Late to the game, South African fish farms are beginning to offer tasty, well-presented products that are attracting more and more consumers.
It is easy to get dejected when looking at the slow pace of warm water aquaculture in South Africa, particularly so when comparing it with the rapid development of commercial ventures in nearby countries. Zambia in particular has added new farms to its already significant existing production. These include not only the well-known cage culture ventures on Lake Kariba, but the considerable pond production of tilapia. In addition, new and exciting commercial projects are under construction.
However, closer to home and on a positive note, South Africa’s production of highquality red tilapia is coming of age. Surprisingly, this is not centred in the warmer northern parts of the country, where culture projects seem to be still floundering with unproven technology, but in the south-eastern parts and KwaZulu-Natal. In the Eastern Cape, two farms are now selling red tilapia.
This species is visually pleasing and competes well with red-coloured marine fish species such as Roman and snapper. The flesh is white and flaky when cooked, and has a pleasant mild taste that can be seasoned according to preference. Red tilapia has transparent skin around the body cavity, unlike the dark, pigmented skin of its wild coloured relatives.