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A fishy idea for filling old factories

Friday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel told about Sweet Water Organics, an urban fish and vegetable farm that is raising perch in a huge factory that Harnischfeger Industries once used to build mining cranes.

Hmm, I thought.

I like to fish. I also like Friday night fish fries. The story told how perch have largely disappeared from Lake Michigan, but through this company’s efforts, this once-popular Friday night menu option might return.

If you do find perch on a Wisconsin menu, it carries a hefty price because it likely comes from lakes Erie and Winnipeg. The story said Sweet Water’s owners hope their experiment will spawn more fish farms in vacant industrial buildings around the Milwaukee area.

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

Sweet Water hopes to “feed Milwaukee’s collective appetite for perch and to make Milwaukee a cutting-edge center of sustainable aquaculture.”

So here’s what came to mind: We like perch out in our neck of Wisconsin, as well. Why not perch such a farm out here in one of our vacant industrial buildings?

Of course, here’s the kicker: Don’t expect schools of jobs to flood such a factory around here. In a year’s time, Sweet Water has produced 3,000 perch and eventually hopes to produce more than that every two weeks. So far, however, Sweet Water employs just three full-time workers.

Well, at least such an endeavor might be better than letting our local vacant factories fall down from neglect.

Greg Peck