(Clark, unpublished data). Fish will be reared for 90 days; these 

 data will provide a basis for estimating present production costs. 



APPLICATION STUDIES IN THE CARIBBEAN 



In Haiti, natural fish stocks have been depleted by heavy 

 exploitation. A previous aquaculture demonstration project in la 

 Gonave, Haiti has shown that blue tilapia (0^ aureus ) are 

 acceptable as food fish and bring competitive prices at the 

 marketplace (Stickney and Kohler, 1986). Lack of freshwater and 

 machinery for pond construction were primary constraints toward 

 production of significant numbers of fish. 



The Caribbean Marine Research Center has recently initiated a 

 feasibility study on saltwater cage culture of Florida red tilapia 

 in Haiti. Twenty-five marine or brackishwater sites in four bays 

 along the northern coast of Haiti, including Baie du l'Acul, Baie 

 de Cap Haitien, Baie de Caracol and Baie de Ft. Liberte, were 

 identified as potentially suitable for cage culture of Florida red 

 tilapia (Rust, Wicklund, and 011a, in press). Environmental 

 conditions including protection from prevailing wind and wave 

 action, temperature (27-31°C), dissolved oxygen (3.6-6.3 ppm), 

 salinity (16.0-40.2 ppt ) , and turbidity (l->7 m) at these sites were 

 found acceptable for tilapia culture. 



A study on production of Florida red tilapia in sea cages is 

 currently in progress at Baie de Ft. Liberte. In addition to 

 determining the technical feasibility of seawater cage culture in 

 Haiti, social, cultural and economic factors affecting the 

 extension of this technology to coastal communities are being 

 assessed (Brass and 011a, in press). 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



We thank G. Wenz, L. Ellingson, K. French, A. Clark, B. Bell, 

 and G. Van Zandt for logistic and technical support. This research 

 was supported by a grant from the Office of Undersea Research, 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of 

 Commerce and by the Perry Foundation, Inc. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Brass, J. and B. L. 011a. Social, cultural and economic 



considerations for saltwater cage culture of Florida red 

 tilapia in northern Haiti. Paper presented at the Fortieth 

 Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, 9-13 November 

 1987, Curacao, Netherland Antilles (in press). 



Canagaratnam, P. 1966. Growth of Tilapia mossambica . (Peters) in 

 different salinities. Bull . Fish. Res. Station Ceylon , Vol. 

 19, pp. 47-50. 



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