Future Fish Industry Pilot Operation (FFIPO)

The Food Security Research Institute (FSRI), a non-profit company, has found the solution to affordable and sustainably produced land-based farmed fish to replace wild captured cod, haddock, hake, pollock and other ‘whitefish species’. Ground breaking experimental work at the FSRI near Vredenburg about an hour and half’s drive from Cape Town situated on the west Cape coast demonstrated the capability of raising Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) in saline water tanks using Biofloc Technology (BFT). The results “were most encouraging”, according to Jean Pierre (JP) von Hage the Managing Director, enabling the economical production of tilapia on all-plant-based feeds achieving an impressive feed conversion ratio of around 1kg of all-plant based feed fed to 1kg live weigh body gain. Mozambique tilapia also grew faster in saline water equivalent to the salinity of seawater (35g/L of salts) with a marked improvement in taste and texture.

“Seawater grown tilapia have shown to have a stronger intensity of flavor with a hint of sweetness enabling a far superior prod...