Thousands of tons of fish exported from landlocked city

GÜMÜŞHANE

Turkish salmon produced in Torul Dam Lake, established to generate energy on a stream in the northern province of Gümüşhane, which does not have a coast to the sea, is exporting an average of 3,000 tons per year.

Dams and ponds built in recent years in Gümüşhane, where 60 percent of its geography is composed of mountains, contribute to both energy production and agricultural irrigation, while they also enable the export of fish in a region which does not have a coast to the sea.

Fish farming has been carried out for years in Torul Dam, one of the oldest dams in the city and built on the Harşit Stream, which is one of the fastest flowing streams in the country.

The fish that are fed in the dam up to a certain weight are then taken to the facilities in the sea and exported as Turkish salmon after being grown.

“We fish here 12 months of the year. The juvenile fish, which come to the dam lake at two grams, are taken to our sea facilities in the Black Sea after they reach up to a kilogram,” stated Sezgin Aydın, an aquaculture engineer.

The fish are exported to Japan, China, Vietnam and Russia after they are raised above two or three kilograms according to foreign demands.

There are 14 salmon and trout breeding facilities on Torul Dam Lake, while 2,110 tons of trout can be produced annually at the dam. “Rainbow Trout,” which is a productive species with its adaptation capacity to environmental conditions and disease resistance are produced in the dam lake with the support of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

A total of 955 tons of fish were produced by the companies in 2021. it is expected that this figure will reach 1,200 tons in 2022.