they have on menu - everything from the grits to the Sea Island peas and, of course, the catfish, comes from local farms in Southeast Georgia.

From pond to plate it’s most likely the freshestcatfish around!

You can learn more by visiting the website: www.georgiaseagrill.com. You can also sit back and relax or grab a rod and reel and join me as I go fishing and talk about the business of raising, harvesting and cooking up some local, organically fed catfish on the Southern Soil Podcast episode titled, Gone Fishin’.