Options for Producing a Warm-Water Fish in the UK: limits to "Green-Growth"?

Abstract

This paper explores the development of a sustainable production system for tilapia and the research implications involved with ensuring commercial viability of such a system for UK farmers. The tilapia is a warm water fish with firm texture, white flesh and mild taste quite similar to a cod or haddock. Whilst tropical in origin it is thought to be highly suitable for low cost aquaculture in temperate zones with the potential to be a more sustainable source of food with fewer environmental impacts than other substitutes. Drawing on a literature review and findings from technical trials the paper will review and compare two production systems - novel Activated Suspension Technology (AST) and conventional Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) - considering their feasibility in terms of potential and financial viability for scaling up to commercial production of tilapia and their environmental and sustainability benefits. The review concludes that AST based only on microbial floc is currently uncompetitive with RAS in a UK context although the approach has benefits that might be incorporated in a new generation of mixed systems. Refinement of such systems needs to occur with potential adopters and could be part of diversification of mixed farms. Such development might further enhance the ethical values of fish produced in small-scale, modular RAS.