Tanzania to double tilapia production
TANZANIA has ambitious plans to develop a better aquaculture sector by doubling its production of tilapia.
Tilapia, second only to carp as the world’s most frequently farmed fish, live in huge numbers in the Great Lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi/ Nyasa) that cover six per cent of the country.
But at the moment, tilapia farming in Tanzania is mostly for subsistence or for small-scale markets and often uses non-native species, such as Nile tilapia.
To develop an aqua- culture strategy, 30 scientists representing Tanzanian stakeholders, as well as international research organisations, met for a three-day workshop in Zanzibar.
The main outcome was a new consortium, committed to establishing a National Aquaculture Development Centre (NADC).
The NADC could help triple the contribution that aquaculture makes to the economy, double the production of fish in the country by 2025 and improve access to fish as a protein source - especially for women.
Tilapia species from a broad range of ecosystems - including lakes, river systems, reservoirs and fish ponds across the country - will form the focus of the research. Genetic analysis of 31 species, including 26 that are found nowhere else on the planet, could reveal important traits for creating the country’s own commercial broodstock.
Charles Mahika, of Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, said: ‘We have a chance to increase our country’s share in aquaculture’s blue revolution, an industry growing faster than any other food production sector in the world.
‘Tilapia production could help meet the nutritional demands of our growing population.’