TOUGH ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS CREATE EXPORT SUCCESS

AQUACULTURE: Danish fish farmers, feed producers and equipment suppliers are operating in accordance with the world’s strictest environmental legislation

Denmark’s environmental legislation is among the strictest in the world, especially regarding aquatic environments. It has helped Danish fish farmers to develop the world’s best water treatment and recirculation systems for their fish farms. The demanding domestic market has thus formed a strong foundation for the development of both equipment components and complete aquaculture systems. The industry has gained a strong position on a number of export markets including Latin America where considerable growth in aquaculture is forecast. A large number of companies and research institutions in the industry have established AquaCircle, a knowledge centre which aims to provide the motive power to achieve further progress.

Global demand
“Worldwide, aquaculture will become increasingly important in the production of edible fish,” says Jacob Bregnballe, chairman of the Danish Aquaculture trade organisation. “FAO [the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations] estimates that by 2015, as many fish will be bred globally as will be caught in the sea. The growth in aquaculture will be knowledge and technology driven, so we anticipate a strong increase in global demand for these competencies.” Denmark is the largest exporter of farmed fish in the European Union, producing around 30,000 tons of trout, as well as eel and other species of fish in terrestrial and sea farms respectively.

“We aim to more than double production by 2015,” says Bregnballe. “With more than 100 years’ experience in feed, breeding technology and product processing, we are well prepared to extend our leading position in the EU.”

Test breeding
To double total production, it is planned to increase fish farm production of trout to 60,000 tons, increasing trout production fivefold in sea farms as well as tripling eel production to 5,000 tons annually. In addition, extensive research and test breeding of a number of other fish species such as turbot, Dover sole, cod, perch and pikeperch, are currently being conducted. “The objective is to double production, but without affecting the aquatic environment,” says Jacob Bregnballe. “This is where our accumulated know-how in AquaCircle comes into the picture. The expertise in fish farming, recirculation technology, feed production, aquatic environment and research which the knowledge centre possesses, will not only benefit the Danish industry but also aquaculture abroad.”

http://www.aquacircle.dk  

Recirculating water The chairman of the Danish Aquaculture trade organisation, Jacob Bregnballe, has a great deal of experience in fish farming. He began with turbot production, tried eel breeding and today produces rainbow trout – large steelheads intended for angling in putand-take lakes. This niche production gives him time to participate in a number of development projects aimed at strengthening Danish aquaculture. He runs Asnæs Fiskeopdræt, a fish farm, as well as Danaq, a company specialising in commercial aquaculture with a focus on recirculation technology. “Our knowledge is based on the 100 year old Danish fish farming tradition, supplemented with a long list of our international projects,” Bregnballe says. Test breeding cod Asnæs Fiskeopdræt was established close to one of Denmark’s largest power stations, Asnæsværket, which provides waste cooling water to the fish farm during the winter. The warm water is fed in directly The purest production in the EU “The development project has been placed here because of our state-of-the-art technology where we can simulate many of the conditions which influence the wellbeing of the fish. It is also a showcase for treatment, recirculation and disinfection of the water with UV light.” “I would go as far as to say that Danish fish farming is the purest form of fish production in the entire EU,” says Bregnballe. “That is also how it should be. In Denmark we have set very high environmental objectives, and that is one of the reasons why Danish fish farming has a strong position internationally.” The Danish Aquaculture trade organisation has around 300 members of whom around 200 are fish farmers. The rest are feed manufacturers, processing companies and equipment suppliers. http://www.steelhead.dk http://www.danaq.com