FAI expands training programme to improve tilapia welfare

FAI has unveiled its latest online course,  Tilapia Health Welfare Indicators, which it says will give farmers, vets and seafood professionals greater access to welfare training for tilapia. The module is available through FAI’s learning platform, FAI Academy, and is offered free of charge.

According to the organisation, the course completes a set of five welfare-focused modules that together form the  Tilapia Welfare Training Program. The modules cover nutrition, behaviour, water quality and health, with the aim of supporting successful aquaculture production.

The new course teaches participants how to evaluate health indicators, recognise common diseases, and distinguish between fish health and welfare. FAI argues that placing equal emphasis on both can reduce stock losses and increase productivity.

Dr Sara Barrento, FAI’s e-learning and aquaculture programme manager, said the training was developed through an international approach, with input from farmers and vets across South America, Africa and Asia. “We visited farms in several regions to include real-life examples and to check how important technical concepts could work for everyone,” she explained.

To reach a wider audience, the course has been released in six languages: English, Thai, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese. The full training programme is currently available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai and Arabic, with Vietnamese to be added later in the year. Each course can be taken individually with certification, or completed as a five-module programme for broader professional recognition.

“We are delighted to offer such a range of courses, bringing every aspect of tilapia welfare, including environment, nutrition, behaviour, and health to those who influence fish well-being every day," Barrento said.

“Committed to improving the lives of farmed tilapia worldwide, we combine the latest science with practical skills to support both fish welfare and farmer success. By helping build more resilient and responsible farming businesses, our work contributes to better livelihoods and more sustainable food systems for all,” she added.

Both the new course and the wider Tilapia Welfare Training Program are available free through FAI Academy.

Over the past year, FAI has also been promoting the use of its  Tilapia Welfare App, which allows users to monitor fish wellbeing through a scoring system based on key health and welfare indicators. The app was launched in Kenya during April, while earlier in February, Egypt Kafr El Sheikh University confirmed it was incorporating the Tilapia Welfare App in its curriculum.