Nayarit, On Its Way to Double Tilapia Production FIS Mexico
go to original February 18, 2015

Farmed tilapia. (Photo:ittifauna.org)

In Tepic, Nayarit state capital, CIBNOR Nayarit Unit Laboratory for Research, Technological Development and Innovation of Tilapia was inaugurated, with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in the supply of this species in the country.

Tilapia is a highly sustainable product as it is an herbivore and does not need to eat fishmeal, avoiding a problem that causes bottleneck situations in modern aquaculture.

With around MXN 50 million (USD 3.4 million) investment by the contributions of CONACYT, the State Government of Nayarit, Inapesca and Maricultura del Pacifico S.A. de C.V. company, the expected goals are the achievement of permanent repopulation of dams and new impetus to the state and regional aquaculture.

In Aguamilpa Nayarit, the plan is to test a revolutionary stocking model to generate an assisted fishery, which unlike traditional stocking, implies the constant and permanent seeding of genetically improved masculinised offspring.

In the event, units of three Conacyt centres for transfer of science and technology of Mexico were launched - the Centre for Food Research and Development (CIAD), the Ensenada Centre for Scientific Research and Higher Education (CICESE) and the Centre for Biological Research of the Northwest (CIBNOR).

The unit Cicdese-UT3 is the technology transfer unit specializing in Information Technology (TIC). In addition, the Technology Management Unit (UGT) of CIAD is aimed at solving problems of the food industry, and finally, CIBNOR unit called UNCIBNOR+ is concentrated in the production of 18 million tilapia fingerlings of 5 grams annually, representing a potential production of 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes of fish per year.

This means, at least doubling the production of tilapia in the state of Nayarit, with an economic flow of MXN 180 million (USD 12 million) benefiting more than 900 organized fishermen of Aguamilpa. In initial stages of testing, about 30 producers in the state of Nayarit, Sinaloa Michoacan and Baja California have been served. Maricultura del Pacifico company is already a strategic partner of the operation and marketing of broods from that unit.

In addition to solving the supply of improved broodstock for fishermen and farmers in western Mexico, the purpose of the lab is to improve tilapia production technology, knowledge and support to producers, as well as human resources training, task entrusted to CONACYT.

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