Warmwater Fish Production as a Niche Production and Market Diversification Strategy for Organic Arable Farmers with Implications for Sustainability and Public Health
This project has now finished. However, there are exciting opportunities for potential adopters under our new collaboration with Scottish Enterprise - Tilapia Scotland
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Institute of Aquaculture I Department of Marketing I Public Health Research Group |
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Background Research Outputs |
NEWS AND EVENTS
Upcoming
Look out for our event at Stirling Auction Mart during National Science Week 9th – 18th March 2007!
At this stage of the project we would welcome contact from farmers or other individuals who would be interested in taking small scale tilapia production up as an income earning diversification strategy. Please contact Dr David Little dcl1@stir.ac.uk or William Leschen wl2@stir.ac.uk at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling for further details.
Previous
Sustainable Development Research Centre Conference, November 2006 MSc student Ben Belton presented his research poster ‘Assessing the sustainability of tilapia farming in Thailand: Implications for producing tilapia in the UK’, at the SDRC Conference in Perth.
Thai Trials Phase 4, October 2006 The fourth and final phase of trials in Thailand began in October, investigating the factors that retard feed intake and growth in AST systems and developing feeding strategies that can utilise feed ingredients that can be produced on-farm.
Tilapia Product Placement, September 2006 Kathleen participated in the RELU work shadow scheme from mid September until mid October 2006. To compliment the on-going research into production methods and markets for the fish tilapia in the UK, Kathleen shadowed pub proprietor and chef at the Stag Inn, Devon, to observe how restaurants make decisions with regards to sourcing food and menu creation while gauging the reactions of chef, management and customers to a menu option of tilapia. Interviews with various fish suppliers, mongers and restaurant chefs were also undertaken to obtain a broader spectrum of knowledge and reaction to high quality, locally farmed tilapia in Devon.
BA festival of Science, Perspectives, September, 2006 As a Perspectives finalist, Kathleen presented her project poster at the BA Festival of Science in Norwich.
International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade Conference, July 2006 Jimmy and Kathleen attended the IIFET Conference in Portsmouth and presented the paper ‘Multidisciplinary perspectives on an emergent fish product: The tank of British tilapia’.
Consultation Committee Meeting, July 2006 The Consultation Committee met in July 2006 were updated on project progress. Advice and suggestions were given for future research.
Good Food Up North Conference, June 2006 Dave, Will, Kathleen and Sarath attended the Good Food Up North Conference in Bradford, which focused on local, ethnic and ethical foods. Dave gave a brief presentation on the project. Kathleen and the team undertook a lunch time discussion group on ‘fish, food and health’ with the conference attendees.
London Interviews, June 2006 The final focus groups were conducted in London in June. Further research in London involved visits to various fresh fish markets and mongers, ethnic grocers and frozen fish specialists, market fish stalls and top-end retail fishmongers such as Harrods, to assess the current market availability of tilapia, prices and perceptions of the fish amongst industry players
Entrepreneurial Research, May 2006 Dr Sarath Kodithuwakku, a visiting academic from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka undertook three months entrepreneurship research with the RELU team during the summer months of 2006, providing insights into market networks and the entrepreneurial processes, specifically farmer diversification.
Aquaculture Today 2006 Dr Dave Little attended the Aquaculture Today Conference in Edinburgh, March 2006, presenting the highlights from our project and its importance in the development of the emerging species tilapia.
Thai Trials Phase 3, March 2006 Phase three of the tilapia trials at Nam Sai Farm, Thailand, began in March 2006.
Microbiological trials with tilapia and welfare, January 2006 Microbiological trials investigating the possibility of producing microbial protein in artificial ponds by manipulating the Carbon : Nitrogen ratio were undertaken by Dr Azim.
Consumer Focus Groups, January 2006 The Glasgow and Stirling consumer focus groups were undertaken in January and February 2006, with the London sessions following in June 2006.
Devon Commercial Trials, January 2006 Scott Reynolds, BSc honours student from the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling, undertook trials with our Devon commercial partner in 2006. Scott, who received support from the RELU work shadow scheme, set-up, monitored and compared an AST system with the current RAS operation in Devon for his BSc dissertation project.
What is Local Sourcing?, Scottish Food & Drink, January 2006 Kathleen attended the one-day conference on Local Sourcing in Glasgow.
Rural Entrepreneurship Conference, 17th-18th November, 2005 Kathleen attended the two-day conference on rural entrepreneurship with a specific interest in farmers as entrepreneurs and farmers markets. Contact was made with farmers and academics researching rural entrepreneurial activity.
RELU Project Seminar, University of Stirling, November 2005 The RELU team held a project seminar for the Department of Marketing, publicising the project, its inter-disciplinary nature and receiving comments and suggestions.
Consumer Focus Groups, Edinburgh, November 2005 The Edinburgh consumer focus groups explored consumer attitudes towards health issues with food & fish, sustainable food production and organic aquatic food products. Awareness of and preferences towards tilapia were also discussed.
Visit to Fresh Water Fish Farms Ltd, Devon, November 2005 Dave and Francis visited commercial partner Pete Neusingers farm to plan and set up tanks for the commercial trials scheduled to begin January 2006.
Consultation Committee (CC) Meeting, Stirling University, November 2005 The Consultation Committee were updated on project progress and made comments and suggestions to the team for future research. The structure and co-ordination of future CC meetings was discussed.
Microbiological Trials 1, Institute of Aquaculture, November 2005 Ekram set up and began the microbiological trials. The initial trial (Nov 05- Jan 06) investigates the possibility of producing microbial protein in artificial ponds without fish by manipulating the Carbon : Nitrogen ratio.
RELU Office Visit, 18th October 2005 The RELU Office team visited the University of Stirling to meet the project team and gain further insights into the RELU project at Stirling.
Healthy Trends, Scottish Food & Drink, Stirling, October 2005 Kathleen attended the one-day conference on healthy food trends, which focused on health and the food service market, UK consumers health purchasing behaviour and the latest key trends in health enhanced foods.
Ekram Azim joins the RELU team, October 2005 Dr. Ekram Azim joined the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling under the EC funded Marie Curie International Fellowship. He joined the RELU team to work on the microbiological aspects of tilapia production using the activated suspension technique. He will contribute to the project mainly by investigating the quality and quantity of microbial flocs as fish food and how they affect the water quality and fish welfare.
Exploratory Tilapia Trials Phase 2, Thailand, October 2005 Phase 2 of the exploratory tilapia trials in Thailand began in October, looking at the density of the floc in the AST system and the effects on tilapia.
Warren Turner, Nam Sai Farm, Thailand, visit to the Institute of Aquaculture The RELU team met Warren Turner and discussed the status of the exploratory trials in Thailand. The main areas in need of investigation were discussed and a draft protocol planned for Phase 2 trials.
Introductory Meeting with Dr Sarath Kodithuwakku, September 2005 Sarath met the core RELU team while visiting the Institute of Aquaculture. Sarath is scheduled for three months entrepreneurship research with our team in 2006; providing insights into market networks and the entrepreneurial processes, specifically farmer diversification. The intended research plans were discussed and scheduled for May-July 2006.
Visit from Linda Seidel, Christian-Albrechts-University, Germany, September 2005 Researchers from Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany visited Stirling to learn more about the Institute of Aquaculture activities, our RELU project and our team approach to inter-disciplinary research. Linda is part of a feasibility study involving five departments from Kiel university investigating how they can be more involved with aquaculture issues, specifically mariculture in a multi-disciplinary way.
Bangladesh Expo & Billingsgate Market, London, September 2005 Dr Francis Murray attended the Bangladesh Expo, networking with the Bangladeshi community directly to assess attitudes towards fish, and specifically tilapia consumption. Francis also contacted key players in the various large and local fish markets and interviewed grocers in numerous ethnic communities to explore tilapia consumption habits and attitudes towards organic certification for the species.
Edinburgh Mela, September 2005 The RELU team attended the Mela festival in Edinburgh to gain some primary consumer insights with our ‘Fish as Food’ Questionnaire. This annual intercultural festival was ideal for reaching a diverse group of respondents to gain a snap-shot of attitudes and perceptions towards the health and environmental implications of consuming fish as well as awareness of tilapia amongst different ethnic groups. The event was also used to recruit prospective participants for the consumer focus groups planned for November 2005.
Meeting with commercial partners Bob Bawden and Pete Neusinger, August 2005 The RELU team met with both commercial partners to update on the progress of Phase 1 tilapia trials in Thailand, discuss the intended commercial trials and arrange a future meeting with both commercial partners.
Exploratory Tilapia Trials Phase 1, Thailand, July 2005 Exploratory trials in the AST system began, exploring tilapia growth rates and water quality in this system using various stocking densities and feeds. The system was run alongside the energy-intensive RAS systems and a pond/cage system which is conventional in Thailand.
Exploratory Tilapia Trials in Thailand, May 2005 Francis visited Nam Sai Farm in Thailand to set-up the active suspension technology (AST) exploratory trials. MSc student Stephen Moran has been working on his dissertation project in Nam Sai farm and is interested in being involved with the AST trials.
Organic Fish Producers Association (OFPA) Conference, June 2005, Edinburgh. Andrew and Kathleen attended the one day conference to gain further insight into the organic fish debate from current and potential producers perspectives. Fishmongers Company visit to the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University, June 2005 Kathleen and Will presented the RELU project and concepts poster to the visitors and received an invite to Billingsgate market from the Fishmongers Company Clerk.
Soil Association visit to the Institute of Aquaculture, June 2005 The RELU team met the SA Aquaculture Programme representatives to discuss organic aquaculture standards, introduce the RELU project and consider the potential for tilapia to achieve organic status. Farming, Food and Health Conference, Perth, May 2005 Dave, Kathleen & Jimmy attended a one day conference, presented by the Soil Association, on creating an indivisible Scottish food chain.
RELU commercial partners meeting, Stirling University, April 2005 The commercial partners, Bob (Pisces Aquaculture) and Pete (Fresh Water Fish Farms), met with the RELU team to discuss what they hope to gain from the project. UK Tilapia visit the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University, April 2005 The RELU team met UK Tilapia Ltd general manager, Phil Cherrie. UK Tilapia is the largest tilapia producer in the UK, using conventional recirculation systems.
Visits to RAS warm water fish farms, Holland, February and March 2005 Francis visited RAS and nutrition specialists at Zodiac Wageningen University, RAS catfish farms and an aquaculture feed business. Visit to Pisces Engineering Ltd, Stirling, February 2005 The RELU team met commercial partner Bob Bawden in Stirling to familiarise him with the RELU project, to exchange ideas on system design and to explore his role in the project. Health Impact Assessment Master class, Cambridge, February 2005 Kathleen and Francis attended a master class on delivering healthy sustainable communities by incorporating health into environmental and sustainability impact assessments. Visit to Fresh Water Fish Farms Ltd, Devon, February 2005 Kathleen and Francis met commercial partner Pete Neusinger in Devon to familiarise him with the RELU project research proposal, to view the farm and become familiar with the design and operations of the RAS system. |
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