Researchers from the University College Odisee, campus Waas in Sint-Niklaas, managed to grow a cod species that is suitable for cultivation in Belgium. This should enable local cod farmers to more easily compete with Asian import.
The scientist developed a new type of freshwater cod, which may be used for consumption. “One of the advantages is that the species needs relatively little food to grow and is tasty at the same time. The fish scores high on taste tests,” says, Jurgen Adriaen, Odisee.
200 grams
The project takes place at Aqua-ERF, the research center for aquaculture of Odisee, which performs research on new species for the Belgian fish farming. The project named LotaBELis currently in the testing phase. In October, 7888 little fish were placed with trout growers in Wallonia. The fish initially weighed 7 grams, but in the meantime they are already weighing 200 grams. End of this year, the first fish are expected to reach a weight suitable for the market. “We hope that the Belgian aquaculture can deliver a high quality product with this new type of cod. This can be a welcome impetus for the local fish production, as at this point, two thirds of all farmed fish originates from South East Asia.”
