With 45 tons of all Made in Italy production, Italian caviar conquers the European record. It is one of the data that emerged during the board of directors of the Italian fish farmers' association of Confagricoltura (Api, which is associated with 90% of Italian companies) which took stock of Italian fish production. "The sector produced almost 60.000 tons of fish for a value of 287 million euros in 2017 and Italian aquaculture is sustainable at 360 degrees", said the president of the association Pier Antonio Salvador.
As for trout, “Italy, despite last year's severe drought, is the leading producer in the EU with 35.100 tons. There are good premises for the sector to grow in 2018».
The production of sea bass and sea bream represents an Italian and European excellence, appreciated precisely for their quality and sustainability. “If, as we believe, the bureaucratic simplification programs are respected – he observedMarco Gilmozzi, president of the European Federation of Aquaculture Producers - FEAP and breeder of marine species - our sector will be able to guarantee 250.000 new jobs in the coastal areas of the European continent".
But the surprise and the Italian primacy in Europe is precisely the production of caviar from aquaculture. Among the national productions, that of the trout is undoubtedly the most prevalent in value with 114,5 million in turnover; followed by sea bream with 73 million and sea bass with 48,5 million. Sturgeon still has a niche position with a turnover of 7 million, but this figure excludes the value of the sale of caviar, which is actually growing. The total of fish farming guarantees 35 tons of trout, 9 tons of sea bream and 5,6 tons of sea bass. In addition to 1 ton of sturgeons from which the precious Made in Italy caviar is obtained.
To get an idea of the value attributable to this production, just consult the price list of Calvisius, the Brescia-based company leader in Europe in this sector with 60 hectares of tanks for the cultivation of sturgeon and a declared share of 15% in the world production of caviar farmed. They range from 1.426 euros for 1 kg of Siberian classic caviar to 105 euros for 30 grams of Ars Italica Calvisius Oscietra Royal, bred in the waters of Ticino, corresponding to around 3.500 euros per kilogram.
Barely speaking, averaging the two minimum and maximum prices, and then multiplying by 45 tons of national production, we obtain a value of more than 110 million. Certainly it is not a fact that has any statistical value, but it can be used to give an idea of the production that the fish farmers' association estimates do not quantify.
