Production and Wholesale
The main activities of the Fish farm Kupa are commercial – the production and wholesale of fish.
Since 1948, the fish farm has been consecutively built on forest cleared land, on an unused marshland area near lateral canals Blatnica and Bukovac. Initial surface of the fish farm was 130 ha, and after additional expansion throughout the years, until 1978, it reached the today’s surface of total 424 ha. 375 ha of total surface is covered in water, and the rest are gutters, banks, access roads, hydropower facilities, economic yard.
When it was founded, an optimal location was chosen, nowadays a comparative advantage, since the constant watering with the sufficient amount of high quality water helps produce top quality freshwater fish. This is exactly what distinguishes the Fish farm Kupa from the similar fish farms in the region. The Fish farm is conveniently located in respect of water regime; the water is sufficient even in extremely dry periods.
Today the Fish farm is a genuine oasis of quality supply of top-quality freshwater fish. In several ponds, beside the most numerous carp, pike, catfish, zander, gras carp, tench, silver carp and other fish are being bred. Yearly breeding capacity reaches 500 tons of fish.
Production Facilities for Fish Breeding
| (pond) | (surface) |
| Pond 1 | 100 ha |
| Pond 2 | 19 ha |
| Pond 3 | 6 ha |
| Pond 4 | 100 ha |
| Pond 5 | 80 ha |
| Pond 6 | 42 ha |
| Pond 7 | 7 ha |
| Growth pond 13 | 13 ha |
| Winter pond 16 | 4 ha |
| 4 sport fishing ponds | 4 ha |
Production Phases in the Fish Farm
The production runs in three phases:
a) in the first phase so called “fingerlings” are produced, mainly from the larva, obtained formerly from the proper hatchery, and nowadays from the external sources. This category of juvenile fish is produced primarily for proper needs; that is for the production of year-old juvenile fish.
b) in the second phase year-old juvenile fish is produced from fingerlings. A part of year-old juvenile fish is used for the production of two-year-old juvenile fish, while the rest is placed on the market.
c) in the third phase two-year-old and three-year-old juvenile fish or consumption fish is produced.
Production phases proceed in parallel, in the course of one year, in various fishing ponds.
Strategic Investments and Goals
High percentage of survival of fry, favourable growth and quality of fry can be achieved by strict compliance with the zoohygienic and zoosanitary prophylactic measures. The quality of fish-keeping facilities, laboratory equipment and well-educated staff are important for the implementation of these measures, which is a precondition for economically profitable production of high quality.
Production investments – basic investments refer to the food, lime, fertilizer and prophylaxis. Beside that, production investment involves the supply of larva, year-old juvenile fish, two-year-old juvenile fish, equipment and investment maintenance.
For production it is necessary to ensure certain water surface, quantity and quality of water, plantation material, repro material and staff. Present infrastructure guaranties a significant production upturn after the investments. The process of recovery and reconstruction is dictated by technological phases of production. The goal is to carry out the reconstruction with the minimum disruption of the current production.
