UNI-Aqua i spidsen for Sydafrikansk projekt til 18 mill Rand

SOUTH AFRICA's biggest ever fish farming project is being planned at the mouth of the Berg River, Velddrif on the Cape's West Coast.

It is expected that once it has been developed to full capacity, at a cost of some R18 million, it will play a major role in creating jobs in the West Coast's ailing fishing industry. It will also have a strong BBBEE component to allow the historically disadvantaged community of Velddrif and environs to participate in the management and ownership of the project.

The company spearheading the project is Denmark-based UNI Aqua, who will take on local partners as well.

The land-based aquaculture project is intended to comprise three main components: a high-density Atlantic salmon production unit with an initial capacity of 800 tons per year, a cob production unit delivering at start-up about 50 tons a year, and a pond-based seaweed farming project, producing 24 tons a year. The importance of the seaweed lies in its ability to absorb metabolic waste products from the fish-farming units as part of the purification of the recirculating sea water.

Extending the aquaculture project to include oyster and abalone farming is also being investigated.

For the highly intensive production of salmon the latest Scandinavian water recirculatory technology and expertise will be used. Prof Danie Brink of the Division for Aquaculture of the University of Stellenbosch, says the salmon production unit is being designed in a modular way, making it possible to increase production over time to 4 000 tons per year.

"South Africa currently imports close on 2 000 tons of salmon a year at a cost of about R80 million. From the outset, the new facility will reduce substantially and in time eliminate the importation of high-value Atlantic salmon into the country," says Brink, who has been appointed a consultant to the project.

The production of cob could also be increased from the initial 50 tons a year to 2 000 tons a year by introducing the same intensive production system used in the case of salmon. "The present demand for cob in the local market is about 2 000 tons per year, but catches to meet that demand are not sustainable. To breed cob in captivity will take enormous pressure off the source," Brink says.

The aquaculture facility will be located inland on the planned Flamink Vlei property development and not close to the river or the sea. Sea water will be pumped to it.

Once the facility is running at full capacity of 6 000 tons per year, 235 people will be working on site and, based on the industry formula of one job for every 5 to 6 tons of fish, 1 000 to 1 200 people will gain employment downstream in existing factories, it is expected.

"Due mainly to dwindling catches, unemployment in Velddrif in 2006 was 31.6%, up from 12.9% in 2001. However, because the fishing industry and agriculture have been by far the biggest employers over many years, people's skills are geared to the needs of those industries. Only the revival of the fishing industry really offers a solution to the high unemployment," says Chris Mulder, who is responsible for the design and management of the planned residential property development.

Mulder says in addition to the aquaculture project the Flamink Vlei development of 600 erven itself would create substantial employment in an area starved for jobs. "During the construction period, which takes six to eight years, the project will create 3 280 direct and indirect job opportunities while in the operating period, which is the life of the development, it will generate 1 266 sustainable, permanent jobs.

Source: Cape Business News (www.cbn.co.za/dailynews)