Pioneer in cage farming for trout

A consultant from Turkey is supervising the building of the cages using expertise from Turkey with support from the farming company.

The aquaculture industry in Romania is dominated by the farming of cyprinids in earthen ponds and reservoirs. Around the turn of the century the cultivation of rainbow trout started and production has grown steadily since then. Trout is now perhaps the single most important species farmed in Romania.

Gheorghe Lazarescu the director of SC Serviciile Comerciale Romane SA, has been planning a new trout farming project for the last two years. The project application was submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2013 as Mr Lazarescu was applying for support from the European Fisheries Fund. The project was to farm rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in cages and ultimately using the experience gained to also cultivate other species of trout, for example, Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). The application was finally approved and the project received 60% support from the EFF.

Growth closely linked to water temperature

Water temperature is critical for the successful farming of trout and the optimal temperature for cultivation is below 21 degrees C. Mr Lazarescu will produce the fish in a hydropower dam lake in the Carpathian mountains some 150 km east of Iasi. The temperature of the water in summer is around 24 degrees C, but it occasionally increases to 25 degrees at the surface. However, at a depth of three or four meters the temperature drops 3-4 degrees in the summer. The problem is not so much one of survival – trout can withstand temperatures ranging from 0 to 27 degrees – but one of growth. Feeding and spawning is in a much narrower temperature band, 9-14 degrees. Mr Lazarescu is therefore planning to use a variety of trout bred in Turkey that grows even at high temperatures.

The water temperature is also affected by the level of water in the lake with lower levels generally meaning higher temperatures. This year the water level is lower than usual as the electricity company has been generating electricity from the dam all around the year, which is not typically the case. In addition, the rainfall over the last few months has been lower than usual, which probably also has an impact on the water level in the lake. Apart from leading to higher temperatures in summer the low water levels can also cause the lake to freeze in winter. A decade ago when the lake froze a number of rectangular cages that were in the lake were destroyed by the ice, but Mr Lazarescu is not unduly perturbed. Firstly, the construction materials are rated to -40 degrees, and if the lake freezes it will he hopes just push the cages higher without damaging them. The fish themselves will move to the bottom of the cage, where the temperature is a little higher, but will not feed – or grow.

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Cages to be commissioned in two stages

The lake is very big, measuring 100 sq. kilometres and with a maximum depth of 70 m. It is also the only Romanian lake that has a harbour and vessels that take tourists in summer to look at the natural flora and fauna. The company has an area of three hectares, where the cages will be moored. Mr Lazarescu plans to reach a production of 250-300 tonnes of fish by 2016, but much will depend on the weather in winter. The first production will start with 0.6m to 1m fry, which will be acquired from suppliers in Turkey, Hungary and Romania. So far 17 cages have been assembled and are waiting at the edge of the lake to be taken to the site and moored in place. These cages are equipped with nets with a mesh size of 10 mm, while the next set of cages will have nets with a 16 mm mesh size and will be ready in spring next year. Altogether the farm will comprise 32 cages, most of them circular cages with a diameter of 16 m and nets that extend to 8 m, but with four 6 by 4 m rectangular cages for transporting fish as well.

While commercial production will commence in 2016, in reality it will be a period of experimentation and observation. We are going to try different feeds and different strains of trout from Poland, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, and possibly even Denmark, says Mr Lazarescu, and closely monitor the results so that we can see what works best in this environment. Although trout is widely grown in Romania, the fish are typically kept in raceways, ponds, or recirculation systems. Cage farming is a novelty; Mr Lazarescu thinks his farm will be the first in the country to culture trout in cages. He was inspired, he says, by Turkey, where this kind of production is well established, but is also aware of similar systems in Norway and Denmark. But in Scandinavia the equipment is much too expensive, he observes. We need the technology from there – but at Turkish prices. For the cages the company has therefore sourced the materials locally, but has a consultant from Turkey with a team that is supervising the actual assembly.

Some fish to be grown to large sizes

The time it takes for the fish to reach market size depends on when it is placed in the cages. If introduced in September the fish have three to four months when growth will be high and by January can even reach 200-250 g. But if introduced in October or November it will only be May or June when the fish reach the same weight, reckons Mr Lazarescu. He anticipates harvesting the fish when they reach 300 g, which according to him is the limit the market will accept. However, the company is also looking at market niches in Germany and the Netherlands that demand trout of up to 4 kg. In this case some of the fish will stay in the cages for up to two years. This fish, either whole or as fillets, will be aimed at the Horeca sector in these countries. In the medium term the company is also looking at establishing a processing plant, where the fish can be gutted, filleted, or smoked as the production of fresh fish alone is not economically sustainable. The processing facility will be built in the area around the dam, where it can draw on the relatively cheap supply of electricity. In addition, Mr Lazarescu would also like to upgrade his hatchery. At the moment the production is hampered by the limited water supply and he is considering investing in a recirculation system which would enable an increase in output.

The company has ambition plans that should contribute to an impressive increase in the overall trout production in Romania if they all come to fruition. Much however will depend on how they have been conceived and implemented. Other producers have had to scale back their production as a result of errors in planning. But the continued interest in trout farming will enable the development of experience and capacity that will stand the industry in good stead in the future.