August 5, 2024

 

Metro Turkey launches innovative aquaponics facility for sea bass farming

Metro Turkey has announced a partnership with Hatko Aquaculture and Alpha Aqua to develop an aquaponics facility for sea bass cultivation using a recirculating aquaculture system in Mugla, Turkey, SeafoodSource reported.

 

This pilot project is the first of its kind in the country's retail sector. It aims to reduce the grow-out period for sea bass from 15 months to nine months. The project will also cultivate Salicornia europaea, known as glasswort, sea asparagus, or pickle grass, an edible plant used in salads or as an accompaniment to fish.

 

"We plan to have the first fish harvest within nine months and to put our first products on the shelves through our Metro Premium brand in the first months of next year," stated Metro Turkey board member Deniz Alkac.

 

"As Metro Turkey, we see fish as a resource that should be available for future generations rather than worrying about it primarily being a commercial product. We have kept sustainable aquaculture at the centre of our purchasing policy since 2010 to protect marine fish stocks and species," he said.

 

Metro Turkey, a subsidiary of the German retailer, operates 30 grocery stores in 20 cities across the country, along with nationwide food distribution services. While the exact quantity of the initial sea bass harvest from the facility was not disclosed, Metro Turkey plans to expand production if the system proves successful.

 

"Not only the fish in our seas but also the fish grown in farms need to be handled with a sustainable approach. In this system, plants are grown with nutrient-rich water that comes from the fish tanks. This creates a mutually beneficial relationship between fish and plants, resulting in a closed-loop ecosystem," Alkac explained. "In the facility built in Mugla, we use feed consisting of algae oil and reduced sea fish content in the production of sea bass. With this special feed, we contribute to healthy nutrition by producing fish richer in omega-3."

 

Alpha Aqua, based in Esbjerg, Denmark, is providing the technology alongside its partner Nordic in Turkey. "RAS technology, now in a more mature state after decades of development and implementation, offers high production efficiency through high fish welfare levels, precise water quality control, automated feeding based on fish appetite, and waste management," said Alpha Aqua chief commercial officer and Nordic founding partner Yasin Kasa. "It outperforms traditional aquaculture methods in resource utilisation and sustainability and is necessary for future sustainability and healthy protein production while preserving the environment."

 

Hatko executive committee member Metin Albukrek commented, "As Hatko, we are pioneering a new production technology by establishing and operating the facility." Hatko Aquaculture, a division of the larger Hatko Group, operates a fish hatchery in Oren, Turkey, and numerous Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified sea bass farms nationwide.

 

Metro Turkey noted that aquaponic systems use only a fraction of the water compared to traditional soil-based agriculture. The company is the only Turkish retailer with chain of custody certification from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Marine Stewardship Council, as well as ISO 14001 certification.

 

-      SeafoodSource