MEDIA RELEASE PR36449
Croatian Tuna Farm Takes A Major Step Towards Sustainable Farming of Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna
ZADAR, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
A vital step towards closed life cycle farming of the commercially
valuable Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna (NBT) was achieved in the Adriatic farming
sites of Kali Tuna, a Croatian tuna farming company and the laboratories of
the University of Split. Marine scientists at Split University have confirmed
that gametogenesis was completed and a number of tuna eggs were spawned in
cages off the coast of Croatia.
In the experiment over 800 pieces of brood stock were kept in a special
cage since the spring of 2006. The fish spawned successfully in the cage
during the early summer of 2009. Most of the eggs were released naturally
into the water, whilst a number of eggs were collected and later successfully
hatched in a Split-based laboratory.
During the past few years the future of the NBT has become bleak, with
excessive catch of the coveted fish which claims up to $25(US) a pound on the
Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
The key to sustainability in the farming of tuna is to domesticate the
NBT by creating a 'closed life cycle' farming process, as previously has been
done with salmon and other species. This process involves breeding the fish
in captivity and growing it on underutilized, small pelagic fish. Scientists
and tuna farmers in Europe, Japan and Australia have for years tried to
achieve hatching in captivity, a task made especially difficult by the lack
of knowledge of the mating habits of the tuna. Some success has been recorded
to date, by Kinki University in Japan and Clean Seas Tuna in Australia, in
each case in artificial, controlled environments.
"The fact that the captive tuna has spawned without hormones or human
assistance makes this a unique event," says Dr. Ivan Katavic, former
assistant minister of fisheries in Croatia, currently the Head of Laboratory
at the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries at the University of Split.
"Our project was designed to break the code of the NBT's reproduction habits.
We aimed to create a closed life cycle for the farming of the species and
relieve the pressure on the existing fish in the world's oceans. This result
is a significant step in that direction. The combination of the farming
techniques of Kali Tuna and the location of their cages are the key to our
achievement. Kali Tuna grows its fish for a longer period than most other
farms. The combination of good husbandry and unique site conditions allows
Kali Tuna to meet physiological requirements of brood stock to complete
reproductive cycle in captivity."
Oli Valur Steindorsson, is the Executive Chairman of Kali Tuna. Born in
the fishing village of Akranes in Iceland, Steindorsson spent a year in Tokyo
as an exchange student, studying the Japanese language and culture. He
entered the Japanese seafood business as an intern at the age of 17 and
established his own seafood trading company a decade later. Steindorsson
stated, "We maintain a clear focus on creating a sustainable, closed
lifecycle farming process, producing top of the line, healthy seafood with
the least environmental impact possible. The natural circumstance of the
event furthermore creates a hope of an extremely cost effective way to farm
the fish."
Further reading, including pictures and biographies of Dr. Katavic and
SOURCE: Kali Tuna Doo
CONTACT: Karl Petur Jonsson for Kali Tuna Doo
+1-354-664-0000
karl@atlantis-ltd.com
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