Warm Water Fish Production as a Niche Market and Diversification Strategy

1. Warm Water Fish Production as a Niche Market and Diversification Strategy

2. Why aquaculture? • Aquaculture in the UK remains a mainly coastal, specialised enterprise • Not integrated with agriculture • Specialised knowledge, sites (water sources), markets • Off-farm feeds-linked with marine ecosystems

3. Why warm-water fish? Why tilapia? • Lack of suitable local species with the right qualities • Tastes good • Feeds low in the food chain • Tolerant of culture • In many contexts tilapia are raised integrated within a broader, terrestrial farming system

4. Warmwater….. • Maintaining culture systems at the right temperature (28oC) • Insulated, underutilised farm buildings • Low value thermal heat-potential for use locally

5. a rationale diversification approach? • Diversification a common aim • Many constraints: • No familiarity with technical and market issues • Level of capital required • Potential benefits • Can be based on locally available feedstock • Marketed as local and possibly ‘organic’

6. History..and the future • Tilapia start-ups in the UK over last two decades have been capital intensive • Commodity orientation, specialised • Now, massive production in the Tropics will make commodity market very competitive

7. Scale and function • Can tilapia production be simplified to produce relatively small amounts of high value fish to local and specialised markets? • And if so what technical and markets research is required? • What holistic benefits might result?

8. Technical challenges • Naturally tilapias graze on aquatic pastures-plankton, bacterial floc • Commercial systems tend to feed complete feeds-like broiler chickens • …but they require feed supplementary to natural feed to grow well • Ok in ponds but…..tanks?

9. Trials

10. ‘Clean’ water or ‘food-rich’ water? • Conventionally waste feed removed by a filter and fish raised in clean water • Can waste be retained in the system and used as a further source of feed? • Feeding the fish? Feeding the bacterial floc? • Results so far…..fish are growing (slower than conventional recirculation (filtered) systems….

11. Waste …or food??? Naturalfood rich Natural food poor

12. But…. • Water quality remains high without expensive filter (25kg/m3 +) • Lower densities-appropriate, • lower risk approach • simple design and management of the system • Overall yield on 20% crude protein • Field beans and barley??

13. Other benefits • Without fishmeal/oils and associated problems • Only useful effluents-local nutrient reuse • Traceability, low ‘fish miles’ • Potentially organic

14. Who will eat the fish? • We have identified two major groups: • Ethnic markets • The ‘foodies’ • Small quantities; • Specialist retailers • Farmers markets • Internet sales • Direct restuarant

15. Ongoing research • Trying to understand how to best manage the ‘floc’ system and produce fish profitably • Would this meet the needs of rural entrepreneurs? What types of farmers might be interested? • How could this system contribute to sustainable rural livelihoods?

16. The team • University of Stirling: • Institute of Aquaculture • Department of Marketing • Public Health Group • Prof. Jimmy Young • Prof Andrew Watterson • Dr David Little • Dr Francis Murray • Kathleen Grady • Dr. Jimmy Turnbull: Institute of Aquaculture • Dr. Kim Jauncey: Institute of Aquaculture • Dr Ekram Azim: Researcher, Marie Curie Grant • Dr. Sarath Kodithuwakku: Entrepreneurship • Anton Immink: Communications officer • Marcus Thomson: Rural diversification • Dr. Sunil Kadri: Industry Liaison, Fish Welfare • Commercial Partners • Pisces Aquaculture Ltd • Freshwater Fish Farms Ltd • Nam Sai Farm

17. Questions?