Tilapia standards finalised world’s first

WWF Press Statement: Global standards for tilapia farming have been finalised. They represent the first set of completed standards produced through the Aquaculture Dialogues, a series of roundtables coordinated by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The standards are the product of the Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue, a network of more than 200 tilapia farming experts including producers, conservationists and scientists – created in 2005 to help transform the aquaculture industry. Many of the participants are from the world’s leading tilapia producing regions, including Central America and Asia.

“With almost 75 percent of the world’s tilapia coming from a farm, instead of being wild-caught, the need for credible standards is critical and timely,” said Dr. Aaron McNevin of WWF, who coordinates the Dialogue and serves on its Steering Committee.

The standards will allow the tilapia industry to grow while minimising its potential impacts, such as non-native tilapia being introduced and chemicals being released into the water.

“There are other tilapia standards on the market but these standards have staying power because they were developed by a broad and diverse group of experts through a very transparent process,” McNevin said. “The standards also will have a long shelf life because they are metrics-based, which is the only way to really know if the tilapia industry is reducing its environmental footprint.”