LATVIA
Mere Shrimp Farms breeds vannamei in a recirculation plant
Successful trial leads to ambitious expansion plan Aquaculture in Latvia consists primarily of the production of common carp farmed in earthen ponds. The volume of ďŹ sh produced has remained broadly stable for the last decade at about 500 tonnes. Although carp production still dominates the total output from the aquaculture sector, its relative importance has gradually decreased over the last decade, from about nine tenths of the total production to about three fourths. The reason is the gradual increase in the production of other species including rainbow trout, sturgeon, crucian carp and pike. Production of these species has led to 26% increase in the total farmed ďŹ sh production in the decade to 2014 to 680 tonnes. Developments in technology, and support from European funds have contributed to the increase in production. Recirculation systems that use very modest quantities of fresh water relying instead on a system of filters to clean and reuse the water several times are becoming more common. The ability to closely control all the parameters influencing the growing environment makes it easier and more predictable to manage a farm and these systems are therefore increasing in popularity. In Latvia, sturgeon, trout, and most recently, whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), a warmwater shrimp, are among the species being cultivated in recirculation systems.
farmer operates a biogas system using the biomass produced on the farm to generate electricity. The excess heat generated by the plant is used to warm the water to the temperature that is needed to grow the shrimp. A cheap source of heat was a compelling argument to move the cultivation to the dairy farm despite the cost and effort of dismantling and rebuilding the system and Mr Dzelme immediately began to consider expanding the operation. The plan is to develop the facility in three stages each of which will
result in a production of about 35 tonnes of shrimp. Much of the preliminary work has been completed and now the drawings are being prepared so that building for the first stage will commence around the middle of 2016. In contrast, the pilot plant that is currently running has a production of 2 to 2.5 tonnes. This is very small, says Mr Dzelme, and it means that although we are selling the shrimp, we cannot start approaching the retail chains or food service sector as we do not
yet have the volumes they need us to supply. We have been surprised by the demand for the product, which despite its high price is very popular. The company has therefore temporarily stopped all marketing activity as it has led to expectations from customers that Mere Shrimp cannot yet meet. The expansion plans include the building of a hatchery as the production of large volumes of shrimp is more economical when the post larvae are produced inhouse. Currently, with a much lower level of production, the
Excess heat from biogas unit is a cheap source of energy The cultivation of warmwater shrimp was started by Gints Dzelme in 2013 in Riga. The facility was a pilot unit, which operated for about six months during which time the system was tested. Following this the company relocated to Dobele an hour outside Riga, where a dairy farmer offered them space. In addition to the production of milk, the www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Annual production is currently limited to some 2.5 tonnes, but plans to expand this to 35 tonnes are almost finalised. Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2016
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