Factors affecting tilapia production in Capricorn and Vhembe Districts in Limpopo, Province, South Africa

Abstract

Tilapia production in South Africa is failing to reach sustainable commercial levels of development, despite the efforts by the government to improve aquaculture production. Limpopo Province has been practicing fish farming since the 1980s, with tilapia being the most widely farmed fish. Currently, tilapia production in Capricorn and Vhembe districts in Limpopo Province remains low. In this study, factors affecting tilapia production in aqua dams, earthen ponds, concrete ponds, and RAS systems in Capricorn and Vhembe districts were explored. Eight different production systems were used to collect field data, four in each district. Water quality parameters in aqua dams, earthen ponds, concrete ponds, and RAS system were determined. The abundance of phytoplankton was determined in three different production systems. And lastly, a questionnaire was used to determine factors critical for successful tilapia production from the farmer’s perspective in Capricorn and Vhembe districts. The levels of ammonium and ammonia were below detection limits in all the production systems in Capricorn and Vhembe districts. The results showed that water temperature, alkalinity (as bicarbonate and carbonate), potassium, total phosphate frequently did not meet the requirement for the culture of tilapia in all the production systems in Capricorn and Vhembe district throughout the study. The concrete ponds, aqua dams, and RAS systems in both districts were mostly affected by these parameters. The phytoplankton abundance varied according to the type of production system and water quality parameters of the production systems. The concrete pond in Olifanshoek, Vhembe district had the highest total phytoplankton composition. An aqua dam in Bungeni had the highest total phytoplankton composition compared to other aqua dams in Capricorn district. The earthen ponds in Vondo in Vhembe district had the lowest tilapia yield and total phytoplankton composition compared to all the production systems in Capricorn and Vhembe districts. Phytoplankton species abundance was not correlated to primary production and tilapia yield, and there was no correlation between primary production and tilapia yield. Tilapia farmers in Capricorn and Vhembe district both ranked “value chain accessibility”, “appropriate technology approach”, “market factors”, “level of operational integration”, and “access to multiple market destination” as the most important socio-economic factors affecting tilapia production in both districts. Tilapia vii production in Capricorn and Vhembe districts is not profitable because of low tilapia yields due to low stocking densities and because of low-priced imported tilapia from China and low-priced wild-caught tilapia sold by local fishermen in villages. The study concluded that tilapia production in Capricorn and Vhembe districts is not successful because farmers struggle to maintain optimum water quality and the water temperature was suitable for tilapia farming only for a short period of time. And lastly, tilapia production is failing to succeed in Capricorn and Vhembe district because it is not profitable.