22 FARM FOCUS

October 2010 www.intrash.com

Turbot farm gears up for market launch

Irelands Atlantic west coast is home to a new turbot farm, set to hit the domestic and international restaurant market with fresh product next month.
Shay Fennelly
chill Island Turbot farm is about to send its first fish to market. We are planning to produce 80-100 metric tons when in full production and expect in November to begin selling fresh turbot to top restaurants and hotels for the Christmas market in Ireland and abroad, explains Managing Director Michael Flanagan. Ideally when in full production in 2011 we would like to produce two metric tons of turbot per week, he said. Flanagan has taken the project from initial conception through feasibility and planning to its current position. He has 20 years international business experience spanning the food and IT sectors. Fellow Director Ray-

Achill nearer to Milan than Galicia

mond Mairs, brings the benefit of over 40 years of aquaculture experience. He currently operates the largest trout farming business in Ireland and has previous experience in consultancy, new species development and established the first commercial trout aquaculture recirculation system in Ireland. His business has supplied leading multiple retailers in Ireland the UK. European turbot (Psetta maxima) is highly prized for its delicate flavour as premium commercial catch and it is farmed in France, Spain, Turkey, Chile, Norway and China. A flatfish found in shallow coastal waters it has a disk-shaped body, and has been known to grow up to 100 centimeters long and 25 kilos in weight.

Turbot farming attracted me and ticks all the boxes. A recirculation system causes no pollution, there is no problem with fish escaping as they are in tanks onshore and there is no visual impact on the seacoast, says Flanagan. Achill is nearer to Milan in Italy than Galicia, home of the biggest turbot farms in Europe. Achill Turbot plan initially to supply environmentally sustainable fresh whole turbot but in the longer term will add value by processing the fish. To buyers, freshness is of the greatest importance, and that is good news for the turbot farmers. A comparison between wild and farmed turbot revealed that the shelf life of the farmed variant is as much as nine days longer than the wild variant. Achill Island Turbot has invested in excess of 2 million ($2.7 million) in the onshore turbot fish farm. The

project was assisted in 2008 with funding from the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (72,078/$98,464) and the national exchequer (10,297/$14,067) and through grant aid by Udaras na Gaeltacht, an Irish government agency which promotes industrial development in Gaeltacht areas on Irelands west coast. Starting up was challenging, says Flanagan, as in Ireland

Turbot farming expansion slows due to downturn

Last year was a difcult year for the farmed turbot industry. According to Stolt Sea Farms (SFF) Pablo Garcia turbot prices declined by nearly one third as consumption fell, particularly in restaurants where SSF markets its largest and most protable sh. The industry has become more competitive with tighter margins. This has led to Stolt shifting its focus from restaurants to supermarkets. Last year Stolt is expecting continuing volitility in its markets with the possibility of improvement towards the end of the year. The Norwegian company is the largest producer of farmed turbot worldwide. Based in northwest Spain, Stolt has produced 4000 tonnes annually since 2007. In 2005 high-value farmed turbot sold at 9.50 ($11.46) per kilo which would have yield around 38 million ($46 million) for Stolts turbot sales. The European turbot farming industry began in Spain in the 1980s and today occurs principally in Spain, France and Portugal but also in Germany, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. In 2000 farmed production was 5500 metric tons and a steady demand has seen investment grow recently but the downturn is likely to slow planned developments. In 2006 Pescanova started building the worlds largest turbot farm, costing 200 million at Mira in Portugal to produce 7000 tonnes annually. The issue of access to coastal sites arose in Galicia, where Pescanova failed to obtain a permit to build new facilities, for reasons of protection of the coastal environment. The company therefore chose to implement its expansion projects in Portugal. Production at Mira has reached up to 2000 tonnes. Wild Turbot are caught by beam trawling the seabed. Highest landings are by Denmark and Holland. European wild catches now total only 5 000tonnes, having declined by one third over the last decade.

you have to get an aquaculture license and foreshore license before you can submit a planning application to the local county council authority. He says its impossible to get an industrial site on the seashore due to planning restrictions. The factory building and site they acquired are therefore located in an industrial business park on Achill Island that was formerly used for electrical assembly. Achill Island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Ireland West Knock airport is two hours away with direct flights to the UK, Spain and Portugal. First marine recirculation fish farm in Ireland Established in November 2008 on Achill Island, the farm uses a closed seawater recirculation system, which is a first of its type in Ireland. Farm manager Cathal Dineen, is an aquaculture fish scientist from Cork with a Masters in Aquaculture and BSc from University College Cork. Dineen has 15 years experience as a fish farmer and previously farmed salmon smolts, arctic char, rainbow and brown trout in Ireland,