The burbot is a mild yet subtly sweet flavoured white fish that closely resembles both haddock and cod. With a white flakey texture that is both firm and buttery, burbot is often referred to as “poor man’s lobster” and is excellent either boiled or steamed, with some even believing that it has a similar taste to American lobster.
With the burbot apparently offering so many qualities, if produced correctly, could the fish become popular within a resurgent UK RAS aquaculture sector?
Well this article will examine current and historical research, before then examining the feasibility of intensively farming burbot for the UK consumer market. Using the latest scientific findings and technological developments, this report will also present optimal production performance conditions for a hypothetical aquaculture system across all growth phases.
Aquaculture candidate species: burbot
Historically speaking, Burbot Lota lota is a functionally extirpated fish species native to eastward-flowing lentic and lotic United Kingdom (UK) water systems (Cohen et al., 1990; Worthington et al., 2010a). Investigations into prior geographical distribution show that the species were isolated to 42 likely indigenous waterways ranging from the River Skerne in County Durham to the River Blyth in Suffolk, with the last recorded catch dating back to 1969 (Worthington et al., 2011a).
Burbot and northern pike Esox lucius are the only two known freshwater fish species that exhibit circumpolar distribution, with each documented as prevalent throughout Northern Europe, Eurasia, and North America (Stapanian et al., 2010). Despite this pervasiveness, wild burbot stocks are under pressure in several populations, including the UK, Flanders (Belgium) and Idaho (USA).
Although the exact causative agents for this decline have not been formally identified, it is acknowledged that anthropogenic disturbances such as pollution, habitat fragmentation, exploitation, and the introduction of invasive species are likely contributing factors (Stapanian et al., 2010). Consequently, reintroduction and population persistence programmes have seen recent scientific attention directed at burbot aquaculture.
Burbot are the only freshwater gadiform (cod-like) genus (Cohen et al., 1990) and have been characterised as a species with commercial potential in Europe due to high fecundity and efficient growth at low water temperatures. Hofmann and Fischer (2002) found that they grow efficaciously within a temperature range of 10°C to 16°C indicating suitability with UK seasonality and annual surface water temperatures, typically ranging from 8°C and 16°C. This thermal compatibility lends itself to extensive or semi-intensive aquaculture systems.
This fish in that picture is not a burbot.
ReplyDelete