42 JUNE 2022 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG Orbetello Acquacoltura Currently farming facilities continue in these footsteps using the same naturally warm, salty freeflowing waters. Water is drawn from artesian wells at a constant temperature of about 22 C throughout the year, a temperature considered ideal for farming Mediterranean fish. Waters from the artesian wells are consistently pure and clear. A study from the University of Florence has shown that the waters are of fossil origin, i.e. they have been underground for at least 50 years and are free of any kind of pollutants, in particular from those used in agriculture, included plastics. Facilities are set in a natural environment and surrounded by WWF and national parks. There are no industries and no cities around, just some small villages 10 km away. It is a fascinating natural place full of history. In some cases, the same canals built by the Etruscans and used by ancient Romans to clear the water back to the sea are still used (Fig. x). Effluent waters are constantly monitored and conform to all legal parameters but the farm goes a step further with a control system to minimize the ecological impact of the water. Since the 1970s, production in the region has increased slightly but priority has been given to product quality. The Italian market is highly demanding and competitive. This requires Italian farmers to constantly pursue a premium product that bears the taste and features of wild-caught seabass and sea bream. Italy produces less than 20 percent of its total consumption of these species, with the remaining 80 percent imported from strong competitors such as Turkey, Greece and Croatia. The focus is on differentiating Orbetello farmed fish as a high-quality product aimed at the high-end market. Prices are not influenced by market trends but by production costs that are influenced by the use of top-quality rawmaterials, superior to our competitors. The strategy is not one of price and the farm’s products are not the cheapest, but the objective is one of a unique and guaranteed product with outstanding characteristics. The constant search for an eco-sustainable feed is a priority. The farm uses the most reliable fishmeal and fish oil on the market, always guaranteed to be from sustainable sources, while plant protein sources are entirely GMO free. The feed carries the brand name of The Tuscany region is considered the birthplace of European marine aquaculture. In the 1970s and early 1980s, under the impulse of a local entrepreneur who had a passion for the sea and for fishing traditions, for the first time a new farming system using partial RAS raceways and tanks was developed and over the years perfected to intensively and sustainably farmmarine fish at the farm in Cosa, Orbetello. In the beginning, European eels were the main species farmed. Soon after, the Italians move into the more profitable and prestigious species such as the European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax —also known as branzino or “spigola”—and gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata — locally known as “orate.” The technology was in the early stages of development. When commercial aquaculture activities with these species began, hatcheries were not yet up and running to produce fingerlings, so the farms in Italy, Spain and elsewhere in Europe resorted to capture and raising wild-caught juveniles. It was not until the late 1980s that marine fish hatcheries established the technology and started mass producing sea bream and seabass fingerlings. Fullcycle aquaculture production of these species became a reality and the technology continues to be improved to this day. Orbetello is located on the west coast of Italy by the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea) and is an iconic region well known for its ancient culture and practices of fisheries and aquaculture. The farm follows in the footsteps of ancient Romans, who, over 2,000 years ago, had already experimented with some form of fish farming, consisting of trapping and maintaining sea bass and sea breamwithin the bay at the exact location where the farms currently operates, on the slopes of the ancient Roman city of Cosa. This is highlighted in the map of the harbor area of the ancient city. Ancient Romans chose the area for the peculiarity of its artesian saline water. Moreover, the proximity of the Orbetello Lagoon (with an area of 2700 ha), which has continuously contributed to the catch of wild fish that needed to be stocked before being sent fresh to Rome. Since then, and throughout the centuries, Orbetello’s fish always had a key role in supplying first-quality fish to the canteens of the top market, from the aristocracy up to the Pope. Numerous historic documents support the fact that Orbetello fish has always been recognized as having superior quality. Perspectives on Commercial Branzino Farming and European Marine Aquaculture from an Industry Veteran Marco Gilmozzi Depiction of fish farming by ancient Romans over 2,000 years ago at the edge of the Orbetello Lagoon. Fish were trapped and maintained using artesian water.
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