FAQ
Although the company is currently located in the East Hereford valley of the Eastern Townships, it was originally founded in Sainte-Edwidge-de-Clifton, on the banks of the Ruisseau des Bobines (Bobines Creek), hence the name "Bobines". The creek got its name in the 1900s from a sawmill that manufactured coils. The sawmill was built on the creek and used paddlewheels that could be activated by the flowing water. The mill closed in the 1930s, and the creek was named "Ruisseau des Bobines" in its memory.
Traditionally, trout have been thought to require a certain amount of fishmeal to meet their dietary needs. According to traditional literature, trout are primarily cannibals, which means they are believed to digest fishmeal better than vegetable feed. However, numerous new studies show that trout are also capable of digesting vegetable feed.
With sustainable farming in mind, the industry and feed companies have gradually incorporated vegetable feed into Salmonidae diets, to the extent that fishmeal is no longer the main ingredient that it once was. Instead, wheat, corn, soy and other vegetable feeds are now used. The reason behind this choice stems from the controversial practice of feed companies catching large quantities of fish at sea (fish that are not as edible to humans) to transform them into fishmeal for feed production. La Ferme Piscicole des Bobines worked closely with the feed companies and researchers to create a feed with excellent environmental standards that met all of their requirements.
Since 2005, La Ferme Piscicole des Bobines have been exclusively using a low-phosphorus fish feed, manufactured by a Canadian company that is ISO 9000, BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices), and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) certified. This feed has a low ecological footprint and a positive feed conversion ratio for the ecosystem.
Although this is an option we've been considering, it is not in our plans at the moment. To meet current organic standards, the fish would need to be fed almost exclusively fishmeal. As mentioned above (Question 3), we do not consider this an eco-responsible practice. However, once it has been commercialized on a larger scale, insect meal could prove to be a very promising alternative in the future. We are currently monitoring this as a potential option.
No, The high quality spring water we use allows us to raise our trout without the use of antibiotics, vaccines or growth hormones. Additionally, thanks to our federal accreditation, our trout are frequently inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure the absence of therapeutic residues of any kind.
No. Our trout are raised in closed ponds using spring water, which reduces the risks related to the presence of mercury. According to Health Canada, Canadian trout is not a species subject to restrictions on consumption, and falls into the "very low mercury concentration" category.
Our trout are bred indoors, which means they're not subject to temperature and seasonal variations. This enables us to supply our customers with fresh trout all year round.
We harvest our trout once they weigh around one kilogram. The process takes more than two years, from egg to harvest. We are currently working on new rearing techniques that will enable us to accelerate this process, primarily by controlling water temperature.
We source our trout eggs from an American company that specializes in trout breeding. The trout eggs we buy are all certified disease-free and must meet the strict standards of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency before being imported.