A new Fish Nutrition Research Unit has opened at the WorldFish Abbassa Research Center, in Egypt. The facility will focus on tilapia nutrition and testing of new, local fish feed ingredients, including agricultural by-products. The launch is the result of a partnership between WorldFish and Skretting.
Egypt is the world’s second largest producer of farmed tilapia. With fish production expected to grow to reach 2 million tonnes in 2020, there is a need to support increased production efficiency and profitability, in order to maintain the sector’s sustainability into the future.
Feeds typically represent 70% of aquaculture’s operational costs, and so solutions that reduce this burden are a priority for many farmers.
The partnership also entails the construction of an advanced trial unit with a recirculation system aiming to intensify production combined with the most efficient use of water. The system is the first of its kind in Egypt and used technology from Dutch company, Fleuren & Nooijen.
Gamal El-Naggar, Director, Africa Aquaculture Research and Training Center (AARTC), Abbassa, Egypt: “The R&D unit is the result of a constructive partnership between WorldFish and Skretting, it represents an excellent model for collaboration between research institutions and industry with the main goal to boost aquaculture development in Egypt and Africa. Introducing the indoor recirculation system for the first time in Egypt will enable researchers to work throughout the year. This will help fish farmers maximize their profits and better manage the water use in ponds.”
Aymen Rostom, Skretting Egypt General Manager: “This is an important example of collaboration between the Egyptian scientific sector and the private sector. We expect that this collaboration will give Skretting Egypt a valuable opportunity to examine, test and provide the most suitable solutions for local African raw materials and final fish feed composition, fish growth, survival and fish diseases.”
