Indoor Fish farming | Equipment

Planning
Construction
Service
Big Dutchman International GmbH
Dr. rer. nat. Marco Böer
Project Manager Business Unit Fish
P.O. Box 1163 · D-49377 Calveslage · Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 44 47/801-4801 · Fax +49 (0) 44 47/801-5-4801
[email protected] · www.bd-fish.de

Ahrenhorster Edelfisch GmbH & Co. KG

Hermann Otto-Lübker
Bornhagenweg 3 · D-49635 Badbergen-Vehs · Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 4447/801-4802 · Fax +49 (0) 4447/801-5-4802
[email protected]

Authors: Dr. rer. nat. Marco Böer, Hermann Otto-Lübker

Layout, text and typesetting: www.bitters.de

Edition: 2010

Disclaimer
The material presented here has been thoroughly researched and is believed to be
accurate and correct. However, the authors and publishers cannot be held legally
responsible for any errors. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, made with
respect to the information provided. Neither the authors nor publishers will be liable
for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use or inability to use the content of this publication.

All rights reserved.

© 2010 Big Dutchman International GmbH · Business Unit BD Fish3 Equipment

This brochure including all its parts is protected by copyright. Any use beyond the
narrow confines of the copyright law without the author’s approval is illegal and leads
to prosecution. This is particularly true for copies, translations, microfilming, and the
saving and processing in electronic systems.

We would like to thank the German Fish Information Centre “FIZ” (Fischinformations-
zentrum e.V.), the German Agricultural Society (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesell-
schaft, DLG) and the editorial office of “FischMagazin” for kindly providing graphics.
We also thank Mrs Dr Birgit Schmidt-Puckhaber for valuable contributions and sug-
gestions during the preparation.

Printed in Germany
 Content |3

Aquaculture What is aquaculture? 6

Levels of intensity in aquaculture 6
History of aquaculture 6
Husbandry systems 6
·································································································································································
Global production China no. 1 producer in the world 9
·································································································································································
Development fishery World fishery output stagnates 10
and aquaculture The wels catfish has great potential 11
·································································································································································
Indoor fish farming Recirculation technology 13
technology Cleaning systems 13
The BigPool3 system 13
3
The BigPool component parts 13
·································································································································································
Conditions for successful What you should know 18
indoor fish farming Water quality und -quantity 19
Energy supply 18
Emission und immission 19
Insulation and room climate 19
Discharge water 19
·································································································································································
Catfish rearing at Ahrenhorster The wels catfish 20
Edelfisch Husbandry conditions 20
Ecologically sound fish production 20
Health 20
Ways to the consumer 20
·································································································································································
Economic efficiency Costs and earnings 22
Production costs for three system sizes 22
Calculation of the live fish price 22
License 22
4|
 Dear reader |5

As part of the Big Dutchman Group, the core

business of BDFish3 Equipment is the establish-
ment of environmentally-sound indoor fish
farms. With Ahrenhorster Edelfisch GmbH &
Co. KG we have a strong partner with many
years of experience in indoor fish farming at our side. Our fish farms
are planned considering both the economic and environmental per-
formance of the system. For cost-effective operation, automation and
cost-conscious management are decisive preconditions. These are
the same principles that Big Dutchman has followed since 1938 in
the development and realisation of feeding systems and housing
equipment for modern pig and poultry production.

The Big Dutchman brand symbolises quality, reliability and profi-

Big Dutchman is tability all over the world. Innovative technology, constant further
represented in more development of systems in response to market needs and customized
than 100 countries solutions are part of the successful corporate strategy.
worldwide. The com-
plete product range Big Dutchman is regarded as market leader in the field of animal hus-
for modern livestock bandry equipment: our name stands for reliable quality, quick service
production is sold by and unsurpassed know-how on five continents in more than 100
several daughter countries. Innovation led by our company has significantly influenced
companies and inde- modern livestock management.
pendent agencies.
Thanks to this fine We are working on keeping it that way.
network, Big Dutch-
man customers profit
from the expertise of
a worldwide orga-
nization.

Dr. rer. nat. Marco Böer Hermann Otto-Lübker

Project manager Consulting
 6| Aquaculture

“Against the background of stagnant yields from marine

and freshwater capture fisheries, aquaculture is gaining
in importance.”

What is aquaculture?
Aquaculture may Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms for carp production. In the 1960s, systems for the
use fresh water, including fish, molluscs and crustaceans, as well production of Atlantic salmon in marine submer-
brackish or salt as water plants (FAO). Farming in this context in- sible cages were developed, first in Norway, then
water. cludes any engagement in the manipulation of the in Scotland and later on also in other countries.
Production may environment to increase productivity. This includes Closed recirculation systems were developed ap-
take place in cold measures such as stocking, feeding and protection proximately 30 years ago and have constantly been
or warm water, against predators for example. In contrast to capture further developed and improved.
with different levels fisherys, in aquaculture the organisms always be-
of intensity and in long to and are controlled and provided for by one
different produc- person or corporate body. Wild fish in open water Husbandry systems
tion systems. are ownerless and left to their own resources. This In the course of history, different husbandry sys-
makes aquaculture comparable with agricultural tems for aquatic organisms have been developed.
production methods. A principal distinction is made between systems
such as natural ponds (banking) or earth ponds
(simple excavation) located in the natural environ-
Levels of intensity in aquaculture ment and artificial and more controllable techno-
Extensive | Cultivated organisms live on the feed logies, such as concrete ponds and channels, net
Illustration below: which is naturally available in their environment, cages or recirculation systems.
Fish bowl approx. no additional feed is supplied, the input to output
1450 B.C.; Nile ratio is relatively small. Pond management | The classic technology for the
tilapia (Oreochro- production of fish and seafood is the pond. Pond
mis niloticus) as Intensive | Water organisms are kept in high stocking based husbandry goes back several centuries.
symbol for rebirth. densities with exclusively artificially supplied feed, Apart from the rain-fed pond which depends solely
The Egyptians the input to output ratio is relatively large. on rainfall, ponds use natural water resources in
believed that this flow-through systems.
mouth-brooder
recreated itself History of aquaculture Water rights are required for the use of natural sur-
(Egyptian Museum The beginnings of fish farming go back to the cul- face waters for aquaculture purposes. Today it is
Berlin). tivation of freshwater fish in China during the Han rather difficult to acquire water rights for traditio-
Dynasty more than 4,000 years ago. Evi- nal pond based systems. Existing farms intensify
dence of fish farming in Mesopotamia production through better utilisation of the existing
more than 3,500 years ago has been water (air and/or oxygen enrichment, waste water
found. In Europe this type of farming treatment) or by using high-quality breeding stock
was introduced with the Roman Em- and high-quality feedstuffs.
pire. In Germany, the first ponds for
fish farming were described in the
11th and 12th century. They were used
 |7

Ponds are farmed with different intensities. Carp the world, the increasing requirements cannot Top left: trout pro-
ponds (carp, tench, catfish, pike and pike perch) are be met solely by aquaculture traditional methods duction in natural
often managed extensively, i.e. only with natural such as pond or channel systems. That means other ponds, centre: two
feed, whereas some trout farms (trout, sea trout, production methods such as those based on net- different channel
brook trout) use very intensive management ap- cages or recirculation will have to be used. systems for the
proaches. production of sal-
Modern methods in aquaculture include farming of mon; top right and
Channel systems | Channel systems require large organisms in recirculation systems. Recirculation below: net cage
amounts of water from natural water resources systems have the advantage that they simulate the systems for pro-
(water rights). Due to their artificial linings (walls natural self-cleaning abilities of marine and fresh- duction of salmon
etc.) and the resulting controlled flow rates, much water ecosystems. in Norway.
higher stocking densities can be achieved compa-
red with systems based on ponds with natural sides
and bottoms. Normally, fish in these systems are
fed with extruded high-energy feed and the water
is enriched with oxygen. It is possible to achieve
stocking densities of 80 kg trout per m3. Additional
waste water treatment in modern systems allows
the reuse of some of the water.

Net cage management | The fish are kept in an

existing water body (fjord, lake, bay, open water) in
nets or in cages.

Even though this method is a very economic form

of fish production, permits for net-cage farms are
issued only in special cases in Germany. The dis-
charge of fish excrement and uneaten feed into the
water body is a significant burden on the environ-
ment. However, there are new technologies which
offer diverse possibilities for water treatment and
are already in use in several European countries.

Recirculation systems | Human population growth

and economic development will lead to increased
consumer demand for high quality protein. Due to
limited land and water resources in many parts of
8| Global production

“According to information published by the Food & Agriculture

Organization (FAO), aquaculture1 currently produces almost half
of the global seafood production.”

1
including algae
 |9

China no. 1 producer in the world

Approximately 500 types of aquatic species and Norway is placed among the top ten in the global According to FAO,
plants are now produced using aquaculture, high- ranking both in fishing and in aquaculture and is marine fisheries
quality products beeing preferret. The most im- the number one production country in Europe, fol- are exploited so
portant high-quality products include fish, aquatic lowed by Spain, France and the United Kingdom. intensively that
plants (algae) as well as shellfish and crustaceans. further increases
In the Asia-Pacific region, especially in China and in output are not
According to official FAO statistics the total pro- South Asia, aquaculture is characterised by the possible.
duction of fishery and aquaculture – including the production of cyprinids (carp). The most important
production of algae – has constantly increased in fish types in Europe are trout and salmon. The four
recent years and reached 159.1 million tonnes in main species of fish produced in aquaculture in
2008. This includes 68.3 million tonnes (including Europe (in tonnes) are rainbow trout, salmon, sea
algae) from aquaculture. That means that aqua- bream and carp. German aquaculture produces
culture makes up for almost half of the global sea- mainly rainbow trout, carp, eel and sturgeon.
food production.

In 2008, the countries in the Asian-Pacific region

made up for more than 91,7 % of the worldwide
aquaculture production. The largest aquacultural
producers are China, India, Thailand and Indonesia.
In comparison, the EU accounts for only four percent
of the world’s entire aquacultural production.
including algae

World capture and aquaculture1 fishery production (FAO 2010) The most important aquaculture1 products 2008 (FAO 2010)
Other Crustaceans
Marine and
1%
1

Megatons migratory fish

7%
160
7%
Freshwater
155
fish
150
42%
145 19% Molluscs

140

135
23%
130

125

120 Algae

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 quantity in tonnes

 10 | Development fishery and aquaculture

World fishery output stagnates The wels catfish has great potential
Illustrations from While the worldwide aquaculture has grown by There were four farms producing the wels catfish
left: trout, salmon, 7.5 % per year on average since 1970, the harvest (Silurus glanis) in Germany in 2008 using recircu-
carp and sea of world fishery is stagnating or, for some fish lation systems. They produced a total of 205 tons.
bream are the most types, is receding. This decline of fishery output
popular farmed fish can be traced to inadequate controls on fishing and The largest wels catfish producer is located in Bad-
species on the to pollution (chemical and acoustic) of the ocean. bergen-Vehs in the northwestern part of Germany.
European market. To meet the increasing demand, the total produc-
including algae

Development of the production output of fishery and aquaculture1 tion of the fish farm has increased to 115 tons in the
쏋쏋 Fisheries (million) 쏋쏋 Aquaculture (million)
last couple of years.
Megatonnes per year
1

90 According to experts, the market potential for wels

85 catfish lies in the region of 4,000 tons plus per year.
80

75

FAO forecasts 70

predict that aqua- 65

60
culture production
55
will rise to 80 mil-
50
lion tonnes by 2020.
45

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

According to FAO statistics, aquaculture is the fas-

test growing primary food production sector. This
is due to the growing world population and increa-
sed nutritional awareness. FAO forecasts that by
2020 one half of the worldwide fishery harvest will
be supplied by aquaculture.
 | 11

“Aquaculture is the fastest growing

food production sector.”

Significant reductions in
fishery yields, the bad
management of wild
fisheries and an increasing
scarcity of high-quality
water resources have
contributed to the strong
growth of aquaculture
in the last decade.
12 | Indoor fish farming technology

“With its modular system for innovative fish farming, BDFish³

Equipment offers a solid package of field-proven technology for
completely healthy fish!”

MMS O2 pH NH4 NO3

(multi-measuring
system)

waste water
treatment
 | 13

Recirculation technology The BigPool3 component parts

In Germany, recirculation systems are used mainly A BDFish³ Equipment indoor fish farm is made up
for the farming of warm-water species. In order to of the following technical components:
be able to re-use the process water, specially adap-
ted water treatment systems are used. Normally Pond
the treatment systems consist of biological and me- • Fish pond
chanical cleaning stages for the removal of suspen- • Biological cleaning stage (bioreactor)
ded material and excrements. • Sedimentation
Pipe systems for
• Water
Cleaning systems • Aeration
Two broad categories of systems are used: • Wastewater
Control and monitoring
External cleaning system | The equipment for the • Harvesting, weighing and sorting
mechanical and biological treatment of circulation • Feeding
water are located outside of the pond. • pH-value
• Fresh water supply
Internal cleaning system | The holding pond and • Process air supply
the equipment for the mechanical and biological • Climate and heat control
water treatment are integrated in one large vessel. • Central water analysis
Energy supply
• Co-generation plant and alternative
The BigPool3 system energy source
BDFish3 Equipment uses an internal cleaning system • Various heat exchanger and heat recovery units
in its recirculation systems. The cleaning system is Air supply
integrated into the holding vessel and includes bio- • Roots blowers
logical treatment of the holding water and sedimen- Fresh water supply
tation. Outside cleaning systems have high opera- Feed unit
ting costs due to the high energy requirements for Harvesting, weighing and sorting equipment
the additional pumping required. The internal cle- Waste water treatment system and container for
aning system from BDFish3 Equipment is charact- fish slurry
erized by its low energy consumption and high
efficiency which are both very important factors for In general, the fish ponds are divided in three parts
the profitability of an indoor fish farm. (holding tank, bioreactor, sedimentation).

Each module consists of several ponds, their num-

ber depends on the production capacity.
14 | BigPool3

“The daily water renewal rate is five to ten percent of

the total capacity including evaporation.”

Ponds are first stocked with young fish with an water conditions for the fish, a certain amount of
average weight of 90 g. These are regularly sorted water is removed from the system and replaced by
according to growth rates in order to maintain an make-up water. The water renewal rate of our indoor
optimal stock of uniform fish in each pond. In or- fish farm system is between five and ten percent
der to provide the fish with optimum conditions, per day including evaporation. The daily withdrawal
the water must be cleaned. Underneath the biolo- of water is mainly attributed to the discharge of
gical filter, large amounts of air enter the system sludge arising from fish excrement and uneaten
through a special ventilation system. The air lifts the feed.
water column in the bioreactor and thus creates a
current in the pond. This also supplies the micro- Through settling, waste feed and excrement collect
organisms with oxygen. A longtitudinal current is in funnels in the sedimentation section which ma-
generated throughout the fish pond creating an kes up the third unit of our ponds. The sediment is
optimum uniform distribution of all solutes (oxy- automatically transferred to a waste water treat-
gen etc.). The modular construction of the system ment system by means of an air lift pump which
allows water to be exchanged between the ponds transports the sediment from the funnels.
by means of a bypass. Thanks to this, all the water
in a module can be circulated in 2.5 hours. The fish excrement and unused feed pass from the
fish pond sedimentation equipment via the drai-
The pond, as well as the water pipes, air duct and nage network to the waste water treatment system.
drainage network are made of hard-wearing and In this special reactor, decomposition of nitrogen
food-safe plastic. from the nitrate (denitrification) and organic con-
stituents (carbon decomposition) take place. In a
The core of our recirculation systems is the bio- further stage, phosphorus is removed from the
reactor and the ventilation. Thanks to the biologi- waste water. The resulting purified water can be dis-
cal treatment of the production water, the fish are charged to the municipal sewer system or a recep-
provided with ideal growth conditions. Inside the tion pond. The fish slurry produced during this pro-
bioreactor, the nitrogen excreted by the fish as am- cess is transferred to a storage container from whe-
monia is oxidized to nitrate via nitrite by means re it can be taken and used as fertilizer for agricul-
of micro-organisms (nitrification), similar to the tural purposes.
biological processes in natural waters. The micro-
organisms accumulate on the substrate of the fixed- The so-called fish slurry is pumped into a large sto-
bed bioreactor and form a so-called biofilm. The rage pond from where it can be taken and used as
entire bioreactor unit is called the bio-package. fertilizer for agricultural purposes. By flowing
through an aerobic and an anaerobic biological
Recirculation systems are not completely closed. In chamber, discharging water is cleaned and can
order to prevent the accumulation of certain sub- then be released into a reception or refining pond
stances (such as nitrate) and thus provide optimum or into the municipal sewer system.
 | 15

High-Rise-System BigPool3
 16 | BigPool3

“The advantage of the modular design lies in the

ability to adapt the system capacity to customer
requirements.”

Air is supplied to the fish and microorganisms in Harvesting and sorting equipment | Fish grow at
The BigPool³ the fish pond by means of roots blowers. Depending different rates during the growing cycle. To achie-
system has been on the size of the farm, one or more roots blowers ve uniform results, they have to be sorted. To this
developed under share the provision of air. Another blower with the end, a BDFish³ Equipment indoor fish farm uses an
production prac- same performance specifications supports the sys- automated harvesting and sorting unit. For sorting
tice conditions tem in stand-by operation in order to supply the or harvesting, the water is drained from the pond
and has been used system with air in the event of mechanical failure. into a collection tank. From here, the fish are trans-
successfully for In the event of a power failure, an emergency power ferred individually to an automatic weighing and
several years. unit guarantees the continued operation of the sorting system. After sorting the fish are allocated
roots blowers and hence the supply of air to the to their respective ponds via a system of pipes. De-
fish and microorganisms. pending on the development of the fish, the
sorting procedure is carried out 2 to 3 times per
The entire production control, monitoring and do- growing cycle. For harvesting, the fish pass
cumentation as well as targeted alarms is carried out through the weighing and sorting system again.
by the process control Fish Management and Con- Market-ready fish with an average weight of 1.9 kg
trol System FIMACS based on pre-set management are sorted out automatically and transferred to an
parameters. This process control system has been appropriate transport container via a system of pipes.
specially-developed by BDFish³ Equipment software
engineers. Production output (t/a) 30 60 135
Number of ponds 12 24 48
Number of modules 2 4 8
Feeding system | To reduce the work involved in a
Water volume
BDFish³ Equipment indoor fish farm, the feed is fish ponds (m3) 10 10 10
supplied to the fish automatically on a daily basis. Water volume
The automated feeding system consists of five total system (m3) 210 420 840
components: a feed container capable of storing Maximum
water demand/24h (m3) 21 42 84
large quantities of feed, a vehicle to a first dispen-
Required
ser, another vehicle which transports the feed space (approx. m2) 500 800 1300
through the system, and one or more automated Energy demand
feeders which deliver the feed to the fish. Feed has Electricity demand (kW) 10 18 35
a decisive effect on economic viability in indoor Heat demand (kW) 26 48 96
fish farming, so in developing the feeding system Biological data
great value was attached to accurate dosage and Mean weight
for initiation (kg) 0.09 0.09 0.09
minimal mechanical disturbance due to the tech- Mean stocking
nical feed transportation method. To avoid putting density (kg/m3) 90 90 90
a strain on water quality – due to possible "over- Feed conversion ratio (FCR)
for European Catfish
feeding" – a feeding system should have a mecha-
(Silurus glanis) 1 1 1
nism for monitoring the feed intake of the fish, and
Growing cycle (month) 9 9 9
great value was also attached to this in developing
Economic data
the BDFish³ Equipment feeding system. Mean saleable weight (kg) 1.9 1.9 1.9
Manpower requirements 0.4 0.6 1.0
 | 17

Co-generation
plant (container)
The modular farm system allows
adaptation of the number of ponds
Feed storage Machine
room
Storage
to the particular customer needs.
Depending on the fish output
Heating &
dosage
Feed
dosage
required, plants with
Sorting &
Computer
equipment & harvesting 12 ponds (30 tons per year)
control box

Changing
room, Office & lab
24 ponds (60 tons per year) or
WC/shower
48 ponds (135 tons per year)
can be supplied. The modules can,
of course, be expanded anytime.
Co-generation
plant (container)

Feed storage Machine Storage

room

Heating & Feed

dosage dosage

Computer Sorting &

equipment & harvesting
control box

Changing
room, Office & lab
WC/shower

Co-generation
plant (container)

Feed storage Machine Storage

room

Heating & Feed

dosage dosage

Computer Sorting &

equipment & harvesting
control box

Changing
room, Office & lab
WC/shower

Storage tank for Reception pond

Waste water
residual slurry treatment
(fish slurry) Treated
water
 18 | Conditions for successful indoor fish farming

“Although the old saying ‘The eye of the master fattens the cattle’
is true, the control system and the overall management is also
decisive for the success or failure of modern fishfarming.”

What you should know

Successful indoor Fish farming is considered to be a part of agricul- Water quality and -quantity | Aquatic ecosystems
fish farming is ture. One of the main differences is the medium are complex with many water quality variables
based on a combi- which is used for the production of livestock. For such as temperature, oxygen content, pH-value,
nation of extensive this reason, the farmer is confronted with certain nitrite and nitrate contents, alkalinity and many
know-how of plant knowledge requirements such as the biology of other parameters. These parameters may also in-
engineering for fish and knowledge of the medium in which they fluence each other. This means that the evaluation
livestock produc- are farmed. of water supplies in terms of quality and quantity
tion and years of must be done on a case-by-case basis.
practical experien- In order to familiarize our customers with the ope-
ce; this is what you ration of a BDFish³ Equipment indoor fish farm, we A sufficiently dimensioned pump and a well should
as customer will offer training at Big Dutchman in the technology be available for the supply of water to the fish farm.
profit from. and management.
 | 19

Energy supply | The energy supply (electricity and Discharge water | Indoor fish production results in Through the con-
heat) is important to the profitability. There are discharge water which flows through a special trol of production
different models of energy supply for an indoor waste water treatment system and can then be dis- cycles, water qua-
fish farm available: charged into the municipal sewer system or the lity and discharge
• local electricity and gas network reception ponds. water, indoor fish
• all types of combined heat and power systems farming contributes
• wood chip heating to sustainability
and protects natu-
The least-cost energy supply depends on the local ral resources.
conditions and must therefore be selected indivi-
dually for each farm. The process water is heated
using a heat exchanger which is installed conve-
niently to the fish farm. Electricity is mainly needed
for the roots blowers used for ventilation of the hol-
ding water. Advantages of indoor fish farming
• High productivity through high growth
Emission and immission | The term emission refers rates and short production cycles
to the release of substances, light or noise from the • Control over the entire production cycle
system into the environment. Connected to emission • Free choice of location
is the immission, which describes the impact that • Low water consumption
the condition of the external environment has on • Control over water quality
the system through pollution, noise or irradiance. • Protection against diseases and parasites
Fish have very sensitive lateral line organs with • Control over the low amounts
which they perceive even the smallest pressure of discharge water
fluctuations – caused by sound waves – to which
they react with a flight reaction. Very noisy locations
are disadvantageous for indoor fish farming.

Insulation and room climate | In order to keep ther-

mal losses to a minimum, the facilities have to be
well insulated. A well sealed space is also required
to be able to efficiently use the air conditioning
technology for heat recovery developed by BDFish3
Equipment.
 20 | Catfish rearing at Ahrenhorster Edelfisch

The wels catfish

Illustrations above: The wels catfish (Silurus glanis) is the second lar- on many years of experience, the quantity of water
The four stages of gest freshwater fish in central European waters af- required can be reduced to a minimum at Ahren-
wels catfish pro- ter the sturgeon. It can reach five meters in length, horster Edelfisch GmbH & Co. KG. The small amount
duction: hatching 300 kg body weight and live up to 80 years. In the of excrement that arises can be used to fertilise
in zuger glass jars, first years of life, the catfish eats mainly crustace- crops. Use of antibiotics or growth promoters is not
production of young ans, insects etc. From the second year on, it eats permitted.
fish, production mainly fish, especially percids, gobies, roach etc.
of food fish and Health | Apart from its excellent taste, the filet of the
filleting. wels catfish also brings health benefits. The com-
position of fatty acids of the farmed catfish shows
a significantly higher share of essential Omega-3
Illustration right: fatty acids compared to wild catfish which means
The meat of the farmed catfish constitutes a good dietary alternati-
wels catfish is ve to mackerel, herring or salmon.
white and almost
boneless. Due to its Omega-3 fatty acids are known to have a beneficial
relatively high fat effect on the cardiovascular system in humans. In
content of approx. general and according to statements issued by the
11 % it is very suit- FAO, fish is considered to be a valuable foodstuff
able for frying, broi- Husbandry conditions | For the production of uni- and is thus a good source for vitamins, minerals
ling and smoking. form high-quality meat, optimum water conditions and essential proteins and fatty acids.
and high-quality feed must be provided. The bree-
ding fish are housed in ponds in which a rapid Ways to the consumer | The sale of filets through
change in season is simulated by manipulating the wholesale markets lies at the core of catfish based
water temperature. In this way it is possible to pro- fish farming. Correspondingly, 95 % of the produc-
duce a fresh brood every eight weeks by striping tion volume of Ahrenhorster Edelfisch GmbH &
off the milters and spawners. It is necessary to be Co. KG goes to Bremerhaven and only 5 % is sold
able to identify all breeding fish individually. Be- directly to caterers, hotels or private customers
cause of the high numbers of breeding fish, they through the farm shop.
are identified using microchips.

Ecologically sound fish production | Catfish are kept

in large ponds with optimum water quality to
achieve the best growth results. Thanks to the so-
phisticated circulation technology with internal
biological treatment, the water quality stays the
same throughout the production cycle. Drawing
 | 21

“Ahrenhorster Edelfisch GmbH & Co. KG: The Otto-Lübker family has
been farming the wels catfish since 1991. The inside of the buildings
were completely remodelled to meet the requirements of fish farming.
Thanks to Hermann Otto-Lübker’s long experience he succeeded in
producing the wels catfish from breeding to filet and has developed
the market.”
22 | Economic efficiency

Costs and earnings

The economic performance of our modular farm
system are a combination of evaluations by our co-
operation partner "Ahrenhorster Edelfisch GmbH
& Co. KG" made in almost twenty years of practical
experience and new scientific findings that were
gained at the Big Dutchman in-house research fa-
cility (Technikum).

Production costs for three system sizes | The farm

size has a decisive influence on the production
costs, particularly technology and management
costs.

Calculation of the fish price | The price for filet on

the wholesale market is influenced by seasonal flu-
ctuations. For a given filet price, the value of fish is
determined by processing, packaging and trans-
port, administration and the yield of the filet.

License | Apart from planning permission which is

required for a new building or the conversion of an
old building, special permits for the use of ground
water and the release of discharge water into the
municipal sewer system or the reception ponds
might also be required.
 | 23

“To ensure that indoor fish farming does not remain a mystery, we
provide on-site training at our in-house research facility. We will
remain at your side once the farm has been erected and will support
you in any way during the construction and familiarisation phase.”

Compared with
field-grown wels
catfish, farm-
grown wels cat-
fish has a signi-
ficantly higher
content of Omega-
3 fatty acids. For
this reason the
meat of the wels
catfish is rightly
considered to be
especially bene-
ficial to a
healthy diet.
 Ref.-Nr.: Broschüre-BDFish_1010_V1_en
24 | Kapitel

■ Applying for planning permission

■ Applying for licences
■ Comprehensive advice during
planning and construction
■ Delivery and installation
■ Staff training in the Calveslage research facility
■ Biological knowledge
■ Technical support

Big Dutchman International GmbH

Business Unit BDFish³ Equipment
P.O. Box 1163
D-49377 Calveslage
Germany
Tel. +49 (0 ) 44 47/801-0
Fax +49 (0 ) 44 47/801-237
[email protected]
www.bd-fish.de