Evaluation of different trout farming systems and some policy issues in the Black Sea region, Turkey

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to evaluate different trout farming system in terms of their social, bio-technical and economical aspects in the Black Sea region, Turkey. Data were collected from 75 trout pond farms which were randomly selected and determined by the exact counting method 6 dam farms and 3 sea farms. The farm characteristics were defined in terms of culture systems. One-Way Analysis of Variance and the Chi-Square test were used to test means and frequencies. Data Envelopment Analysis was used to calculate efficiency measures. Results showed that there were differences between culture systems in terms of their social, bio-technical and economical aspects. Most of the social characteristics of the sea farms were more advanced when compared to the others. However, the smaller farms, especially pond farms, were relatively more technically and economically efficient. The costs of production in the pond, dam and sea farms would be reduced by 32, 39 and 50%, respectively, if these farms were managed efficiently. Provision of infrastructure, optimal input use and modern fish farming techniques are crucial to improve farm performance. State intervention on externalities, coordination among related sites and incentives might help to solve current farm problems and to develop the aquaculture sector in the region. © 2006 Asian Network for Scientific Information.