Tilapia fish of the future for Pacific aquaculture?
Wednesday, 16 December 2009 10:19
Representatives from the Pacific have this week heard from international experts that fish farming of tilapia  the aquatic chicken has reached incredible levels approaching 3 million tonnes and US $5 billion in sales annually worldwide.

The statement was made at a meeting in Noumea organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Communitys Aquaculture Programme.

In the United States, tilapia is among the top five seafoods sold. Its firm, white, mildly flavored fillets have been successfully marketed for home cooking or fine restaurant dining as having not unlike the culinary versatility of chicken, according to Professor Kevin Fitzsimmons, former President of the American Tilapia Association.

Although all tilapia species originate from Africa, most farmed tilapia are produced in China and other Asian countries along with Egypt and the Americas. Despite its increasing popularity, however, the price paid to farmers has stayed the same while production costs, such as for feed, have risen. This is a worrying trend warns Professor Sena De Silva, Director General of the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific.

In comparison, tilapia output from the Pacific region is negligible. In 2007, the region harvested only around 300 tonnes of farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), mostly from Fiji.

There has since been rapid uptake of the opportunity. Paul Ryan farms red hybrid tilapia in Vanuatu and sells up to 2.5 tonnes a week. He is already planning to increase this amount.

The most dramatic trend is seen in Papua New Guinea with its large inland population. According to Mr Peter Minimulu of the National Fisheries Authority, there are around 20,000 fish farmers now estimated to be producing 10,000 tonnes of fish annually. (Previously, there was a scarcity of data for PNG tilapia production.)

Unfortunately for aquaculture prospects, the main species of tilapia found in the Pacific region is the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). The stock originating from the small handful of adult fish introduced 60 years ago has lost most of its exploitable levels of genetic variation and so is unlikely to respond positively to any stock improvement programme, according to Professor Mather, a geneticist based at Queensland University of Technology. Moreover, Mozambique tilapia is now widespread and associated with declines in native species, says Aaron Jenkins from Wetlands International.

The SPC Aquaculture Expert Consultation, Future directions for tilapia in the Pacific, was recently held at SPC headquarters in Noumea. The objective is to seek regional direction to support sustainable and profitable farming of tilapia in Pacific Island countries and territories.


For further information, please contact SPCs Aquaculture Adviser, Ben Ponia ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it phone: +687 26 01 66)