Tilapia is indigenous to Africa - yet the continent produced only a small percentage of tilapia’s estimated 3 million tonne global supply in 2009, whilst Asia produced around 75%. Africa’s share of global fish production has remained at 4.2% for 10 years, substantially below its potential. Aquaculture already supplies nearly half the world’s seafood consumed by humans; at 51.7 million tonnes in 2006 and can be expected to reach 50% in the next few years. With declining wild stocks and an increasing human population, sustainable aquaculture can - and must –help to meet growing demand.
This project, implemented by New England Seafood, Lake Harvest Aquaculture in Zimbabwe and Waitrose aims to help springboard tilapia into the UK market and the sales evidence (only 2% of UK households buying tilapia at present) points to this being the right moment in time for it. Tilapia will through the project reach a wider consumer base and be a more presentable product, which will support its growth in the UK market. The growth will open opportunities for other African tilapia farmers to enter the field and to access higher value markets.
The project is working to augment the highest fish welfare, environmental and ethical standards during rearing and the most humane slaughter methods possible. Lake Harvest already meets these high standards but aims for continual improvement. The process of harvest through slaughtering has been studied by the steering committee and experts in the fields of welfare, husbandry and quality, with particular focus on improved humane killing methods. A prototype of the proposed humane electrical stunning system has been installed and trials held. These trials were extremely successful and the system is expected to be implemented in full in early 2013.
The project has made use of Waitrose’s expertise in developing consumer awareness of the benefits of tilapia and marketing on a scale not yet attempted for tilapia in the UK continues to be undertaken. Two new Tilapia products have been launched into Waitrose and have driven new purchasers into the species in the UK. These products were (i) a prepack product of 2 skin-on tilapia fillets, and (ii) a prepack product of Tilapia Fillets with a Chilli and Coriander Marinade. Sales in 2011 are nearly 2.5 times higher than sales in 2010. In the period July to December 2011, sales are a full 3 times higher than July-Dec 2010.
Another key area is to improve quality assurance and achieve the lowest impact on the environment during transportation through better logistics. The project is devising ways develop the logistics chain from harvest to point of sale with a view to reviewing and improving quality at every step and reducing carbon impacts where that quality will not be compromised. Mastering deep temperature freezing is critical to this vision. The assessment work has been completed on the most effective frozen supply chain route to the UK and a trial shipment has been made. This frozen supply route is planned to be fully exploited later in 2012.
Finally the project will, principally with the retailer’s training department, devise and implement a tilapia training module to provide knowledge on all the positive attributes of tilapia to help promote sales and awareness. The project will also develop expertise at Lake Harvest by drawing on lessons learned on tilapia production and distribution systems in use in the main production centres in Central America and Asia where intensive tilapia farming and experience is much more common than in Africa.
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