Katla Fish is one of the most profitable fisheries in Iceland, but it has been closed for decades due to ground motion, a process that displaces sediment and causes the ocean floor to collapse.
Katla Fish is reopening with a new plan to protect this fishery. Katla Fish is a unique fishery because it closed in 1996 due to ground motion.
A magnitude 4 earthquake shook the ground, causing the ocean floor to collapse. As a result, sediment has been displaced and causes the ocean floor to sink by 6 meters per year.
This alone made Katla Fish unprofitable because of the extra cost required to move a boat from place to place.
Katla Fish Characteristics
Katla fish has a size limit of 20 cm, and the fishery is 25 meters deep. The average price at the beginning of 2010 was 1,200 krona per kilogram.
This makes Katla fish one of the most profitable fisheries in Iceland, with an average revenue per boat of 655,000 kronor.
The appearance
Katla fish can be found all over Iceland, and its appearance is very similar to that of the cod. Katla fish looks light blue, but it is quite a dark blue in certain places, such as at the head, so in some cases, it appears black. The fillet of Katla Fish has a dark yellowish color with a few green spots.
History
For many centuries, Katla fish was an important part of Icelandic life. The first record of cod fishing on Katla was in 1848, and the fishery opened for business in 1956.
In 1987, ground motion closed the fishery for good. This was caused by a magnitude 5 earthquake that shook Iceland three times during eight hours.
In 1996, ground motion closed the fishery again, and no new plans were made to reopen it. The government received several petitions from citizens asking them to consider opening Katla again. After careful consideration, the decision was made to reopen Katla Fish.
Management Plans
In 2011, a new management plan for Katla Fish was introduced. This plan aimed to lower the cost by reducing fishing trips and increasing profit by moving boats faster between areas.
The company responsible for this plan is Katla Fiskir EHF., which employs fisheries managers with extensive experience in this field.
The plan is to have six openings before January 1st, 2013. This will give every interested party a chance to apply for one of the six openings. The application will be required by December 15th of 2012.
How to start Katla Fish Farming?
To start this fish farming, you must complete a training program provided by the company. It takes about 25 days for every Katla fish farmer to learn how to raise this Fish. To become a Katla Fish farmer, you must be 18 years old.
Now start farming this fish to get a profit of up to 656,000 kronor yearly. You must raise Katla fish for a minimum of twelve years before selling the first one.
To sell one of these fish, you must have at least five mature others, meaning they are sufficient in size and weight, and they have fully grown fins.
However, a Katla fish can live up to six years in the wild, so it is possible to sell it after only four or five years.
Pond Management
Pond management is one of the most important factors in successful Katla fish farming. It is important to control the amount of food you give your Katla fish at a young age because this will help to keep a steady growth rate.
After about two or three years, it will be possible to decrease your food intake and let nature take over. To do this, you should watch the amount of phytoplankton on your farm.
Food management
In Katla fish farming, Fish are fed daily in the morning and evening. The food is made up of phytoplankton so the Fish can thrive in a natural environment and get enough nutrients.
Phytoplankton is the base of life in the oceans, so this makes sense that it would be used as Katla Fish food.
Feeding mixtures
For ages 0-2 months, feed your Katla fish small crustaceans. After the age of two, feed your Katla fish 20% of the food you previously fed it and 60% the same.
After they are three years old, stop feeding them entirely. Feed your Katla fish once every 4-8 hours, depending on how hungry they seem to be.
Ingredients of this Fish food.
1. Phytoplankton
2. Krill
3. Small Crustaceans
4. Fish meal pellets
5. Fish oil (1 liter or .26 gallons)
6. Salt (4 liters or 1 gallon)
7. Vegetable oil (5 liters or 1.33 gallons)
8. Manual feed
9. Whale oil (3 liter or .47 gallons)
10. Vitamin B complex
11. Vitamin D3 supplement
12. Vitamins A, C, and E supplement (1 gram or .02 ounces daily)
13. Calcium supplement (2 grams or .05 ounces daily)
14. Copper supplement (0.15 gram or 1/10 of a tablet daily)
15. Ferrous sulfate (1 gram or 1/50 of a tablet daily).
Farming Benefit
Here are The Best 10 Tips for Farming Benefit
1. these fish are tiny, so the chances of getting a high profit are very high, but you need to be careful with their growth rate. They eat a lot of food in only three years, so you do not want to run out.
2. The prices for the fish post-market fluctuate depending on how many people rely on them. The shipping price also affects the market price as well.
3. This Fish is very profitable because it is low maintenance and proliferates.
4. These fish are very resilient and can easily deal with changes in the weather. This is good news for these fish farmers because they will not have to feed them during bad weather.
5. It is possible to maintain many Katla fish at a time, so it is easy to get a lot of profit out of an area, but this is not recommended until you have more experience.
6. You must use frozen food to feed your fish. You should also use any remaining food the next morning. The process of the Katla fish-eating is very fast, so there may be some leftovers.
This means you can skip a day of feeding, which will save you money in the long run.
7. You do not need to worry about tanks or oxygen levels because you do not need to transport your Katla fish anywhere, but they still get to live in a natural environment.
8. You must keep a careful eye on your fish at all times and watch for any diseases that may infect them. When you discover an infection, you must remove the diseased Fish immediately.
9. You should keep a close eye on your pond while it is empty because this is when you will notice if there is an issue with your pipes or other equipment that needs repair or replacement.
10. The Katla fish are very curious, and it is easy to get them to eat out of your hand. This means you will have no trouble feeding them.
Conclusion
Now you know how to raise this Fish for income. If you follow the steps mentioned above, you can get a good amount of profit in no time.
You need to be careful with the Fish and take care of them at all times. Please keep your Katla fish in large numbers, but starting small and working your way up is better.
This will save you a lot of time, money, and resources. It is not hard to raise Katla Fish, but you need to be careful because they are very delicate.
It would be wise to keep a close watch on your Katla fish at all times because of the high profit they can bring.
