The White Falcon - 07.05.1993, Blaðsíða 7

Local fisheries stock lakes plentifully
Story and photos by
J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
Did you know that the fish you caught last
weekend at a nearby lake might have been
raised at a fish farm? Several companies in
Iceland regularly stock lakes in an attempt to
enhance the availability of fish and promote
breeding.
These companies have developed efficient
methods to raise, mature and export primar-
ily rainbow trout and arctic charr.
According to Jon Dagsson, manager of a
local fishery near Vogar, some facilities have
the capacity to produce between 700 and 800
tons of fully grown fish yearly. “A recent lull
in demand forced some companies to reduce
output to roughly 350 tons annually. Ninety
percent of this production is for export to
Norway. The balance is used to stock the
various lakes in the Sudumes Penninsula
region,” said Dagsson.
"Where am I?" A mature rainbow trout exits
the transport container to resume its life in
the lake.
The farms currently specialize in
the raising of both rainbow trout and
arctic charr. The charr is a member of
the trout family and originally comes
from Canada. Rainbow trout, a na-
tive of the coastal waters and streams
from lower California to Alaska, were
originally exported to Denmark from
the U.S. By the late 1950s, the vari-
ety was introduced to Iceland.
“The reason we grow these two
varieties is for their quick growing
!ie and their resistance to water-
e diseases. In addition, the ex-
rt market is such that we are filling
a demand from overseas,” said
Gudmundur Johanness, an assistant
^^ie
Pfrti
at a local facility.
The fish are fed by a computer-
controlled automated system that
monitors various conditions
hourly, then pneumatically dis-
penses the correct amount of food
pellets to the tanks via a maze of
undergroudpiping. Thefoodpel-
lets contain protein and mass
derived from capelin and her-
ring, two saltwater fishes.
“One of the main reasons for
using pellets over a powder or
granular mixture, is that the pel-
lets tend to pack more energy
into each serving, the result being
increased growth and better
health,” said Jonas Pettursson,
foreman at a nearby lake, on the
outskirts of Grindavik. Of the
overhead costs at the facility, 45
percent goes to feeding the ma-
turing fish.
“The 14 to 16 month growth
cycle involves keeping the fish in
a stable environment of 42.8F
year-round.” Dagsson further ex-
plained that the production ca-
pacity is never hampered during
the year by the ever-changing
weather, but that the feeding pro-
cedures must be modified in accordance with
the available sunlight, or in mid-winter, the
almost complete lack of sunlight.
Prior to arriving at Vogar, the fish are
grown to an approximate weight of eight to
11 ounces, in Hveragerdi. At this time they
are transported to Vogar where their next
year will be spent growing in the controlled
The Hveragerdi hatchery manager hefts a net of approxi-
mately 30 young rainbow trout from the maturing tank.
environment.
The desired weight for a fully grown rain-
bow trout is between 5.5 and 7.5 pounds. For
the arctic charr, the weight should be be-
tween 17.5 and 35 ounces.
On this particular day, Jonas picked up
two, 100 cubic foot tanks filled with young
fish from a hatchery in Hveragerdi. On the re-
turn trip, the truck
stopped in Vogar and
took on an additional
supply of mature trout to
stock a recreational fish-
ing lake near Grindavik.
To purchase a local
fishing permit, or for
directions to nearby hot-
spots, contact Ingi at
MWR, ext. 4422.
The two fish-filled tanks are purged of water before letting the fish swim
freely in the lake.
May 7,1993
7