Bringing back the 'Valkenswaardse' mirror carp
This breed of carp originating from Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, is specifically farmed for restocking and angling. In their prime years, these fish were known to be nicely built, with a beautiful scaly pattern on their flanks. This, in combination with genetics that allowed them to reach old age, made the Valkenswaardse the perfect lineage for restocking projects, especially in the Netherlands.
Originally, this carp species and others were produced at the fish farm called Viskweekcentrum Valkenswaard. In 2017, however, that facility was transformed from a fish farm into an applied research centre for studies on fish nutrition — and was renamed as the Alltech Coppens Aqua Centre (ACAC).
While carp and other fish are no longer farmed at the Viskweekcentrum, the genetics found in Valkenswaardse carp have not been lost. In fact, efforts are currently underway to continue with this special breed of carp — which, in combination with good farming practices and proper nutrition ensures a bright future.
Carp breeding for restocking
Breeding carp specifically for restocking requires producers to think differently about genetics than they would when breeding carp for consumption. For example, fast growth is desirable when producing carp for consumption — but that rapid growth often means that those fish will not reach old age. While that’s not an issue for carp bred for consumption, a long lifespan is desirable in restocking projects to help minimize the need for additional restocking efforts in the future. Fish bred for restocking should also be as resilient and robust or healthy as possible to prepare them for being restocked in a variey of potential environments.
Cross-breeding allows farmers to select the most suitable fish by breeding for several desirable traits, including good growth, disease resistance, minimal mortality rates at early ages, fewer deformities and, of course, an appealing appearance. Read on to learn more about how the fishponds in Valkenswaard have made significant contributions to the development and optimization of cross-breeding.
The history of carp farming in Valkenswaard
Carp breeding in Valkenswaard has a long history that begins around the turn of the 20th century, when entrepreneurs first started farming carp commercially in the area. In the 1950s, the property with the fishponds was acquired by the Dutch government and eventually became part of the Organisation for the Improvement of Inland Fisheries (OVB), which produced carp and other species to support inland fisheries and, for sport angling through restocking projects. The government considered this an important initiative, as lakes and canals across the Netherlands were rather poorly stocked with fish and required supplemental restocking.
Depletion of the population
By the year 2000, the population of mirror carp in the Dutch waters depleted once again, what could be attributed to natural mortality and the presence of dominant common carp offspring from restocked mirror carp. As a result, it was primarily the anglers and angling associations that created the demand for restocking more mirror carp for sportfishing. Anglers prefer mirror carp because of their appealing appearance — but also because they are easier to identify; each individual mirror carp has its own unique pattern of scales, which makes monitoring that population through catch pictures much simpler than the process of identifying common carp.
Thanks to the efforts of Dutch anglers and their associations, various restocking projects were soon underway, and the growth and distribution of these fish could be monitored. Eventually, these projects also led to an increase in the use of mirror carp as broodstock at the fishponds in Valkenswaard.
In 2002, when the OVB was disbanded, Viskweekcentrum Valkenswaard transferred to private ownership and fishfarming continued there with a large variety of fish species. By then, the property consisted of ten hectares featuring several large ponds and a hatchery. The farm was renamed as the Viskweekcentrum Valkenswaard, and around that time, the original Valkenswaardse mirror carp was farmed.
Spearheading feeding trials with Coppens International
Notably, in the years after its renaming in 2002, fish farming was not the only activity that took place at the Viskweekcentrum Valkenswaard; the facility also led efforts to improve fish diets through applied experiments in cooperation with Coppens International, which is now known as Alltech Coppens. The facility also spearheaded feeding trials to enhance the growth and health status of fish by testing different diets with numerous species.
Fish production at the facility was scaled back in 2017, when the Viskweekcentrum Valkenswaard was acquired by Alltech Coppens and became the ACAC. This marked the end of an era of large-scale fish production at Valkenswaard, with the research facility focused solely on feeding trials.
A new beginning in Valkenswaard: Current trends in breeding at Viskwekerij van Leeuwen
In 2019, Kaz van Leeuwen started a breeding program that includes the old carp lineages first introduced at Valkenswaard. Since its origin, the Valkenswaardse mirror carp has been known for its long shape — but currently, there is a demand for fish that can reach a higher weight, which is associated with a characteristic “kink” that consequently appears behind the fish’s head. To achieve this higher weight and the “kink,” the Valkenswaardse mirror carp is cross-bred with various strains of carp from Eastern Europe. The resulting carp (seen in the picture below) have a heavier build, and these promising results are appreciated by the market.
The legacy continues
On van Leeuwen’s farm, the broodstock is selected based on desirable characteristics and stocked in reproduction ponds, where spawning and egg production take place in the spring. During their initial life stage, the carp larvae rely on the natural plankton production of the ponds, but over time, the amount of supplemental feed offered increases to speed up their growth. This is achieved by co-feeding the larvae, first, with the Advance feed (0.2–0.3 mm); later, they switch to the Premium select feed ( >2 mm and up).
During the time of the OVB, carp generally grew to between 200–300 grams over two growing seasons. Today, it is possible to reach 1.500 grams when the carp are fed extruded feeds over the same time period. This has resulted in a significant increase in production capacity. Additionally, thanks to their improved growth, young carp can pass more quickly through periods when they have an increased risk of external threats, such as predation by cormorants, which helps minimize losses for farmers.
While it might be done on a smaller scale now than in years past, thanks to van Leeuwen’s aqua farm, carp are still being produced at one of the original homes of fish farming in the Netherlands — and a legacy continues.
Discover our carp feed
Did you know that Alltech Coppens offers ten different carp feeds tailored to your specific situation and needs? From sinking to floating, and from starter feeds to grower feeds, we ensure you get the highest quality fish feed to help your carp thrive.