ALBANIA
The ďŹ sh are fed using a vessel equipped with a feed cannon that sprays feed into the cage distributing it evenly by rotating, raising, and lowering the nozzle.
under the nets. The water temperature is also very good. Although it is 26 degrees at the surface, this falls to 22 degrees at 7 m and to 20 degrees at 11-12 m which is the depth of the cages.
Farm management measures are enough to combat gill parasite Being relatively isolated also reduces the risk of disease
A drone equipped with sensors and a camera monitors the welfare of the ďŹ sh and the condition of the nets and the cages. 40
spreading from other seabass and seabream cages in the vicinity. So far disease has not been an issue, says Mr Furlan. What we have experienced is the gill parasite Sparicotyle chrysophrii, which can be controlled by changing the cage nets. The parasite larvae colonise the nets, so if the fish are monitored regularly the nets can be changed before the larvae reach a stage where they pose a threat to the fish. To do this, Mr Furlan has invested in an underwater drone. The machine is equipped with a 100 m cable, a camera, and sensors to measure water temperature and depth. The camera streams video to a mobile telephone which can also be used to control the drone. Apart from monitoring the nets the drone is also used to check the welfare of the fish and inspect the cages – checking for holes in the net, the presence of dead fish etc. The infected nets can be dried in the sun to get rid of the parasite and then reused. Every day I take samples of 3-5 cages, analyse them, and write up a report, says Mr Furland. The drone has made
a significant difference as it allows him to take samples of 15 cages a day if necessary, while a diver would only be able to inspect 3-5 cages in the same period.
Modern technology distinguishes Almarine from other producers Almarine is the biggest producer of seabream in Albania, says Mr Furlan, and the farm with the most modern technology. The landing site, where the harvested fish is brought and from where the vessels go out to the cages, has
one building, a converted ammunition store built into the hillside, for storage of feed and fuel for the vessels. Another building is for the staff. At the jetty a couple of vessels are moored including one with a crane to empty the feed into the feeding vessel’s storage tank. The feeding vessel sails out to the cages and delivers the feed by spraying it into the water with the help of a feeding cannon. The fish is currently grown to two size categories, 300-400 g and 400-600 g and it takes 15-17 months to reach market size, says Mr Furlan. Once the fish is harvested it is brought to the nearby town of Orikum to a packaging facility certified by Global Gap and Den Norske Veritas. Here it is graded in a machine from a reputed Icelandic manufacturer and then packaged in expanded polystyrene boxes, covered in ice, loaded on pallets and refrigerated preparatory to being distributed. Almarine exports its entire production of 1,200 tonnes to Italy, where it is sold by the Italian partner. The product is fresh whole round fish which is harvested and sent by truck on board a ferry bound for Bari or Ancona. This way the fish is on the market in Italy within 24 hours of being harvested and is sold in mainly through supermarkets in the central and northern parts of the country.
Almarina Or Srl Orikum, Vlora Albania Tel.: +355 68 4013389, +355 69 8296075 www.rossimare.it Managing Director: Sheme Kondi Sanitary Controller: Franco Furlan
Production: Seabream Cages: 2 x 15 cages of 30 m diameter Volumes: 1,200 t Product form: Whole round ďŹ sh on ice Markets: Italy Customers: Supermarkets Employees: 29 (of which 16 on the farm)
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