He started raising the fish — tilapia — five months ago in ponds off Lower Klamath Lake Road. Tilapia are algaeeating, warm-water fish   that originated in Africa and the Mediterranean.

   “The geothermal makes this possible,” he said.

   Barnes, 46, and his wife, Dawn, are the first, and so far only people, in Oregon to be licensed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to raise tilapia.

   Barnes operates a business called Gone Fishing and has raised African cichlids, an aquarium fish, for 19 years.    

    When he decided to expand, he applied for and received a Community Development Block Grant through the Southern Central Oregon Economic Development District that helped him pay for the fish and food. Each fish costs about 10 cents.

   He had a hard time convincing Fish and Wildlife officials that his plan to raise tilapia would work, and he had to keep documenting water temperatures until they were convinced.

South Central Oregon Economic Development District officials worked with Barnes long before he was ready to purchase the fish, said executive director Betty Riley.

   “His vision is to be able to produce the tilapia here locally and be able to expand his business to be able to enter into contracts with larger fish suppliers,” she said.

   Economic development officials helped him with state regulations, developing a business strategy and phasing it in with consideration for additional loans.

   Currently, he employs two people at Gone Fishing. But, if Barnes reaches his goal of contracting with other fish suppliers, he may hire an additional 18.

   “A part of it is sitting down and writing out a business plan,” she said.