Freshwater trout or tilapia pond farm

Local restaurants, grocers, farmers' markets, ethnic food stores and households buying at the farm gate. Some farms also run fee-fishing ponds.

You sell by weight, whole or as fillets if you have approved processing. Selling direct and offering fee-fishing can improve margins.

• Daily care routine and attention to detail
• Basic water quality and fish health knowledge
• Practical skills for plumbing, pumps and equipment

• Provincial aquaculture licences, water use permits and rules on which species you may raise, all vary by province
• Environmental and discharge rules, and zoning for your land, so check with your municipality
• Selling processed fish may require a food business permit or inspection
• Power or pump failure can lose a whole tank of fish, so plan backups
• Winter ice and heating costs for tanks, plus commercial general liability insurance

Startup costs for a small trout or tilapia farm are typically estimated at around $15,000 to $75,000, depending on whether you use ponds or recirculating tanks, your land and your equipment. Monthly revenue is estimated at roughly $1,500 to $7,500.

Rules vary by province, so check provincial aquaculture licences, water use permits and which species you may raise. Also check environmental and discharge rules, zoning with your municipality, and whether selling processed fish needs a food business permit or inspection.

Estimates suggest at least around 15 hours a week, built around a daily care routine for feeding, water quality and fish health. Basic fish health knowledge and practical skills with plumbing, pumps and equipment help, as does a backup plan for power failure.