FAI aims to boost fish welfare in Egypt with new partnership

New FAI partnership aims to transform Egypt’s fish welfare practices, enhancing tilapia health and industry sustainability

FAI has partnered with Egypt’s Central Lab for Aquaculture Research (CLAR) and Ethical Seafood Research (ESR) to enhance fish welfare in the country’s tilapia industry. This new partnership, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), builds on FAI’s existing Tilapia Welfare Egypt project. The MOU details a plan to better evaluate and manage tilapia welfare throughout the country, using the combined expertise of all three organizations to support sustainable growth in the industry.

“By tailoring welfare practices to Egypt’s specific needs, we hope Egypt can emerge as a global leader in tilapia welfare,” said Murilo Quintiliano, FAI’s COO. “We want to be working in countries where tilapia is being produced at scale, so we can improve the lives and welfare of as many fish as possible.”

The collaboration will focus on developing and implementing fish welfare assessment protocols, tools and training materials tailored to the Egyptian aquaculture industry. Despite the critical role of tilapia farming in Egypt and neighboring countries, fish welfare remains “a largely underexplored area.”

“By using FAI’s industry-leading welfare assessment protocols and actively engaging Egyptian farmers, we seek to foster a deeper understanding and adoption of welfare practices,” said Professor Refaat El-Gamal, head of the CLAR team. “This initiative is expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing both the welfare of farmed fish and the productivity of the aquaculture sector.”

CLAR is well-known for its leadership in research, training and outreach in Egyptian aquaculture. The organization’s efforts primarily focus on meeting the growing domestic demand for fish protein, achieving self-sufficiency and developing future export markets for farmed aquatic species.

“FAI’s expertise, combined with its user-friendly tools like the FAI Tilapia Welfare App, will greatly benefit our work,” said El-Gamal. “The digital tools provided by FAI will enable us to help farmers transition from paper-based records to more efficient digital systems. This will allow farmers to carry out welfare assessments more easily and effectively. Empowering farmers with the knowledge and resources to improve fish health and welfare is vital to increasing fish survival rates and overall farm efficiency.”

@GSA_Advocate