Business as usual at our Honduran tilapia operations
Regal Springs has been present in Honduras via a local entity, Aquafinca St. Peter Fish, for over 25 years, working closely with the authorities to ensure continuity of supply to our valued customers.
The company farms tilapia on two fully certified, locally licensed lakes — mainly in Lake El Cajon, a large artificial dam located in a remote rural natural forest region, where most of Aquafinca’s production comes from (over two-thirds of its current harvest volume), and the smaller farming site of Lake Yojoa, one of the few natural lakes in Honduras.
These two sites were selected by the company founder for their purity of water, which is so important when it comes to farming premium-quality tilapia that is discernibly different from mass-market tilapia.
Over the last 12 months, the Honduran authorities have expressed a strong intention to bolster their conservation efforts on Lake Yojoa with the aim of restoring the lake as a national treasure; in the process, they have opened discussions with all economic and community stakeholders that have a potential impact on the lake, including Aquafinca.
In response to the recent official statement from President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya:
We have been supporting the Honduran government in its endeavors to enhance its conservation efforts over the last year, and we have been actively working with the authorities to find a way forward that suits all parties. There are many matters to consider, including the welfare of many local communities whose livelihoods and families depend on working the farms every day.
Our many constructive discussions also include further optimization of our larger operations in Lake El Cajon in conjunction with state owners of the lake: ENEE, the national electricity company. We anticipate no disruption to supply; indeed, we welcome the expansion discussion of our overall facilities through Lake El Cajon.
We would like to assure our many valued customers around the world that we put the business supply continuity of our premium tilapia as a top priority. We have always optimized production between our two lakes in Honduras and will continue to do so — providing stocks from our other farming operations in Mexico and Indonesia, if needed. Our aim is always to fully satisfy the high demand for our excellent-quality fish.
*We take pride in consistently fulfilling stringent international standards, including having the world’s first fish farm certified to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council [ASC] standard and the first 4-star BAP tilapia fish farms in Honduras and Mexico.