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Top Species Tilapia's versatility makes it a perfect fit for numerous dishes, including fish tacos. year, says Jim Bruffy, director of sales and marketing. Te "egg to plate" vertically inte- grated operator has farms and processing plants for frozen product in Java and Sumatra in Indonesia as well as a fresh tilapia operation in Honduras and its newest site in Mexico, which has recently started producing both fresh and fro- zen fish. Together, the opera- tions produce about 1 million fillets per week, says Bruffy. In creating its tilapia Tilapia Economical and abundant, this fish has few rivals BY JOANNE FRIEDRICK T ilapia was ousted from the No. 4 spot on the Top 10 per-capita sea- food of an aquaculture product at a price point that is attrac- tive," he says. "We're talking a $2 fish here. It's hard to find a similar species." Because of that, he says, consump- tion list last year, but the fish is still in the Top 5 at nearly 1.3 pounds, just below its close rival and fellow white- fish, Alaska pollock. Since 2006, when tilapia cracked the Top 5, the species has stayed in that spot, with the exception of 2010, when it was No. 4 and consumption hit a high of 1.45 pounds per person. Don Kelley, procurement manager at Western Edge Seafood in Claysville, Pa., says the consistent popular- ity of tilapia is largely supply- chain driven. "We have a spe- cies with all the availability and year-round consistency tilapia continues to be a core product for Western Edge, even as the company ex- pands into other species. Although farmed fish can certainly have some ups and downs, especially when impacted by weather or dis- ease, Kelley says this year in particular has been smooth sailing for tilapia. "We saw very little impact of disease this year," he says, which has helped keep supply at stable to abundant levels. Disease, explains Kelley, is usually linked to weather, such as typhoons, rising water temperatures and ge- netics. With no major ty- phoons in China this year, 24 SeaFood Business December 2012 thankfully that part of the equation was missing. Stable supply Western Edge sources its from China, where tilapia there has been stable supply, he says, but with some tight- ening as some farms have converted to producing other species of fish or turned to shrimp to meet local demand. "But we're still able to buy all that we need," says Kelley. China was by far the larg- est supplier of frozen tilapia fillets to the U.S. market in 2011, exporting more than 261 million pounds to the United States, although that was down from 2010 by 37 million pounds. Indonesia was the second-biggest sup- plier of frozen fillets to the U.S. market with just more than 20 million pounds in 2011. On the fresh side, Honduras surpassed Ecuador in 2011, with a total of nearly 18 million pounds of fillets exported to the U.S. market versus 16.8 million pounds. Regal Springs Tilapia, with headquarters in Mira- mar, Fla., has been growing at a rate of about 10 percent a business, Bruffy says Regal Springs has focused on pro- viding fish that avoid the negatives associated with farmed fish, such as off taste or disease issues. Te fish are raised in open cages and eat only antibi- otic and hormone-free feed, says Bruffy. Te newest site in Mexico has allowed the company to refine its process, he says, with the production facility just 15 minutes from the processing plant, allowing them to keep the fish in wa- ter until they are harvested. A laser detection system on the production line can detect pin bones and bloodspots, while a computerized grading sys- tem provides more accuracy on sizing. A new salt-free ice flushing system is also em- ployed to get fish to their core temperature faster without comprising quality. Te Mexico plant adds about 400 to 500 employees to the 6,500 already work- ing for Regal Springs, says Bruffy. As in its other locales, the Mexico operation pro- vides education and medical care for employees as part of its sustainability mission, says Bruffy. "We're about providing them with ways to sustain themselves and be our partners," he says. In addition to assisting its Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com Photo courtesy of La'au Taco Shop