Marine Biodiversity Protection

• Environmental integration: The Company’s facilities are harmoniously integrated into the Alvor Natura 2000 bird sanctuary waterway. The fishponds are old, converted salt ponds dug in the ground and built with native materials. The facilities were designed to blend with the natural environment of the estuary’s ecosystem, mindful of the local flora and fauna, including the farm’s neighbouring birds. Aerial cables were removed and replaced with under and on-ground cables. The ponds were covered with nets to keep both fish and birds safe.
• Ecosystem equilibrium: The farm’s operations promote ecosystem equilibrium. Water from all 19 of the farm’s ponds is completely renewed each day with the tidal exchange. Water released back into the estuary is rich in nutrients that promote the development of microalgae that feed the shellfish farmed elsewhere in the estuary and provide nutrients as head of a complete chain. Equilibrium is maintained by the symbiotic activity of fish and shellfish farming in the same ecosystem.
• Water quality: Ponds and waterways were designed for efficient water management and 100% water renovation every 24 hours with the tidal exchange. Critical variables such as water quality, flow, renovation, and oxygenation are actively monitored, managed, and controlled 24/7. Constant water renovation allows for dilution of excrements expelled by the fish, which at low levels of concentration are naturally used as nutrients with minimal impact on the ecosystem.
• Sustainable feed: NaturaFish has a strong commitment to the use of sustainable animal feed. In partnership with Aquasoja, the Company is leading the development of a new type of feed for improved digestibility that uses a higher percentage of fishing industry byproducts, thus minimizing waste released by its fish and avoiding the killing of wild fish to use as feed. The Company is also using vegetable sources and alternative omega-3 and fatty acids sources for feed production. In addition to supplemental feed, fish raised in the NaturaFish estuary ponds benefit from the live feed that comes in naturally with each tidal exchange, twice daily. This combination of supplemental and natural feed gives the fish superior organoleptic qualities, such as taste, texture, colour, and form.

Animals wellbeing promotion

The fish swim freely in large, one-ha ponds dug in the estuary where they grow naturally as wild. Water oxygen levels are carefully monitored and controlled. Supplemental feed (in addition to the live feed that comes in naturally with the tidal exchange) is delivered automatically, following a careful plan that takes into account various factors, such as size, lifecycle stage, climate, and growth. Different feed formulas are used in response to different pathological risks. Water quality, the main driver of disease prevention, is carefully monitored and is maintained primarily through constant renovation. Essential oils are used to treat certain health conditions and as anaesthetics to numb the fish to reduce handling stress, during sampling, for instance. Finally, special techniques are used to cause minimal stress during harvest, resulting in minimal animal suffering and release of low levels of adrenaline, as well as improved preservation of natural flavours and increased shelf life while fresh.

An alternative to the importation of fish raised in high-density cages

Europe suffers from a huge seafood supply/demand imbalance. Ninety percent of the seabass and seabream consumed in Portugal is imported, primarily from large-scale aquaculture production in Greece, Spain, and Turkey. Industrial-scale aquaculture, using high-density cages offshore, although efficient, does not meet minimum standards of sustainability and animal welfare. European seabass and gilthead seabream grow naturally in the wild in estuaries and inlets, not offshore in the open sea. NaturaFish answers to this supply/demand imbalance in a sustainable way, producing 500 tons of fish annually.

Employment promotion 

The Company will create 19 direct jobs (and many more indirect jobs) as it reaches stabilization. These are permanent, year-round jobs in a region that is highly dependent on seasonal tourism. The NaturaFish Team includes specialists in marine biology, pharmacy, nutrition, and ocean sciences. The Company is conducting R&D in partnership with various entities from industry, government, and academia, including highly skilled professionals, several of them with PhDs.