Tilapia Aquaculture – An Overview: Selection of systems – Ponds, Tanks, Raceways, Cages

Kevin Fitzsimmons University of Arizona, Professor

World Aquaculture Society, Immediate Past-PresidentAmerican Tilapia Association, Sec./Tres.

Pablo Gonzalez AlanisUniversidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, Professor

World Aquaculture Society, Student LiaisonProgram Coordinator, Aquaculture TIES

Hermosillo, Son. MexicoDec. 2, 2005

Tilapia aquacultureWhere will you grow your tilapia?Legal restrictions?Environmental restrictions? (cold, birds,

discharge)Water source (volume, quality, temperature)Other uses of water (irrigation, hydroponics,

recreation)

Tilapia in ponds

Extensive ponds

Semi-intensive ponds

Pond culture to crop irrigation

Tilapia production in outside ponds with shrimp in covered

ponds

Fiberglass or concrete tanks?

Large concrete tanks?

Tilapia with hydroponics

Tilapia-shrimp polyculture farms (Eritrea)

Irrigation canals / extensive raceways

Semi-intensive Raceway Systems

Raceways in Arizona

Raceways in Mexico

Intensive Raceway Systems (Brasil)

Intensive RAS farms in buildings in cool climates (USA)

Intensive farms with recirculation in greenhouses (USA)

Multiple small cages

Taal Lake, Philippines

Irrigation Reservoir, Arizona

Paulo Afonso Reservoir, Brasil

Other small cages

Nile Delta, Egypt

All tilapia farms have dogs, even cage farms

Shrimp Pond, Philippines

Shrimp Pond, Thailand

Large cage farms

Impacts of tilapia aquaculture

Exotic species that has been widely introduced Effluents from cage farms may contribute to

eutrophication Methytestosterone used in sex-reversal Attracts birds Discharge from desert farms should be used for

irrigation

For Sonora - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture

Water pH reduced from 8.3 to 8.0Added 19.7 kg/ha N to 45 kg/ha used

in standard fertilization schedule.

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ater

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WellPond

Results - Integration of aquaculture and agriculture

Contributed 2.6 kg/ha P to crop.

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Cotton Height 2002

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5/15 6/12 7/8 7/16 8/19 9/21

hei

gh

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WW WW+SF

FE FE+SF

Plant height with Fish Effluent, Standard Fertilizer and Well Water

Technologies to reduce externalities(escapees)

Further increase domesticationReduce survival rate of escapeesMore red skin varieties

Future global tilapia production

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1,000

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