Viking Aquaculture supplies trout products to South African consumers, run by Molopong Aquaculture in the Cape Winelands region of the Western Cape.
In South Africa, trout is the most commonly grown freshwater fish and trout farming is a well-established industry. Two types of trout are produced in South Africa: brown trout and rainbow trout. Both were introduced to South Africa for sport fishery purposes and commercial production started in the 1960s.
The demand for trout products exceeds supply on local markets and, as such, almost the entire production is marketed locally, primarily in the urban centres of Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban. Approximately 60 to 70% is sold in the foodservice sector, and 30 to 40% is absorbed by the retail sector.
There are eight specialist processors of trout products in South Africa, and trout are sold in a variety of forms, from whole gilled and gutted fish to fillets and smoked fish. Marketable sizes range from 230 to 450 g plate-size fish and upward. Trout generally reach a market size of about 1 kg in 16 months in South Africa.
Viking Aquaculture supplies ocean trout and coho salmon, as well as rainbow trout from the Molopong Aquaculture freshwater farm. They utilise a variety of culture techniques – from raceways to Danish ponds and cages – to produce fresh and frozen rainbow trout products for the local market.
Marine aquaculture - also called mariculture - refers to the farming of animals and plants in seawater including oysters, mussels, finfish, ...