COMPANY OF THE WEEK: Aqualider Inaugurates First Cobia Farming Centre in Brazil
This past February, with the presence of Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the aquaculture company Aqualider inaugurated the first commercial cobia (rachicentrum Canadum) farming centre of the country, which is expected to produce 10 thousand MT of said species for 2012.
Aqualider is the Brazilian Government's first dealer company dedicated to aquaculture. It counts on an area of 169 hectares and is located at open sea, within the continental platform of the Pernambco State, 11 km from the coast of the Boa Viagem beach, at Recife City.
The company's owner, Manoel Tavares, commented: "We believe sustainable aquaculture depends on the fish's adecuate location as well as growing it with the minimal environmental impact," assuring the clear waters where its operations are set preserve the animal's health, foster a greater growth and create species of a better quality than its relatives caught in inshore waters, "more so, getting higher prices for the same reasons".
The executive commented that this year four cages were installed with a biomass of 40 thousand juveniles from three different spawnings. This year, the cobia production is expected to range between 120 MT and 250 MT. However, their expectations greatly exceed these figures, since Aqualider expects to count on 48 cages between 2011 and 2012 which will allow for 10 thousand MT per annum.
Moreover, they expect to market the species in frozen, fresh, filleted, portioned, and invidivual easy to use packages.
Challenges
Amongst the main challenges being faced, Tavares commented thte lack of suitable vessels for the installation and operation of the centre, adequate feed and veterinary experts with knowledge on the species, were some of the critical aspects when setting up the project.
When asked about the project's reception within the community, the entrepreneur answered there was some resistance at first on behalf of the area's traditional fishermen. "They wrongly thought our project would close access for their ships to sea and, even worse, to fishes. However, the issue was resolved when we met and explained our project to them. Today, the area's both fishermen communities not only support our initiative, but are also deveolping their own cobia farming projects", he explained.
