TURKEY
Sursan Su Urunleri AS: From ďŹ shing to ďŹ sh feed to aquaculture
Building a completely integrated production cycle Sursan Su Urunleri ďŹ shes for Black Sea anchovy to produce ďŹ shmeal and ďŹ sh oil, which is used to make ďŹ sh feed. This in turn nourishes Sursan’s aquaculture production of seabass and seabeam, which is ďŹ nally processed for domestic and international consumption.
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ursan’s proximity to Turkey’s Black Sea coast, where its factories are located, gives the company the advantage of using only the freshest raw material in its production of fish feed, whose rich nutritional values enhance the health-enhancing properties and taste of the fish they sell.
From fishmeal to fish farming Sursan is among the leading producers of fishmeal and fish oil in Turkey. The company was founded in 1981, and began producing fishmeal and fish oil at the facility in Yakakent. Since then, two more plants have opened, one in Rize to the east
of Samsun and one in Dikmen to the west. Originally, the fishmeal and fish oil were sold to Turkish fish- and chicken-feed factories as well as exported. In 2007, Sursan opened its own fish-feed factory and used the fishmeal and fish oil itself. Finally, in 2008, after the company opened its own seabass and seabream aquaculture facilities on Turkey’s west coast in the Aegean Sea, almost all of the fish feed has been sent there. The feed is transported daily from the factory to the on-growing sites, a distance of more than 1,000 km. In their aquaculture facilities, Sursan uses only its own feed, which not only gives them greater control over the production process, but also means that
Fishermen repairing nets preparatory to the start of the fishing season.
the fish ingest a high content of omega-3 fatty acids. Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) is used in the production of fishmeal and fish oil, and most of the catch in volume is anchovy. In Sursan’s production, approximately 75 per cent of its capture-fish production, comes from the Black Sea, and less than 10 per cent of the remaining catch is taken from the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Catching it themselves
One of Sßrsan’s vessels. The company has its own vessels but also signs contracts with independent fishermen for the supply of raw material. 44
The company began investing in fishing capacity in 1994. It owns two vessels that fish for anchovy on the Black Sea and deliver the fish to be processed
on a daily basis. Two more vessels are under construction and will be completed by year’s end. According to Mr BĂźlent Cetiner, manager of the fish-feed factory, “Now, our largest vessel is 62 m, but the trend is towards smaller vessels, which are faster and more manoeuvrable. We are renovating our two existing vessels, and we have contracts with up to 30 Black Sea vessels each year to fish for anchovy. Our board of directors justify the purchase of two new vessels because the fishing season is short, and new vessels ensure the constant availability of fishing capacityâ€?. The Turkish government mandates that, during the anchovyfishing season, all fishing must
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