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Many growers have just completed a busy season. Aquaculture has two holidays: One is the traditional year-end holiday season when people have lots of events and parties. Farm-raised seafood—freshwater and marine, plus products such as shellfish, abalone and seaweed—are popular during the holiday season.

The second holiday is Chinese New Year, which came in January this year. We sell a lot of fish during this holiday, which is a significant marketing period for the live fish market in urban areas, and this year’s market was particularly strong. Supply has been a little low because the market has been very strong for some time. That’s a good position for farmers to be in—to have a strong market and be able to provide fish for that strong market.

Caviar is harvested during December and January, and the spawning of sturgeon is just around the corner. Sales were very strong during the Christmas holiday. Caviar is aged and stored for sales throughout the year, including the next Christmas season. At the same time, we’re harvesting caviar for next year.

Live trout sales are particularly strong in Southern California during the winter months, supplying large fishing lakes for recreational fishing. Trout are also processed for direct sales to consumers and for the restaurant trade.

Several fish crops in California are awaiting the spring season. The fish species—including sturgeon, channel catfish, largemouth bass and hybrid carp—undergo a cooling period in the winter. As temperatures rise, they begin to develop eggs. Warmer temperatures are needed after the eggs hatch and the small fish are set out to grow.

The areas where fish are raised go from the Oregon border to the Mexican border, with different climates, temperatures and water supply. California has the most variety of aquaculture products in the U.S. because of our climate, water and market. We raise a lot of fish here, and we want to be the leader in aquaculture.