Central American countries could up income by focusing on farm-raised fish species as an alternative to fishing, said FAO in a report on the aquaculture outlook in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Aquaculture production of shellfish such as oysters is currently developing in Central America regions. The move, in partnership with Japan, intends to cover within five years Central America’s domestic demand, a market that is thought to have potential to develop.
In Mexico, the UNAM university is developing technology to farm sea bass and researching on octopus maya aquaculture production.
Tilapia production is also expected to be boosted in Mexico.
For next year, tilapia production is projected to reach 87,000 metric tons and, with a growth rate of 53.3%, tilapia could total 100,000t by 2016, Alfredo Aranda, general coordinator of operations and institutional strategy at the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa) said recently.
Due to high demand in Asian countries, sea cucumber is also a potential area of growth for Central American regions, particularly now when there is a decline in global catches.