Breeding Fish in Aquacultures Welcome to KM Seafood
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KM Seafood Breeding fish in aquacultures Welcome to KM Seafood The demand for sustainably produced fresh fish products available all year round is growing steadily. At the same time, the fish stock in our waters is declining. This is why Micarna founded KM Seafood. The company in Eastern Germany is con- cerned with the breeding and fattening of fish in aquaculture systems – always with the aim of producing year-round, sustainably sourced fish without leaving behind a large ecological footprint. The pioneering project is in response to the lessening productivity of natural waters and the growing con- sumer demand for healthy and sustain able fish products. “ Year-round and sustainably produced fish from the region is our goal.” Rüdiger Buddruss, company director of KM Seafood It is precisely in the seafood sector where the seasonal availability and the asso- ciated fluctuations in price and quality often provide a nuisance to consumers and for the institutions involved in sales and marketing. The primary rule of thumb Who are you? for the future must be to secure the raw materials without additional strain on nature. KM Seafood was founded in 2015 as a joint ven- ture between Kirschauer Aquakulturen and Micar- With KM Seafood, we want to ensure a seamless, traceable production, from the na. KM Seafood thus combines its expertise and breeding of stocking fish to the finished fillet. Thanks to our closed circuits we many years of experience in the field of aquaculture plant construction and operation with Micarna's are able to ensure the health of the fish and the quality of product throughout processing and marketing expertise. Since 2019, the year and thus continuously offer sustainably produced seafood specialities. the company has been under the sole management of the Swiss company and is managed by Rüdiger Buddruss. Rüdiger Buddruss (company director of KM Seafood) and Karl Dominick (company director of Kirschauer Aquakulturen) at the KM Seafood site in Kirschau in the Saxony district of Bautzen. Partner: Specialist knowledge and experience Pioneering project System engineering KM Seafood is a pioneering project which Being able to rely on existing systems for this aims to sustainably breed fish in aquaculture, joint venture, above all specialist knowledge, thus leaving behind a minimal ecological foot- plays an important role in the choice of location. print. This sustainable seafood production is With Kirschauer Aquakulturen and Micarna, a unique project and those in charge at KM two companies have come together in 2015 Seafood have in recent years acquired the nec- that are each among the best in their area of essary specialist knowledge and also built expertise. Kirschauer Aquakulturen not only the corresponding production facilities to do build their sophisticated cycle systems them- this. Closed circuits of this kind ensure con- selves, they also successfully operate them in tinuous traceability of the fish and monitoring their fisheries. This means that they not only of the entire value chain. demonstrate theoretical expertise but also many years of practical experience. Processing competence Micarna meanwhile contributes the necessary competence in processing the numerous sea- food specialities. The size of the company and Who invented it? the long-term direction with regard to sus- tainably produced fish guarantees that the Swiss Aquaculture does not enjoy the same significance in every country. In Central Europe, fish caught in the company has the specialist knowledge and wild is preferred. In China, in contrast, aquaculture also the breeding and purchasing guarantees. is widespread with a tradition spanning thousands Together the two companies want to progress of years, starting with the domestication of the carp. Company film with research and development with regard Aquaculture has provided nutrition for the native populations of many Asian countries for a long time. The scene perfectly set for KM Seafood: to fish breeding in recirculation systems, and In Thailand or Vietnam it has been the tradition to www.kmseafood.de in this way breed year-round, sustainably breed fish in the mostly calf-deep flooded rice paddies. sourced fish. Specialist employees Oliver like Mechler, Simon Kaufmann and Nick Zimmer know the needs of all fish and their demands for water quality and feed. Sustainability: Fish and environment The waters are empty Recirculation systems are the answer Fish and seafood have been a nutritional base So that the habitat and sources of food for nat- and supplier of energy for thousands of years. ural fish stocks can be sustainably protected, But many fish stocks are under threat from over- pathways to artificially produced fish stocks fishing. At the same time, the demand for fish need to be opened up. This can only be done is growing in line with the increasing world pop- with aquaculture. This too needs to be done ulation. The Food and Agriculture Organisa- sustainably, without leaving behind further tion of the United Nations (FAO) is estimating “traces” in the flora and fauna. From the eco- that already 20 per cent of the world’s fish systems in the sea, lake or river, isolated recir- stocks are overfished. Sustaina bility in fishing culation systems guarantee seasonal fish breed- therefore becomes a balancing act between ing which enables products at a consistent natural breeding ability of stocks and the desired level of quality and promises a minimal eco- production quantities. logical footprint. State of natural fish stocks (in per cent) What about Europe? Above natural reproduction Natural reproduction In the EU, we each consume just under 25 kilos of 100 90 seafood products per year. At around 14 kilos and Overfished 10 kilos respectively, Germany and Switzerland are 80 below both the European and global average of 70 just under 19 kilos. The clear leader is Iceland, the 60 volcanic island south of the northern polar circle 50 Fished to the maximum where seafood products are an important component 40 of the diet. Around 90 kilos of fish are eaten per 30 head of population each year. 20 10 Not yet fished to the limit 0 Fishing has an ancient tradition in Europe and, in addition to its financial significance, it is also a magnet for tourism. 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2013 Aquaculture: Inside and out Water farms Recirculation system Aquaculture is the controlled breeding of ani- Aquacultures can also be artificially gener - mals which live in water; predominantly fish, ated in closed recirculation systems. The latter, mussels, crabs and algae. In contrast to those detached from the ecological cycle, is oper- caught in the wild, these fish belong to some- ated by KM Seafood in Kirschau. The advantag- one from the outset and can therefore be allo- es of such a recirculation system: The majority cated to an owner like animals on a farm. This of fish can be bred in isolation from the envi- is why the breeding of fish in aquaculture is ronment. This means that the health of the often called aquafarming. These water farms animals and the quality of the product can be can be incorporated into their natural environ- ensured throughout the year and the CO2 emis- ment, for example with net cages in the sea sions can also be kept low. The residues in the or as fishpond cultivation. water are then processed into plant fertiliser. Aquaculture as a route into the future (in millions of tons) From aquaculture From wild catch How many is that? 180 According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture 160 Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), almost 140 one in two fish today come from aquaculture systems. 120 This suggests that artificial breeding of fish has 100 sharply risen in recent years. Just ten years ago, only 80 30 per cent of seafood products came from aqua- 60 culture systems. The reason for this growth is surely the rise in expertise and the technical devel opment 40 of recent years. 20 0 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2014 Interdisciplinary discussion: Tim Gottschalk from KM Seafood in discussion with Michael Walkenhorst and Timo Staftlander from the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL). Value chain: Our process methodology All points along the value chain Residual products go back into agriculture These days, the majority of fish products come The aim is to fatten the fish in the place where from fish markets around the world. This is they will then be processed and consumed. The where fish is bought either fresh or frozen and maturing fish come from in-house fish breed- Fish market Processing Retail Consumption distributed throughout Europe. Because of the ing stocks in Kirschau and in future are to be length of the value chain and the distance from matured regionally, fattened and then pro- the catch area to the consumer country, it is cessed on site. In this way we can ensure healthy difficult to keep track of monitoring. In the case animals throughout the value chain, as well as of perch, for example, there are only a few MSC having a verifiable influence on our ecosystem. Micarna SA certified fisheries in north-eastern Europe and The residual filter substances therefore find Russia which makes transportation labo rious. their way back into agriculture as a fertiliser As a result, and also depending on the season, and also in fish fattening as processed plant Slaughter we only receive frozen products. Alternatively, substances in feed. In addition to this, various KM Seafood GmbH Slaughter by-products we receive fresh fish onto the market, often water and heat recovery systems are used and processing Water and heat Water and heat of dubious origin. KM Seafood would like in breeding and fattening.