For the first time in its history, this year the Institute bred white fish in a controlled environment. Work in this field will continue to meet the needs of the business community, according to Hadjinikolova.
Recirculation systems for the production of predatory fish have already been implemented in Bulgaria under the fisheries operational programme. This trend will keep up as predatory fish is very delicious and the market price is higher than that of the other freshwater fish types, both on the domestic market and abroad.
The Institute has this year rolled out a research project designated to study the quality of carp for different farming methods. The results will be used to draw up a system to measure carp quality that will assist fish farmers in protecting their private or geographical brands. From a social perspective, the project will aim to gauge and promote the market and nutritional potential of carp meat as well as encourage fish consumption in Bulgaria.
According to official statistics, Bulgaria ranks among the countries with the lowest annual fish consumption of only 5.4 kg per capita versus 18.6 worldwide (2010) and 22 kg in Europe.