Tag: fish farm

Albert Csaba – fish farmer

Fishing farmed trout

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Leaving the guesthouse, I went with my guide and Mr. Albert north of Mircurea Ciuc for some distance, then we turned left, driving on a gravel road towards the area of Madaras. First, we passed fields and meadows, then we gradually entered a deciduous forest. While driving, Mr Albert told my guide that Filtermaiszter Zsolt started a fish farm in this area, but he sold it and moved to his present place. Besides, there were several others who had tried to make fish farms in this area, but they had given up.

Finally, we arrived at the property of his father-in-law where there was a wooden cabin, an outdoor eating place and a fish pond, which had been excavated by Mr. Albert’s father-in-law.

The bottom of pond was covered by a tarpaulin where the surrounding area was on the same level or lower than the pond.

Next to the property, a small river was passing. In order to replenish the water in the pond, a tube was feeding water from the creek to the pond. Mr Albert, totally unfazed by the cold running water, removed some stones below which there was a wooden shield.

Below, there was a perforated metal plate above a concrete tube. Inside the concrete tube, but invisible to us, the tube connecting the the creek and the pond was residing. There was another invisible tube connecting the fish pond to a pond on the outside of the property. In this way, fresh water was passing through the fish pond.

Another requirement for fish to survive is air. In the beginning, water was passing from the tube, falling into the pond in one place only. Mr. Albert noticed that the fish was gasping for air where water was entering the pond. Then, he understood that there was too little air in the pond and he constructed a setup such that water was falling continuously into the pond in three places instead of one. In this way, the flowing water will bring fresh air into the pond at the same time.

In order to protect the pond against predators, it was surrounded by a fence to prevent mink from entering. In addition, blue clotheslines were set up above the pond and a net was stretched out just above the surface of the pond to prevent birds like herons from taking the fish.

The filter in the creek with the intake clogs easily and the same happens with another filter located in the tube above the fish pond. There is also a filter where water is leaving the pond in case of a higher water level on the outside.

The fish are sensitive to environmental changes and the fish farmer has to be attentive.

When it’s raining a lot, silt will appear in the gills of the fish.

If the fish is afraid, it secretes a liquid which makes it slippery.

If the fish don’t escape when someone arrives, they are probably ill. Then, he can close both intakes and where the water is flowing out of the pond. Next, he can apply a medicine for about 2 hours. Afterwards, he can let water enter and exit again, but he has to wait for 2 months before he can slaughter the fish.

Mr. Albert buys rainbow trout spawn from Mr. Filtermaiszter in the spring and he slaughters them in the autumn.

Once, he set up an advert about selling fish, but the response was too high. He pulled the ad and asked people to go to Mr. Filtermaiszter instead.

He only produces fish for his family and some friends, while others are advised to go to Mr. Filtermaiszter.

Mr. Albert uses a dog feeder to feed the fish at certain times, which the fish like.

However, he wants to install a fish feeder which spreads the feed, else the most greedy fish take almost all of it. Besides, he wants to install a LED light, which will light a small part of the pond and attract insects, which the fish can eat.

He threw fistfuls of pellets into the lake and we could watch the fish partly jump out of the water in order to catch the feed.

There are 650 rainbow trout in the pond in autumn and 1200 in summer, but he’s certain he can have 3000.

He was using a net to haul up fish and when he hauled up enough for us, he finished off all of them, then he cleaned and grilled them. Finally, we had a delicious meal in the crisp autumn air.

In fact, he prefers to keep the fish salted for 24 hours to bring out the taste, but it wasn’t possible for us because I was going home the next day.

He needed to drain the pond because it freezes in winter. The next day, he would drain it, slaughter all the fish and put it in a freezer.

05/10/2019
Filtermaiszter Zsolt – fish farmer

Map reference

Photo gallery

Having almost passed the village of Mihăileni, we ascended above the village until we arrived at the fish farm of Filtermaiszter Zsolt. Of course, being a fish farm, an artificial lake caught our attention upon arrival. Having walked around the property, there were three more, each one located above the next one. According to the paper Small-scale rainbow trout farming this is a very good way of arranging a fish farm since it saves energy and consequently production costs. We could also see that oblique chutes in each lake brought air into the lakes, another feature recommended in the paper because trout requires a high level of oxygen in the water in which it lives.

Walking around the lakes, we had to pass meadows full of pretty wildflowers, but the lakes were also surrounded by deciduous trees and a beautiful mountain, on which we had hiked a few days before, was visible in the background. Having passed all the lakes, there was a brook just outside the property and the owner told my guide that he is diverting water from it.. The lakes also contained valves, which could be opened such that water would flow back to the brook in case of flood.

When he bought the property, it was covered by meadows and he had used a mechanical digger in order to excavate the artificial lakes whose maximum depth is 2.2 m. The maximum depth is very important in hot weather because trout needs cold water in order to survive and it tries to stay as deep as it can to avoid heat.

Mr Filtermaiszter had built a small hatchery near one of the lakes and he kept fertilised eggs and small fry in separate tanks. After about 3 months, he would transfer the fry to the uppermost lake, while he let the largest fish stay in the lowermost lake and fish of intermediate sizes in the two other lakes. In this way, the youngest and most vulnerable fish would get the cleanest water and big fish would be prevented from eating small ones.

As regards spawning, in-breeding has to be avoided and Mr Filtermaiszter looks at shape, fins and skin in order to verify that male and female fish, which are in general kept separately, are not related. He also buys fish eggs from other fish farms and he is a member of an association for fish farmers. Moreover, he has been interested in fish since he was 8 years old.

In the evening, he threw fistfuls of pellets into one lake at a time and we could watch the fish partly jump out of the water in order to catch the feed. Afterwards, he showed us a big house he was building for his guests. In fact, a company had built the frame of the house, while he was doing the interior work. In 2-3, years, the fish farm should be open for tourists who want to fish and prepare their own meals, He also wants to arrange hiking, driving and fishing trips, preparing mutton and pork, etc.

Mr Filtermaiszter has made his own workplace and is of course his own boss in a region with high unemployment. He’s selling to restaurants and he receives orders from customers. Slaughter of mature fish is done weekly.

He and his wife kindly served us freshly caught trout with beer and palinka for dinner, cooking the fish on a wood-fired oven. An excellent way of finishing an interesting visit.

Since the fish farm was located in the countryside, two young men were cutting hay on the property during our visit since dry hay is the prime feed of farm animals in winter in Romania. Actually, a flock of cows were grazing near the brook above the fish farm and we could hear their owners bring them home after sunset.

For those who want to catch their own trout instead, some advice can be found here.

05/06/2015
Irina and Vasile Bozai – food producers

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Irina and Vasile Bozai are running a guesthouse in the village of Desesti in the Mara valley at the foothills of the volcanic Gutai mountains. The village is renowned for its gardens and orchards, and the eighteenth century wooden church that is part of the UNESCO World heritage.

Like lots of Romanians, Irina and Vasile are very hospitable and they invited us to have a taste of their homemade food. They make food themselves using ingredients only, and we were served a rich selection of cold cuts, cheese, bread, pickled mushrooms in vinegar and olive oil, etc. The last one is made by Irina using a secret recipe.

They are raising their own pigs and they make their own hams, sausages, etc. Since it had been raining a lot before our arrival, mushrooms were widespread in the nearby forests, and they had bought a large amount of mushrooms from local pickers. In the cellar, we watched a group of women, employed by the Bozai family, cleaning the mushrooms and sorting them in grades of quality. The highest quality ones, which have a maximum diameter of 6 cm, are frozen at -40°C in order to preserve their quality. The rest are cut into thin slices and dried in a storeroom with controlled humidity and temperature.

The mushrooms are exported to Italy where they are highly appreciated. According to Vasile, the highest quality mushrooms grow near fir trees, but some Italians prefer mushrooms which grow near oak trees. They are also selling pickled mushrooms using Irina’s secret recipe.

Vasile also intends to buy a fruit press in order to produce apple juice, and he makes plum brandy.

There is a fish farm next to their guesthouse where trout are raised. It consists of 2 pools where water is continually supplied at the uppermost one and flowing down to the other one. Vasile uses food prepared by a local veterinarian for the fish such that they grow slowly and they are ready for slaughter after about one year. He has been offered animal feed which would let the fish grow much faster, but fortunately he has declined the offer. The youngest fish was staying in the lowermost pool and brought to the highest one after they had reached a certain age. In winter, the fish hibernate and don’t require any food. The pools were about 3 metres deep, which was necessary for the fish to escape the heat on hot summer days. The fish is caught by a fishnet, and sometimes Vasile has to catch all of them, empty the pools and clean them.

16/06/2013