Bay Area fish farm is one of world’s largest pet fish distributors

GIBSONTON, Fla. - Pet fish lovers across the Bay Area don’t have to travel far to fill their tanks. 

Segrest Farms, which has locations in three Bay Area counties, started in 1962 with 12 tanks. At the time, it raised angelfish for a distributor that shipped the fish by rail up to New York before air transport was an option. Since then, it has grown into the largest distributor of tropical fish in the world. 

Segrest has six production farms and distributes the fish throughout North America, South America, the EU and occasionally to South Africa.

"We raise ornamental fish, or what you would consider to be pet fish. Fish that you keep in your aquarium," Sandy Moore, of Segrest Farms, explained.

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Inside Segrest Farms packing house is about 6,000 freshwater aquariums where it packs fish for retailers across the country. On any given week, it has about 1,000 different fish and it turns the inventory in the building about two and half times each week.

Segrest has six production farms in the Bay Area and it distributes fish to North America, South America, the EU and occasionally to South Africa.

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The farm’s most popular fish is the neon tetra, which was first introduced to the market before WWII. The fish came over on the Hindenburg and cost $1 apiece at the time. Now, those fish are sold by the tens of thousands.

To keep the fish alive for their journey, the company gives them a mild sedative to lower the fish’s heart rate so they can conserve oxygen throughout their trip. 

LINK: Learn more about Segrest Farms at http://www.segrestfarms.com/ .