World Wildlife Fund

Tilapia is a hardy, fast-growing fish that has long been a staple source of protein in many developing nations and, recently, is in high demand in developed nations. This includes the United States, where tilapia is 8th on the list of top ten seafoods consumed. Approximately 2.3 million metric tons of tilapia is produced annually and, of that, 73 percent is farmed. Most of the tilapia is produced in China, followed by Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Although not listed as major producing countries, Costa Rica, Honduras and Ecuador are important suppliers of fresh tilapia fillets in the United States. Most tilapia is imported to the United States, the European Union and Japan. 

Main impacts of tilapia aquaculture

The increased demand for tilapia has shifted many tilapia producers from subsistence growers to larger, export-driven producers. This shift has created environmental impacts - both real and perceived. The main impacts related to tilapia aquaculture are:

• Effluents in the water: Excess nutrients from food can be released into the environment, which can limit the amount of oxygen available to aquatic plants and animals
• Compromise of ecological integrity of aquaculture facilities: Overstocking, stress and other factors can make farmed tilapia susceptible to viruses and diseases; establishing areas for aquaculture can require altering natural habitat and diverting water for other uses; and tactics, such as killing birds, can be used to minimize the number of species preying on farmed tilapia.
• Pollution from inputs used at aquaculture facilities: Feed and/or fertilizer used in excess at tilapia aquaculture facilities can pollute the water
• Invasive species: Nonnative tilapia that escape from aquaculture facilities where the species is not already established can compete with native fish species and change the genetic makeup and diversity of species
• Food safety/quality: Chemicals used to preserve tilapia or treat diseases can be released into the environment, which can pose a risk to the ecosystem and people who eat the product
• Socioeconomic impacts: Aquaculture can conflict with other uses of an area or resource, such as the use of water bodies for recreation and reliance on landscapes for scenic vistas. Also, tilapia farming often employs a large number of workers on farms and in processing plants, potentially raising issues around labor practices and workers’ rights.

Our solution

WWF seeks to address these impacts through the Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue. The goal of the Dialogue is to develop and implement verifiable environmental and social performance levels that:

• Measurably reduce or eliminate key negative impacts of tilapia farming and are acceptable to stakeholders;
• Address food safety and human health concerns as they relate to tilapia culture, processing, distribution, and labeling; and
• Recommend standards that achieve these performance levels while permitting the tilapia farming industry to remain economically viable.

The Dialogue includes more than 50 representatives from non-governmental organizations and government agencies, producers, retailers and academics. The first Dialogue meeting was held in August 2005 in Washington, DC., and was followed by meetings in Nevada in February 2006 and Florida in November 2006.

The fourth meeting was held in Malaysia in August 2007. It was the first tilapia meeting in Asia, and addressed the growing concerns around food safety and chemical contaminants in Asian aquaculture. Much of these concerns can be addressed through proper environmental management. 

The fifth meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts February 27th. A progress report about the standards was presented, participants discussed a timeframe for posting the draft standards for public comment, and presentations were made about the three types of systems used to raise tilapia. 

Read all the tilapia Dialogue meeting reports and download the presentations

Principles

To achieve its goal, the Dialogue has developed eight principles, under the umbrella of one guiding principle -- tilapia production facilities will be evaluated based on performance standards and will not be prejudged as environmentally or socially acceptable. The principles below this umbrella are:

1. Obey the law and comply with all international, national and local regulations
2. Site and/or expand farms to conserve natural habitat and local biodiversity
3. Conserve water resources
4. Conserve fish species diversity and wild populations
5. Use resources efficiently
6. Manage disease and pests in an environmentally responsible manner
7. Ensure food safety and environmental health
8. Be socially responsible

The group has developed draft criteria, indicators and standards for meeting each principle.

Learn more

• Dialogue process guidance document
  English  | Spanish  | French  | Thai
• Tilapia Dialogue meeting reports and presentations
• Tilapia Dialogue fact sheet
• List of Steering Committee members
• Fact sheet about what to look for when buying farmed tilapia 
• Research paper about tilapia.
• Full list of objectives agreed by the tilapia Dialogue

Read more about the other aquaculture Dialogues WWF is working on