A fish farmer in Panama is getting closer to opening an open-ocean tilapia farm, which could be the first of its kind.
Aquasense Panama, an affiliate of U.S.-based Aquasense International, is doing site preparation in the Gulf of Panamá for its ocean farm site.
“Our project has been gaining traction since we announced it last year and, thanks to additional seed funding, pre-ops can start,” said James F. Reilly, Aquasense president and CEO.
Aquasense signed a letter of intent with Gamma Seafood Corp. of Miami, Fla., USA back in March, with Gamma agreeing to market and distribute products of the new farm.
Raising tilapia in the open in salt water, Reilly said, will yield a better product.
“We have developed a non-traditional farming method for tilapia based on our preliminary research,” he said. “That research showed that, when tilapia are reared in the full salinity of the open ocean and given nutritious food, the result is a much-improved fish product in terms of both taste and texture.”
