Kärntna Låxn

 
Record Number: 138
 
Disclosure Date
Lake trout (Kärntna Låxn) were supplied to the Imperial Court in Vienna from Upper Carinthia as long ago as the 14^th  century.  
 

Photo: BMLFUW/A...

Title
Kärntna Låxn  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Abstract or claim
Farming and harvesting of lake trout (Kärtna Låxn) in ponds closely mirroring natural conditions ('natural ponds’) in the region of Carinthia that are supplied with water from springs and streams.
Optimal interaction between soils, climate, water regime and terrain enable the growth of lake trout (Salmo trutta lacustris), providing flesh of particularly high quality.
Kärntna Låxn are characterised by their light-pink flesh, excellent taste and special aroma.  
 
Name of product, Product class
Lake trout, fish  
 
Name of region
Carinthia, Austria  
 
Field of search
Food and agriculture
 
Name of information provider
Andreas Hofer
Chairman, ARGE Oberkärntner Fisch (Upper Carinthia Fish Working Group)  
 
Name of applicant for title
--- 
 
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
4 fish farms from Upper and Central Carinthia  
 
Grantee(s), holder(s), assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
--- 
 
Descriptors
- History:
Fishing has a long and proud tradition in the federal province of Carinthia, which has an abundance of lakes and rivers. In the Middle Ages, both the monasteries (Millstatt monastery, for example) and aristocratic families administered to the lakes and running waters of Upper Carinthia. Nowadays the focus is more on angling.
As long ago as the 14^th  century, lake trout from Upper Carinthia were being supplied to the Imperial Court in Vienna, where demand for this speciality was brisk.
 
In the years preceding the First World War, lake trout was the most important commercially farmed fish, first and foremost in the Millstätter See and Weissensee lakes.
During the spawning season, the fish would migrate upstream in the tributary rivers, where they could be caught in their hundreds. The name ‘Låxn’ had already fallen into common parlance by that time.
Since the 1970s, the stock of lake trout in the Carinthian lakes has dropped in volume. The origins of this reduction lie in the overfishing of the spawning grounds, pollution (alkaline sewage in the Millstätter See from an industrial plant), eutrophication, and the stocking of lakes with non-indigenous species – where there were originally only nine species of fish in the Weissensee, for example, there are now 24.
 
For a number of years, attempts have been made, at considerable expense, to regenerate the natural fish stock and to regenerate the lake trout population by means of breeding in natural ponds.
In 2001, then, four fish farms from the towns of Sirnitz, Dornbach, Malta and Feld am See began breeding what had previously been the dominant fish species (lake trout), and once again offering it to consumers and through gastronomic outlets in greater volumes.
In 2002, the ‘ARGE Oberkärntner Fisch’ (‘Upper Carinthia Fish Working Group’), a cooperative institution comprising fish farmers, innkeepers, the Fischereiverband (‘Fishery Society’) and the Nock region, was founded.
In 2005, 5 tons of Kärntna Låxn were produced, a figure which had risen to 9 tons by 2007.
 
- Region:
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian federal province. It borders East Tyrol in the west, Salzburg and Styria in the north and north-east, and Slovenia and Italy (Friuli and Venice) in the south. It primarily consists of Upper Carinthia, a region shaped by mountains, the Klagenfurt Basin, and Central Carinthia.
 
The Kärnta Låxn Region of Delight should be understood as consisting of the towns of Sirnitz (Feldkirchen municipality), Dornbach (Spittal an der Drau municipality) and Feld am See (Villach Land municipality).
 
Climatic and soil conditions:
Carinthia is located in the temperate climate zone of Central Europe.
As Carinthia is situated south of the Alps, the climate is essentially Mediterranean in the summer. It is characterised by relatively constant weather conditions with high solar radiation, alternating with thunderstorms and intense precipitation.
 
While summers are hot and moderately wet, winters are long and harsh. In autumn and winter, temperature inversions often dominate the climate, characterised by calms, dense fog covering the frosty valleys, and mild sunny weather higher up in the foothills and mountains.
 
Habitat:
In the Kärnta Låxn Region of Delight, lake trout in Upper and Central Carinthia are bred in 15 natural ponds situated at altitudes between 751 and 843 metres above sea level. The ponds are supplied with water from springs and streams.
The temperature of the water in the ponds fluctuates between 8 ° and 15 °C. Because the natural ponds are supplied with sufficient fresh water, it is not necessary to enrich them with oxygen. The average area of one of the ponds is around 1 hectare.
 
Pond management:
The ponds are cleaned at least once a year, when they are drained for a short time (between 2 days and 1 week), before being newly flooded.
  
- Kärntna Låxn:
The regional term Kärntna Låxn refers to thelake trout (Salmo trutta lacustris), a freshwater fish from the salmonid family (Salmonidae).
Other names for the lake trout include ‘Ferche’, ‘Laxl’, ‘Lax’, ‘Laxn’, ‘coalfish’ and ‘Coho salmon’. Lake trout originating in Lake Constance in the Rivers Rhine and Ill (in Vorarlberg) are referred to as ‘Lanken’ in these areas.
 
Lake trout (Salmo trutta lacustris) occur in the cool, oxygen-rich lakes of the Alps and Alpine foothills. The fish migrates to the tributary rivers when spawning, however.
 
The lake trout has a stocky, torpedo-shaped body which is slightly compressed at the sides. The animal’s colouring depends on its natural environment and origin, and is highly variable. The species is characterised by silvery basic colouring on the sides, while its stomach is light-grey to white. Its back may be coloured dark grey, dark green, almost black and in some cases a turquoise green. The fish typically has black spots dispersed across several scales, as a result of which they can often appear asymmetrical or cross-shaped. Because strains of the lake trout and brown trout have been crossed in the past, red spots can also sometimes occur, often making it impossible to differentiate clearly between the two sub-species.
 
Methods of production:
Selected fish farms in the Kärntna Låxn Region of Delight have developed quality criteria for the breeding, catching and processing of Kärntna Låxn in cooperation with the Food Investigation Institute and the Carinthian Chamber of Agriculture.
 
Slow growth in clean mountain water at a low temperature guarantees the best-quality flesh. Due to the low density of stock, fish raised exclusively in natural ponds have a natural supply of oxygen. Breeding is adapted to the natural behaviour and needs of the species of fish. Water, hygiene and stock are subject to continuous checks.
 
Mating and reproduction:
Lake trout reach sexual maturity at between three and five years of age. Spawning season is from October to September.
 
Fish breeding:
The fish used in the stock originate from their own offspring.Some 50,000 stocking fish are brought into the ponds of the ‘Kärntna Låxn’ Region of Delight every year.
 
Kärntna Låxn are bred in monoculture.
For the purpose of artificial propagation, eggs and sperm are obtained from the vent by pressing lightly along the belly of the fish. For fertilisation, eggs and sperm are mixed and water added. The hatched fish are raised in fish hatcheries for six months.As soon as the fish reach a maximum size of 8 cm, they are transferred to the empty, cleaned natural ponds.
 
It takes 3 years for the Låxn to reach a weight of 250 - 400 g, when they are ready for consumption.
 
Feeding:
The fish live on other organisms living in the ponds. This diet is supplemented by particularly high-value and protein-rich feedstuff, fed to them either manually or automatically once a day.
 
Fishing and stock assessment:
The fish are harvested with dragnets.
The fish can be caught at any time of year. They are graded manually, weighed and counted by hand. Fish that are too small are returned to the ponds.
Until they are slaughtered, the Låxn are kept in larger ponds.
 
Slaughtering:
Each fish farm has its own slaughtering room, which meets hygiene requirements.
After slaughtering, the fish are either processed or put on ice and offered for sale.
 
Flesh and flavour:
The flesh of Kärntna Låxn is a delicate pink in colour, and has an excellent flavour and special aroma.
 
Quality control:
A new system of quality control defining new quality criteria is currently being worked out, and is due to be implemented at the beginning of 2010.
 
The quality of the water is checked twice a year by the province of Carinthia.
 
The fish farmers record details in a ‘pond book’ relating to the fish stock (origin, amount of fish), feedstuff (origin, amount and type), the amount of fish caught, results of checked on the water and health of the fish, and other relevant events (fish diseases, for example).
 
- Marketing:

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

Kärntna Låxn are available fresh at any time, and marketed through the ‘ARGE Oberkärntner Fisch’ (Upper Carinthia Fish Working Group), directly by the fish farmers, and through local gastronomic outlets.
 
During Lent, Carinthian asparagus farmers offer the ‘Kärntna Låxn-Schmaus’ (‘Carinthian trout feast’) from Ash Wednesday onwards,in cooperation with the Upper Carinthia Fish Working Group.
 
Connection with the geographical area and traditional knowledge:
- Specific pond conditions in Upper and Central Carinthia provide optimal
  conditions for farming lake trout.
- Kärtna Laxn are born and bred in the region.
- The ecologically-oriented farming of trout contributes to the preservation
  of the natural landscape, which is shaped by ponds.
- Thanks to this farming in conditions similar to those in the natural
  environment, lake trout can be produced with specific characteristics.
  The flesh has a unique aroma and flavour which are directly related to
  the feedstuff ingested and management of the ponds.
- The production of Kärntna Låxnis the result of traditional knowledge
  passed down from generation to generation over centuries and traditional
  knowledge and expertise of breeders (adapting the management of salmonids
  to environmental constraints, know-how of breeders, artificial insemination
  and traditional pond management), fishermen (methods of catching with
  dragnets, slaughtering, storage and processing).
 
- Utilisation:
Kärntna Låxn are offered as fresh fish, ready for cooking, in filleted form, pickled, as a smoked fish and spread or tartar, as ‘Graved- Låx`n’ (marinated salmon) or fish cheek.
 
- Protection:
-  
 
Key Words
Food and agriculture, traditional knowledge, Austria, Lower Austrian, region, Upper Carinthia, Middle Carinthia, fish, lake trout, Kärntna Låxn  
 
Bibliography / References
- HAUER, W. Fische, Krebse, Muscheln in heimischen Seen und Flüssen,
  Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz, 2007, S. 49-51
- Der "Kärntna Lax'n" wird beim Patentamt angemeldet
  http://www.kleinezeitung.at/kaernten/spittal/473784/index.do
- Die Kärtner Spargelwirte
  http://www.spargelwirte.at/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48
- Die Seeforelle
  http://www.tiscover.at/at/guide/5,de,SCH1/objectId,IND523447at,curr,EUR,parentId,ACC270968at,season,at1,selBlk,ADDPGBLK,selElem,BKEPP8at/intern.html
- Die Seeforelle
  http://www.angelprofi.at/weissensee.htm
- Extensive und intensive Fischhaltung
  http://www.was-wir-essen.de/abisz/fisch_erzeugung_haltung.php
- Fischereibetrieb Payr
  http://www.oberkaerntnerfisch.at/mitglieder/2-mitglieder/11-fischereibetrieb-payr.html
- Fischzucht Glanznig
  http://www.oberkaerntnerfisch.at/mitglieder/2-mitglieder/13-fischzucht-glanznig.html
- Fischzucht Truskaller-Gigler
  http://www.oberkaerntnerfisch.at/mitglieder/2-mitglieder/12-fischzucht-truskaller-gigler-.html
- Graved Lax
  http://www.beste-rezepte.de/index-34207.php
- Graved Lachs
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graved_Lachs
- Kärnten
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A4rnten
- Kärnten Fisch - Fischzucht Feld am See
  http://www.oberkaerntnerfisch.at/mitglieder.html
- Kärntna Laxn
  http://www.laxn.at/
- Die Kärtner Spargelwirte
  http://www.spargelwirte.at/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=20.
- Låx’n
  http://www.kaerntner-fischerei.at/presse/neue_presse/laxn.pdf
- Oberkärnten
  http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.encyclop.o/o073426.htm
- Jahresbericht 2004 des Landesfischereiinspektors
  http://www.kaerntner-fischerei.at/aktuelles/jahresbericht_lfi_2004.pdf
- Klimapotential für den Tourismus in Flattach
  http://www.zamg.ac.at/a-tale-of-two-valleys/documents/ZV_10F.pdf
- Seeforelle
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeforelle
- Seeforelle
  http://www.pivi.de/_php/adodb/browse.php?Artname=Seeforelle
- Weissensee
  http://www.kis.ktn.gv.at/oeffentlichkeit/seen_allgemein/weissen/weissen_inhalt.htm
 
All internet references last accessed on 5 November 2009.  
 
Language Code
German
 
Product of www.genuss-region.at  
Yes 
 
Regional contact 
Kärntner Laxn
ARGE Oberkärntner Fisch
Mr. FM chairman Andreas Hofer
Millstätter Straße 77
9544 Feld am See
Phone: 0676/35466998
E-mail: gabi@kaerntenfisch.at
 
Authors: Doris Reinthaler, Eva Sommer, Erhard Höbaus
 

20.01.2012, Lebensministerium III/4