Egyptian workers complete farmed tilapia welfare training

Specialized training from FAI is designed to enhance farmed tilapia welfare and fish productivity

Over 120 workers in Egypt’s growing aquaculture industry have finished training in tilapia welfare through the Tilapia Welfare Egypt project. This project, launched in February 2024 by FAI Farms in collaboration with Ethical Seafood Research (ESR), aims to equip Egyptian fish farmers with the skills and information to evaluate and enhance the well-being of tilapia, thereby improving fish productivity.

The project has overseen research to identify challenges affecting improvements in fish welfare through farm-based surveys. It has also organized welfare-focused visits to fish farms, offered online learning sessions and conducted workshops to train new trainers. This effort has created a cohort of trainers to support Egypt’s tilapia industry in improving fish welfare.

“In collaboration with Aquavet Egypt and Kafrelsheikh University, we’ve successfully facilitated the rigorous training of over 120 trainees in the use of tilapia welfare assessment protocol and associated monitoring tools,” said Wasseem Emam, founder, director and head of research at ESR. “These individuals will now go on to spread their knowledge and experience among tilapia farmers across Egypt. The selected trainers will play a vital role in addressing this previously overlooked aspect of fish farming within the country’s globally important tilapia industry.”

“Improving tilapia welfare not only improves fish wellbeing, performance and farm profitability but also brings Egypt in line with other leading fish-producing countries and hopefully opens up new export opportunities.”

FAI partners with ESR, launches Tilapia Welfare Project in Egypt

Recent “train the trainers” workshops in Port Said and Kafr El-Sheikh focused on teaching the theory and practice of fish welfare for tilapia farming. Participants learned to use FAI’s Tilapia Welfare App to assess and manage farm fish welfare.

“Trainees also visited tilapia farms to practice carrying out welfare assessments in a real-world setting and completed FAI Academy’s online Tilapia Welfare courses,” said Emam. “The aim was to provide the knowledge, tools and experience trainers need via a combination of face-to-face learning and online support.”

Over 200 copies of the Tilapia Welfare App have now been downloaded by users in Egypt, highlighting the growing interest in welfare on Egyptian tilapia farms and the growing success of the Tilapia Welfare Egypt project.

“Enhancing tilapia welfare through dedicated apps and educational workshops is a vital step towards supporting a sustainable aquaculture sector in Egypt,” said Aquavet Egypt Aquaculture Specialist, Shaimaa Bakr, who helped deliver the training series. “These tools empower farmers with the knowledge and resources needed to improve fish health, boost productivity  and promote environmentally friendly practices.”

The Tilapia Welfare Egypt project is run by ESR in partnership with FAI, a global leader in aquaculture welfare, to advance sustainable aquaculture practices worldwide.

“Egypt is the top tilapia producer in Africa and one of the top three in the world, so it’s exciting to know there’s a new cohort of trainers working specifically to help promote and better support the implementation of welfare practices across the country,” said FAI’s COO Murilo Quintiliano. “Together with ESR, we are positively impacting the aquaculture sector in Egypt and promoting improvements that benefit both tilapia farmers and the fish under their care.”

@GSA_Advocate