Jamaica’s fisheries sector is to benefit from a multimillion dollar aquaculture project targeting the production of silver tilapia fresh-water fish with potential earnings up to US$200 million per annum.
The initiative, for which a four-month $10 million pilot project was recently concluded, is spearheaded by newly established entity, Sunshine Aquaculture Limited, in partnership with Aqua Wilson Farm, a 100-acre fresh water fish sanctuary in Hill Run, St Catherine.
Sunshine Aquaculture is seeking to introduce the new Silver Tilapia as well as improved nutrition and management processes within the local sector, which should enhance production of the Red Tilapia, regarded as a local culinary favourite.
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Roger Clarke, and other officials of the Ministry were taken on a tour of the Aqua Wilson Farm, on August 2, to view the operations.
Sunshine Aquaculture director, Mark Wildish, said the pilot project demonstrates the possibility of double growth rates for the Silver Tilapia, based on the results of the pilot project, conducted at their Kew Park Farm in Westmoreland, and Aqua Wilson Farm.
Wildish said that fingerlings at Kew Park grew from 26 grams to 400 grams in 66 days, while those at Aqua Wilson recorded growth of up to 322 grams over the same duration. This contrasts sharply to the 107 days it takes the Red Tilapia fingerling to grow to 26 grams, and 180 days to get to 322 grams.
“The main advantage of the Silver Tilapia is that through improved efficiencies, we can significantly reduce the cost of production, and this will allow a lower price for the consumer. We expect that the Jamaica Tilapia will continue to sell. But, our aim is to make sure we can compete with much of the frozen fish which currently comes in from abroad, like the Mangrove Snapper and Grunt,” Wildish said.
Noting that local production declined to 800 tonnes in 2012, Wildish is optimistic that introduction of the silver tilapia will boost output to well over 4,000 tonnes within three years, with the potential to generate earnings of between US$150 million and US$200 million.
“Jamaica has great competitive advantage in fish…we have great land, great water, and we have already got a lot of the existing farms. In a study done as to the aquaculture potential of Jamaica, it is not impossible to imagine Jamaica producing 50,000 tonnes of tilapia a year,” he added.
