Turkish hatcheries gear up for demand
26 May 2010
Dr Oguz Ucal, vice president of Kilic’s hatchery operations, admiring a handful of seabass fry.
European seabass and gilthead seabream hatcheries in Turkey are increasing fry production to meet increased demand, reports Velo Mitrovich.
The unexpected move for Turkish seabass and seabream hatcheries to ramp up fry production follows two years in which the country’s fry production figures dropped.
The decrease came about for various reasons including a government law forcing all Turkish farmers to move cages offshore, a massive Greek oversupply of farmed fish which nearly destroyed the industry, and effects of the global recession.
“In 2010 250 million fry will be produced in Turkey, which will translate to 65,000-70,000 tonnes of grow-out fish,” said Bertan Narlioglu of Inve, a specialist fry feed and enrichment company.
“At the beginning of the year it seemed that around 200 million fry were going to be produced but, surprisingly there is a demand from famers who are gambling the market will improve.”
Production peaked in Turkey in 2008 when the government started to promote fish farming, giving incentives and grants for fry and grow-out fish. That year there were around 320-330 million fry produced, equalling a grow-out of 85,000 tonnes.
Unfortunately, that same year Greece also massively increased production.
More than 1 billion seabass/bream fry were produced in the Mediterranean, producing 300,000 tonnes of fish that the market couldn’t absorb and prices plummeted.
At exactly the same time, the government insisted a law - on the books for sometime - was finally enforced, forcing all farms to move cages around one mile offshore. This couldn’t have come at a worse time for many farmers who couldn’t afford the move. From around 300 farming companies in Turkey, there are now about 50, and with fewer farms, there has been less demand for fry.
Kilic is the largest producer of seabass/bream fry in the Mediterranean. The Turkish company is pleased with the increased demand for fry but by also being Turkey’s largest producer of grown seabass/bream, it is watching developments closely.
Dr Oguz Ucal, vice president of Kilic’s hatchery operations, said he’s gearing up for the increased demand. But will the fish have a market in a year’s time when they are market ready? He said that’s a question he cannot answer.
The decrease came about for various reasons including a government law forcing all Turkish farmers to move cages offshore, a massive Greek oversupply of farmed fish which nearly destroyed the industry, and effects of the global recession.
“In 2010 250 million fry will be produced in Turkey, which will translate to 65,000-70,000 tonnes of grow-out fish,” said Bertan Narlioglu of Inve, a specialist fry feed and enrichment company.
“At the beginning of the year it seemed that around 200 million fry were going to be produced but, surprisingly there is a demand from famers who are gambling the market will improve.”
Production peaked in Turkey in 2008 when the government started to promote fish farming, giving incentives and grants for fry and grow-out fish. That year there were around 320-330 million fry produced, equalling a grow-out of 85,000 tonnes.
Unfortunately, that same year Greece also massively increased production.
More than 1 billion seabass/bream fry were produced in the Mediterranean, producing 300,000 tonnes of fish that the market couldn’t absorb and prices plummeted.
At exactly the same time, the government insisted a law - on the books for sometime - was finally enforced, forcing all farms to move cages around one mile offshore. This couldn’t have come at a worse time for many farmers who couldn’t afford the move. From around 300 farming companies in Turkey, there are now about 50, and with fewer farms, there has been less demand for fry.
Kilic is the largest producer of seabass/bream fry in the Mediterranean. The Turkish company is pleased with the increased demand for fry but by also being Turkey’s largest producer of grown seabass/bream, it is watching developments closely.
Dr Oguz Ucal, vice president of Kilic’s hatchery operations, said he’s gearing up for the increased demand. But will the fish have a market in a year’s time when they are market ready? He said that’s a question he cannot answer.
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