All carp we offer for trade come from Aquaculture.
WHAT IS AQUACULTURE?
Aquaculture is (re)breeding aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, crustaceans, aquatic plants, etc.
In aquaculture, the fish/shellfish/etc. are owned by the company conducting the aquaculture. This is one of the differences from professional fisheries operating in public waters. Whereas overfishing by professional fishermen in public waters is a major drain on fish stocks, aquaculture is characterised by good stock management partly through annual releases of fry.
Aquaculture has 3 main activities:
- Farming and fishing of fish, shellfish, etc. for the food industry.
- Breeding and/or restocking of fry to ensure good fish stocks in waters.
- Growing micro and macro algae for various industries.
Carp is among the most widely eaten consumer fish in Europe. In 2007, 66,300 tonnes of carp were eaten. The largest producers of carp for consumption are Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Most Mirror Carp from these countries are characterised, among other things, by the lack of scales (to make the fish more attractive to consumers) and rapid growth.
A key difference between farms with small ponds and very high fish stocking rates and large-water aquaculture is that due to the much lower stocking rates, the carp are much less stressed. This results in a much stronger immune system of the fish which in turn makes the carp much less susceptible to viruses, parasites, bacterial infections, etc.
The carp we offer for sale we buy from aquaculture companies. So they are not stolen fish, they are fish intended for consumption and we buy them from the rightful owner.
