Jamaicans encouraged to buy tilapia for Easter

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) is encouraging Jamaicans to buy and consume tilapia for Easter.

Tilapia, which is a freshwater fish and a product of Jamaica's aquaculture sector, is an alternative to captured fish from the sea.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NFA, Dr Gavin Bellamy, told JIS News in a recent interview that tilapia consumption is also important to the sustainability of the sector.

“We are encouraging Jamaicans to buy tilapia. Remember it is Easter. We want Jamaicans to consume tilapia. It's lovely, very versatile and tasty,” he said.

With the support of the Ministry and householders who continue to purchase tilapia and other aquaculture products, Bellamy said the sector will grow.

“The Ministry has identified that the sector that has the greatest potential for growth and development of this country is the fisheries sector. This is because we can both work on land and we can improve what we are getting from the sea in a sustainable manner. If we work together as a nation, we can have fish for perpetuity,” the CEO argued.

The Authority's push for the increased consumption of tilapia is also aligned with the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry's 'Grow Smart, Eat Smart Campaign', aimed at stimulating local production and consumption of food.

Tilapia is a nutritious fish, is low in fat and a good source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Native to Africa and the Middle East, tilapia is produced locally through fish farms.

Meanwhile, to further protect the sustainability of the sector, the NFA will be placing greater focus on size regulations to inhibit the fishing of undersized fish.

Bellamy is therefore urging fishers to be considerate of the size of the fish they capture on the job.

“We want the fish to be able to continue populating our seas. You can catch them at safe size where we are not depleting the generation, and not catching them at infant size where they are not mature enough to reproduce,” he said.

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