A bioeconomic model for red tilapia culture on the coast of Ecuador

This study builds a long-term bioeconomic model for multi-generational tilapia farming in the coastal region of Ecuador, where associative semi-intensive tilapia culture projects have been implemented. Survival, weight and length curves were calibrated, and feed consumption and feed conversion rate curves were constructed. Revenues, costs and investments were also estimated. It was found that operational net present values per batch are maximized when fishes are harvested on approximately day 300 after stocking, in contrast to 180 days, which is the actual time of harvest at present. Thus, culture performance can be improved significantly if recommendations arising from the model are followed. Finally, sensitivity analysis of the model demonstrated that tilapia cultures can withstand unfavorable variations in critical parameters.