Fish farming / Sturgeon aquaculture

Ausstellung Berner Oberland

Siberian sturgeon and sterlet have been bred in a pilot plant in the aquaculture in Frutigen since 2005. The primary goals are research into and the optimisation of the conditions for keeping the fish and the build-up of the fish stock to around 60,000 fish.

As a commercial operation, the Tropic House Frutigen is carrying out various research projects, including fish farming, together with scientific partners, which pursue the following goals:

Investigation and optimisation of the best living conditions for our sturgeon breeding operation

Together with the Centre for Fish and Wildlife Medicine at the University of Bern (FIWI), the Tropic House Frutigen AG has provided the basic proof that the Siberian sturgeon can thrive in the warm mountain water from the Lötschberg tunnel, and that it is possible to carry out commercial breeding for the production of meat and caviar (KTI project).

Replacement of fishmeal as sturgeon feed through the production of protein-rich raw materials from the region

Conventional fish feed is normally produced from fishmeal, which can no longer be supported for ecological and ethical reasons. Working together with regional agricultural producers, we are therefore trying to replace it with high-quality alternative proteins (RegioPlus project).

Eco-certification of the sturgeon breeding and fruit production

Through high-quality feed, species-appropriate animal husbandry and the consistent avoidance of the use of antibiotics, medication or chemical pesticides, we are aiming to receive an official Eco certification for sturgeon farming, which has not yet been defined (RegioPlus project).
The sturgeon in Frutigen swim in large basins with the appropriate currents and shading, and remain healthy and lively thanks to high-quality feed without the use of any preventative medication.

Profile of the Siberian sturgeon


(Picture: Markus Hubacher)

  • Maximum size of 2.00 m (the largest fresh-water fish in the world)
  • Weight of approx. 200 kilogram
  • Uniformly brown to grey-black, with speckled yellow to dirty-grey underside
  • Barbels are slightly fringed
  • Lower lip is quite clearly split
  • Gill rakers are fan-shaped
  • Streamlined, spindle-shaped body
  • Five rows of sclerotic plates on the side of the body
  • Streamlined, asymmetric tail fins 
  • Snout-shaped, elongated mouth with four barbels that carry the taste buds
  • As with all sturgeon, does not spawn every year, but only every 2-5 years
  • Very high growth potential
  • Very robust when handled
  • Has a low oxygen requirement and a wide tolerance to food and the environment
  • Occur in almost all the rivers in Siberia, and are also found in Lake Baikal
  • Sturgeon are migratory fish that swim into the rivers for spawning
  • Can be up to 100 years old

Scientific partners for the fish farming:

 
TYPO3 Agentur