Benchmark : Top class tilapia due for Brazilian launch

As it grows, the industry is also currently showing signs of increasing consolidation.

'It's a bit like the poultry industry here in Brazil in the early 1990s,' says Murilo. 'We're now seeing a number of, largely domestic, vertically-integrated operations emerging, and these produce everything from feed to the processed fish product themselves.

'Companies such as Copacol, Geneseas and Netuno are already producing here on an integrated basis and there are rumours that Regal Springs, who are one of the largest tilapia producers in the world, are planning to grow up to 100,000 tonnes a year,' he added.

'Most of the production tonnage comes from medium/high tech cage systems, mainly in rivers, although there are also some earthen ponds, some of which anglers pay to fish in, providing a small market for larger fish,' Murilo adds.