October 12, 2007

UK study advocates breeding tilapia in barns

Farmers could utilise the unused space in their barns to grow tilapia as a way of supplementing their incomes, according to a study by the UK's Stirling University.

The 3-year project, developed by the university's aqua institute and funded by the Rural Economy and Land Use programme (RELU), uses a newly designed water system for small scale production.

Tilapia requires just six months to reach market while the typical salmon requires three times that long.

Unlike salmon, which is carnivorous, tilapia can subsist on both a herbivorous or carnivorous diet, according to the researchers.

Researchers believe that with the mild tasting tilapia can be a suitable substitute for fishes such as cod.

The team's surveys found tilapia would be popular among ethnic and environmentally-consicous consumers.