“Ersatz” or delicacy?

“Aquaculture doesn’t set out to produce a fish to compete with what you’ll find in Nature. That’s impossible. You can’t do this with cattle, or poultry. What we have to produce is something that’s acceptable to the market, and something the consumer can trust”, said Maria Teresa Dinis, researcher and lecturer at the University of the Algarve (UALG).

The debate that took place in Faro’s Pátio de Letras sought to discover why the consumer still balks at the idea of buying farmed fish. Prejudices and misinformation – for example, people think fish farms pump their stock with medication (phyto-chemicals). But more to the point, today “there exists a huge quantity of chemicals in the sea – from medication prescribed for human beings”, explained Florbela Soares, an IPIMAR representative. In fact, UALG researchers are developing a study into this phenomenon: it’s a global problem affecting public health but one that the scientific community only recently took into account.

In today’s farms “they use prevention methods that stimulate the immune system of the fish, but they only use the minimum” amount of chemicals. “Indeed today’s fish farmers are increasingly interested in NOT using chemicals”, Teresa Dinis stressed.

And faced with new EC legislation on biological products, “an aquaculture that can be classified as disease-free and that never uses chemical products will mean fish could be “certified”, and of higher value”.

Another prejudice has to do with fishmeal – which people claim is rich in animal protein. In reality, “1.4 kilos of fish meal is needed to raise a kilo of fish – but just 700 grams of that is made up of animal proteins”. The rest is made up of soya vegetable protein, explained Fernando Gonçalves from the Portuguese Association of Fish Farmers (ANAQUA).

The debate also discussed the offshore fish farm project for Armona, near Olhão, which is taking its time to get underway. “Right now, IPIMAR has to mark out the area for navigational purposes. The public tender for the project has already been sent out, and a firm has been chosen. As soon as they’re ready, any firm that is granted a concession can start. Right now, the projects closest to starting are those involved with the production of bivalves”, elaborated a government official, not giving any dates.

The event also revealed the current reality for a number of Algarve fish farmers. Most of them are feeling the effects of climate change – very hot summers, and harsh winters, which cause fluctuations in water temperature and upset the fish.

In economic terms, no Portuguese fish farmer is interested in competing with the welter of fish farmed in Greece – all of it very cheap and poor quality – and while foreign competition is strong, they all find niches among the nation’s fish dealers and in the restaurant sector. Most fish farmers don’t want to make deals with hypermarkets as these are really only interested in buying the cheapest fish possible.

«Pesca da Ria» - an exceptional example

If you were seated blindfolded at the table, would you know how to distinguish a fresh “dourada” (golden bream) raised in captivity in Ria Formosa from a wild one, caught in the high sea? Last April, a well-known chef accepted the challenge at a gastronomic fair in Lisbon… and he chose the Ria Formosa fish! There’s a reason for this.

The winning fish grew up in an almost natural environment only accessible by boat: an “island”, with an area of around 20 hectares, one kilometre from Faro. It’s run by«Piscicultura dos Sapais» - a small company, using traditional methods and focused on quality.

Annually, the farm produces between 80 and 100 tons of fresh fish. The objective is to create large golden bream (Sparus aurata), of between 800 grams to a kilo, and “robalo” (seabass) – which sell on the market under the «Pesca da Ria» label.

The young fish all hail from “certified” parents. The last consignment arrived in a special truck on 31st July 2008, from Santander, Spain. Its cargo: 228 000 small golden bream, each weighing an average of 3 grams. Their productive cycle takes between 26 and 30 months – after which they’re ready to become a nice meal for two.

They grow in tanks cut into the soil, a little like saltpans, with a low-density population (half a kilo of fish to every cubic metre of water). “Here they get enough space to swim and develop their muscles,” explains José Augusto Nadkarni, 46, marine biologist and director of the enterprise.

The water is renewed twice daily through the action of gravity, and is constantly monitored. Contrary to what most consumers think, aquaculture is not in itself a source of environmental pollution. “Very often, the levels of phosphorus and nitrogen are better when we discharge water than when we take it in”, he adds.

Tides bring natural nutrients and sediments that are a strong component in the feeding of the fish – while the meal used is one with one of the lowest fat levels (14 per cent), and is given manually.

Catching the fish is also not easy. It involves a flat-bottomed boat, a net and the muscle power of at least three men. Each net-trawl involves a slow walk along the sides of the tank, dragging the net between points and making sure it doesn’t get stuck on the bottom.

In the end, when the net closes over all the silver tails and energetic splashings, only the fish of ideal weight are caught. José Vivaldo has worked in fish farm production for the past 19 years and can estimate weight like a human scale – throwing back into the tank all the fish that are too young.

And only fish needed for the day’s orders are caught. Orders are accepted until 10.30 am, and the fish die almost instantly once they’re out of the water - from thermic shock. They’re placed straight away into a mixture of water with ice. Then, they’re frozen in a tub and packed. This guarantees the best form of freshness – better than a lot of fish caught at sea, which is only packed after it has arrived at the docks, several hours later…