Tilapia

Global Tilapia production has increased significantly in the last few decades, mostly due to their highly adaptable features. The species is known to grow fast, being quite robust and tolerates even challenging environmental conditions. Due to their robustness and high nutritional value, Tilapia have even been selected by NASA for farming trials in space.

Tilapia and Diseases

Unfortunately, disease is a natural consequence of the intensification of fish farming. Outbreaks of bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases are causing significant losses to Tilapia farms worldwide. The most common pathogens are Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus iniae, Iridovirus and Tilapia Lake Virus.

Healthy fish are a prerequisite for sustainable and profitable production. This means that a shift from purely therapeutic treatments, such as antibiotics, to preventive measures, such as vaccines, is needed to ensure sustainable growth within the global Tilapia industry. Other important factors needed to ensure this growth include improved competence in fish health management, better disease diagnostics, optimized nutrition, and better protection of the environment.

Tilapia and Vaccines

Here at PHARMAQ, we believe that vaccines have an important role to play when aiming for sustainable fish farming. The adoption of vaccination is increasing rapidly in the main Tilapia farming regions in the world, paving the way for fish welfare and contributing to a dramatic reduction in the use of antibiotics.

PHARMAQ has a long history in developing vaccines for Tilapia, and we are represented in the major farming regions by our trusted Zoetis colleagues. In addition to vaccines, we can supply state-of-the-art vaccination equipment, both manual and automatic, anaesthetics for fish, and a wide range of diagnostics and fish health consulting services.