LITHUANIA
African catfish are a robust, rapidly growing species with flesh that has a texture reminiscent of meat. It has proved very popular in Lithuania where production has increased significantly the last few years.
Production of the fish increased first to 60 tonnes and then doubled 18 months later. A year after, the company set up a hatchery with broodstock to have a full production cycle, while at the same time continuing the experiments with the plants. A lot of information on aquaponics is available on the Internet, says Mr Vicknjnas, but we quickly discovered that it targeted mainly hobbyist which is very different from commercial producers. Today the company has solved many of the technical issues that had caused problems in the initial stages and is in the process of completely renovating and expanding the greenhouse, where a lot of new equipment will be installed. The renovated greenhouse has an area of 1,200 sq. m and it is placed above the building housing the fish. Commercial production of the plants is expected to gradually start in a couple of months and if the results are as good as they were in the trials, then the greenhouse will be expanded with a further
2,000 sq. m, though that will not happen this year. The focus right now, however, is on the fish production which is being expanded further to 500 tonnes, for which the construction and equipment purchases have already started. Part of the reason behind the rapid expansion is that the company is processing the fish into a series of ready-tocook products, like fish balls, fish burgers, fish en croute and other easily prepared items. Consumers need less than half an hour to make them and they are tasty and healthful, so demand has increased rapidly.
Big increase in Lithuanian African catfish production the last five or six years The heart of the fishfarm is its filtration systems. The action of bacteria, which are present in the biofilms that form on the plastic elements in a biofilter, coverts the dissolved nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from uneaten feed and fish
waste into bioavailable forms that can be used by the plants as fertiliser. This mechanism, in addition to offering benefits for the production of both fish and plants, significantly reduce the environmentally harmful discharges from aquaculture production. At Akvapona this fertiliser was tested on the plants and gave very good results, says Mr Vicknjnas. However, the water must be treated properly as the pH for the fish can be 7-8 while the plants prefer 6-6.5. This means that the production system must have monitoring stations to ensure that the water circulating between the plants and the fish has the appropriate pH for each type of organism. Catfish are a fast growing (1.5 kg in seven months), robust species well suited to production in aquaculture. In addition, the flesh is a dark colour and has an almost meaty texture making it popular amongst farmers and consumers alike. It is, however, highly sensitive to noise which can cause stress and loss of appetite. Five years ago, it was a relatively new species in Lithuania, but since then it has grown
in popularity. According to the FAO, African catfish production in Lithuania grew almost seven times from 46 tonnes in 2014 to 311 tonnes in 2019. Today, says Mr Vicknjnas, it is everyday fare. Consumers buy our fish as a regular meal option knowing that it has been produced in Lithuania, is very fresh, and has a long shelf life. The company’s facilities are located 90 minutes from Kaunas, a major logistics and distribution hub from where the product can get very rapidly to the rest of the country within a few hours. In comparison, imported products usually have a much shorter shelf life. The other reason for the popularity of catfish is the products that it is made into. At Akvapona some 20 value-added products have been created with catfish that are targeted at families with small children. In Mr Vicknjnas’ experience parents want their kids to eat fish, but it can be an uphill struggle. The products from Akvapona mix fish meat with other ingredients, vegetables,
EUROFISH Magazine 3 / 2021
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