Home Animals Aquaculture

Aquaculture

Farmer’s Weekly brings you the latest aquaculture and Tilapia farming news and updates from South Africa and the rest of Africa.

Seawater-farmed tilapia

In this article, the second in a two-part series, Ramon Kourie and Vuyani Somyo of Thapi AquaKulcha show how seawater-farmed Mozambique tilapia can provide cheaper protein than broilers or other livestock.

Mozambique tilapia: big plans for a small fish

Fish is a healthy source of protein, but is becoming increasingly unaffordable for South Africans. Ramon Kourie and Vuyani Somyo of Thapi AquaKulcha look at why marine tilapia may be the perfect alternative to other white fish.

Tilapia farming: Untapped SA market holds opportunity for growth

David Fincham has more than 30 years’ experience in aquaculture and is one of South Africa’s foremost tilapia specialists. Through his business in Muldersdrift near Johannesburg, he has supplied 450 fish farming production units to farmers in Africa.
fish farming system

A word of warning for start-up producers

Prospective fish producers should consider all the hurdles that stand in the way of making a profit.
Lake Malawi cichlid fish species

Southeast Asia’s formula for top ornamental fish

To produce quality ornamental fish, a breeder must establish a habitat that is as natural as possible, with food sources such micro-algae and insect larvae.
fish tunnel

How to safeguard your fish against the cold

A severe drop in water temperature can kill tilapia fish stock in an aquaculture system, and a proper heating system is the only solution.
Abalone

West Coast abalone farm doubles in size, thanks to demand

Today, there are about a dozen abalone farms along the coastline between Port Nolloth and East London. One of the first to be established was Jacobsbaai Sea Products in the West Coast hamlet of Jacobsbaai. In the 24 years since it started farming abalone, the farm has produced an ever-greater number of these delicacies, and now exports millions annually.
The fry-rearing ponds at Lake Harvest, Kariba.

A tilapia model that SA should be emulating

Land ownership of the supply chain has enabled a number of countries to produce thousands of tons of tilapia annually. There is little reason why this cannot take place in South Africa.
The Mozambique tilapia

How to distinguish similar-looking juvenile cichlids

Approximately 15 cichlid species occur in South Africa. To the untrained eye, several appear confusingly alike, especially as juveniles. So make sure you get the right tilapia species for your aquaculture enterprise!

Fish production: simplicity or sophistication?

A recirculating system and a pond farm are at opposite ends of the aquaculture spectrum. The sweet spot is somewhere in between.
Cut-down domestic water tanks

Aquaponics: get it right, or grow veggies on their own!

Many aquaponics operations focus only on plant yield and ignore fish production. These are merely hydroponic systems that use expensive means to fertilise their plants.

Debate about humane killing of fish rages on

Compared with most other agricultural industries in South Africa, the farmed fish industry is in its infancy. With no legal framework yet in place, fish farmers and animal welfare organisations are at loggerheads about how to kill fish with the least suffering.

MUST READS