Egypt is the largest farmed fish producer in Africa and the sixth largest globally. Nile tilapia account for around three-quarters of Egyptian aquaculture, and the country’s tilapia production ranks third in the world after China and Indonesia. Although the industry is booming, it currently lacks any commercial animal welfare standards. Interest in improving farmed tilapia welfare exists, and data reflecting the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of tilapia producers will be crucial in determining what interventions will be most effective.

The goal of this study was to collect data relevant to improving tilapia welfare through a survey administered in person to 104 farmers and hatchery operators working in and around Egypt’s Kafr El Sheikh governorate. The survey asked questions about farming practices, health and welfare standards, experience and knowledge levels, and common challenges encountered when implementing practices that improve fish welfare. Participants volunteered for the study and were compensated with water testing kits.

All participants (100%) were male, and the majority (74%) were under 50 years of age. Most had been farming for 15 or more years (60%) and owned their farm (61%).

Results showed that 44% of participants received on-the-job training at their current farm. Others were self-taught (30%), received training at a different farm (19%), or had formal scientific training (4%). Only 11% of participants had received welfare training, though 76% felt they would benefit from it.

Most participants (89%) felt either confident or very confident in their knowledge of general tilapia farming practices, but far fewer (42%) felt either confident or very confident in their understanding of tilapia welfare.

When comparing participants with welfare training to those without, the trained group reported significantly lower mortality rates and fewer problems with slow fish growth on their farms compared to the untrained group.

Welfare-related practices that participants were already implementing on their farms included providing fishes with a nutritious, balanced diet (88%), removing waste and pollution from the water (74%), providing clean water with plenty of oxygen (65%), and stocking fishes at a density that allows them to swim freely (62%).

Farmers viewed improved water quality as the most important measure for good tilapia welfare. However, they were less willing and able to implement improvements in this area. Farmers were most willing and able to improve the nutritional quality of feed given to fishes, and feed was viewed as second only to water quality in terms of importance to good tilapia welfare. Of lesser perceived importance were proper handling, regular veterinary checks, reducing stocking density, ensuring social interaction, and controlling noise levels.

Farmers believed that improved product quality (83%) and increased productivity (82%) were the biggest benefits to improving tilapia welfare. Over 60% also expected increased profit margins. Other perceived benefits included a better industry reputation and greater export opportunities.

It’s important to acknowledge some limitations inherent in the study. The fact that farmers could self-select, the farms were located in just one part of the country, and incentives were used means that study participation was non-random and the findings may not generalize to all tilapia producers. For example, giving out water test kits for participating may have appealed to farmers who cared more about water quality, resulting in the high perceived importance of water quality found by the survey. Relying on self-reported data also means that results may be skewed towards answers that participants thought were expected or favorable due to social desirability bias. Furthermore, the number of farmers who received welfare training was limited (only 11 out of 104), which reduces the reliability of the statistical comparisons performed between the trained and untrained groups.

Despite these limitations, this study provides useful insights into the current state of tilapia welfare in Egypt from the perspective of the people who farm them. The findings suggest that implementing better welfare training and practices would have a positive impact not only on the fishes’ quality of life but also on farmers’ productivity, sustainability, and economic prosperity. These results will be important to consider as the country’s aquaculture industry continues to grow, and fish welfare becomes a bigger concern for farmers, regulators, and the public.