Young patrons flock the Ministry of Agriculture's Ornamental Fish Display at the St Mary Agri Expo held at Gray's Inn on Easter Monday, April 1, 2013.-Photo by Cabbrina Lennox
Cabbrina Lennox, Gleaner WriterANNOTTO BAY, St Mary:ONE OF the main attractions at the 2013 St Mary Agriculture Expo, held at the Gray's Inn sports complex in Annotto Bay, was Japanese koi, an ornamental fish which attracted adults and children alike, its beautiful colours and size the allure.
An imported fish, which is reproduced locally to meet growing demand, Japanese koi are very popular in restaurants and other places where they seem to have a calming effect on customers.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through its aquaculture branch, has been providing technical support for the breeding and rearing of ornamental fish, with this oversized specie coming in for some attention, according to Clive Williams, extension officer with the ministry.
He told The Gleaner: "Just about everybody loves them, and children get really excited about them, because they are so large and their colours are beautiful. Other fish like the Angel, Gold, and other varieties are also beautiful, but because the koi are so much larger, they (children) tend to be attracted to them and often spend lots of time watching them."
A hybrid originally from Japan or South East Asia, Williams says the koi are very popular in Jamaica and are in demand locally as aqua pets, but the export market is not very lucrative as Malaysia and Singapore are able to develop different varieties. However, in respect of Angel and other smaller ornamental fish, Jamaica does enjoy a competitive advantage, and these are reared for export.
worldwide production
The aquaculture branch is also actively engaged in promoting the rearing of Tilapia, regarded as the third-most important fish dinner in aquaculture after carp and salmon. Worldwide production exceeded 1,500,000 metric tonnes in 2002. Their high protein content, large size, rapid growth (six to seven months to grow to harvest size), and palatability make them the ideal component of any food-security plan.
For this reason, the agriculture ministry has been promoting Tilapia production and consumption in its "Grow What We Grow, Eat What we Grow' campaign.
Williams was quick to share the Government's involvement in the campaign, and as he explained: "We at the Ministry of Agriculture are promoting that people eat local food, so the tilapia is produced locally. We produce seed stock at the branch, and those are sold to farmers who will grow them until they reach marketing size of about 230 to 280 grams."
