LITHUANIA
other companies, and also has plans for a fish café or restaurant. Kintai is currently involved with the tourism industry, and can potentially supply its fish to a restaurant and hotel along the river Minija. Furthermore, a new fish shop is in development, which would open in Vilnius in August. Vasaknos currently only sells its own products, but it too is interested in expanding
to an eating establishment. It has discussed opening a fish bistro close to its shops, as well as perhaps a culinary manufacturer. Reaching the online market is also a possibility that has been discussed. Kintai is working on selling its products online, perhaps for next year. Išlaužo žuvis prefers direct interaction with its
customers, though, and maintains that the personal interaction is what sets these businesses apart from their bigger competitors. The owners of Išlaužo žuvis believes that the variety and quality of shops such as their own will make them more popular in the future. Consumers have demonstrated a desire for greater knowledge about the origins of their food, including
how a fish was bred and its special characteristics; smaller retailers are uniquely suited to providing such detail. A growing inclination for healthy eating in Lithuania, as well as increasing purchasing power, should benefit the continued growth of such shops. Katie Duggan, Eurofish katie@eurofish.dk
Sea-fisheries and aquaculture laboratory opens in Lithuania
An investment in developing Lithuanian maritime technology The Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania has established and opened a sea-fisheries and aquaculture laboratory, the construction and modernisation of which were funded by the European Fisheries Fund. The laboratory was created through the Programme of Integrated Science, Studies and Business Centre for the Development of the Lithuanian Maritime Sector.
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ccording to Virginija Bal. traitiene , the Minister of Agriculture, the aims of the programme include creating modern infrastructure for the general needs of Lithuania’s maritime research, academic studies and technological development; encouraging more active applications of scientific output in production and business; incubating start-ups that will develop practical applications of scientific output; opening possibilities for cooperation among knowledge-demanding maritime businesses, academic institutions and research teams; strengthening the competitiveness of Lithuanian maritime research and technologies in international markets; and creating conditions for attracting more foreign investment to business and research activities within Lithuania’s maritime sector.
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Self-contained system for breeding fish Building the laboratory entailed rearranging the premises of the Fishery Research and Science Division of the Fisheries Service; installing 3 modules of a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for aquaculture experiments and scientific research; creating a mesocosm system and experimental flume for fundamental and applied experimental ecology research under controlled environmental conditions; and servicing the molecular biology laboratory. . . According to Indre Šidlauskiene, the Fisheries Service Director, the installed RAS will enable various experiments related to the growth of fish and other aquatic organisms in small spaces by minimizing negative impacts on the natural environment. Recirculating aquaculture
The opening of the new sea-fisheries laboratory by the Fisheries Service in Lithuania.
is a growing aquaculture sector, as it has many advantages compared to traditional aquaculture. The controlled conditions create an optimal
environment for fish growth, and illnesses and parasites can be prevented more easily within such closed systems. In addition, the Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2016
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