Custos operacionais de dois sistemas de produção de alevinos de tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus)

Tilapia farming stands out in the Brazilian agribusiness market as one of the most significant economic activities in the sector. Many cage-cultured tilapia producers in the Northeast region, especially in the reservoirs of the São Francisco River, are developing alternatives to mitigate the negative impacts of high costs and low zootechnical performance during the initial production phase. One such alternative is the use of earthen ponds compared to the traditionally employed cages. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the zootechnical performance and operational costs of fingerling production systems in earthen ponds and cages at a fish farm located in the municipality of Glória, Bahia, Brazil. The study evaluated zootechnical performance during the fingerling phase and subsequently calculated the implementation costs, effective operational costs [EOC], and total operational costs [TOC], comparing the fingerling production results of the two farming systems. The survival rate of fingerlings showed a 37.19% advantage in favor of the earthen ponds. Average daily weight gain favored the cages, with a difference of 40.68%. Regarding feed conversion ratio, the earthen pond system showed a 29.46% disadvantage compared to the cages. The cost of water, feed, and fingerlings, divided by biomass, showed a -5.15% difference, while implementation costs showed a -15.29% difference. The TOC showed a -2.48% difference, all Actapesca (2025) 23, 140-150 DOI 10.46732/Actafish.23.140-150 141 favorable to fingerling production in earthen ponds. Initial phase production in earthen ponds is advantageous and profitable compared to cage systems for the analyzed region.