Potential of Aquaculture to Meet the 'Fish Protein' Consumption in Trinidad and Tobago

Commercial aquacufture is a viable and growing industry around the world. While there may be continuing decline in fish stocks in the inshore/coastal waters in Trinidad and Tobago, the demand for high quality fish protein continues to grow. Aquacufture has been viewed by many as a means to address the gap between seafood availability and consumer demand. This paper reports on a study, which was conducted to assess the potential of aquacufture in Trinidad and Tobago. Based on interviews with aquacufture operators, policy analysis matrices were developed for aquacufture production. For comparison policy analysis matrices were also developed for sheep and goat production based on a recent survey of the sheep and goat industry of Trinidad and Tobago. The study found that the DRC and EPC values for tilapia production, coupled with the lower cost per unit of protein compared with other sources of animal protein, indicate that tilapia production has a comparative advantage, especially as compared to sheep and goat production. The paper also discusses measures that need to be taken to unlock the potential for commercial aquaculture, mainly in the form of tilapia production in Trinidad and Tobago, to meet this country's demand for fish protein.