Photo credit: Andria Melissa Ochoa Rodas (Guatemala)
Description: Andria Melissa Ochoa Rodas and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)
The inserted picture shows a cage farm for tilapia located in freshwater body in Guatemala. The production of tilapia (Oreochromis spp) has constantly increased in tanks and cages. The culture of tilapia in floating cages has been promoted by the fisheries administration.
The contribution of tilapia to total aquaculture was only 3.7% in 2010 with 846 tons increasing to 5500 tons in 2011; 5455 tons in 2012; 5974 tons in 2013; and 9546 tons in 2014 before peaking in 2015 when tilapia produced from aquaculture amounted 13,500 tons representing 61.2% of total aquaculture in Guatemala and hence surpassing the production of marine shrimp for the first year. The year 2016 has witnessed a decline in tilapia production reaching 10,045 tons representing 38.2% of total aquaculture.
About 20% of produced fish is exported to the USA as fillet while the rest is for domestic market. The mean harvest weights range from about 225 to 450 g.
According to the “Fish Site”, about 40 million of tilapia fingerlings are produced in Guatemala. It may worth noting that 20,000 selectively-bred tilapia broodstock resistant to “Streptococcus” have been delivered to a Guatemala enterprise.
