Topsy Baits is a joint venture between Aqua Farms and Normandie Appats, the number one distributor of live bait in Europe.

In 1983 Topsy Baits started the research into the farming of ragworms (Nereis virens). Fifteen years ago (1985) Topsy Baits was the first company to come to the market with cultured ragworms. For the culture of our worms we use natural seawater that is not heated and treated. This allows the worms to undergo all seasons and grow under natural conditions. This causes the quality of the worms to be the same as the wild worms The culture system and all equipment have been developed by Topsy. Since the worms are farmed in shallow outside ponds special equipment had to be designed.

• For recirculation Topsy designed and build a specially adapted brushpump.



• The aerators are designed to work in the shallow ponds and are highly efficient.
  
  
• The automated harvesting machines work their way through the ponds, harvesting the worms in a gentle way in order to make sure that the quality does not suffer.



• The packaging machine designed by Topsy allows us to send the worms alive all over the world to be used as bait in the angling business.

The practical ingenuity present in Topsy has allowed us to increase the farm from 14 ponds in 1990 to 50 ponds in 1998 without increasing the staff. As a result of automation and scaling-up Topsy has been able the keep the price at the same level for five years now. In the year 2000 Topsy has double in size and went from 50 to 96 ponds (110,500 m2 growout ponds). The production has increased to 125 tonnes per year.

Topsy is capable of delivering quality ragworms year round to importers, wholesalers and shops in Holland and abroad. Topsy exports to Belgium, Germany, Malta, Danmark, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Lebanon, Japan, Great Britain, Dutch Antilles, Venezuela and Mexico.