The Journey of St. Thomas More School Tilapia

When the baby tilapia arrive in the mail, they are the size of my fingernail!

Tilapia at this stage of growth are called fingerlings. I think it should be finger-nail-ings!

The tilapia keep growing and after a few months, they are transferred to the main system. They help the entire aquaponic system grow as well!

When it’s time to harvest the tilapia they weigh between 1.5-2.5 pounds. They are tricky to catch and they have sharp fins. Our first harvest 6/2024 was almost 46 pounds and our second harvest 1/2025 was close to 45 pounds.

Thank you to an unnamed donor for helping us process our fish into beautiful filets to share with families at Gonzaga Family Haven!

It is important that we do not harvest too many fish at once. We need the right amount of fish waste to help balance our aquaponics system. The plants need the nutrients from the waste and in return the plants filter and clean the water for the fish. 🐟💨🌿💦….. 🐟💨🌿💦

Remember……

🎶THE FISH HELP THE PLANTS AND THE PLANTS HELP THE FISH 🎵

Our harvested fish definitely had a “fin” in the success of these crops:

The healthy crops gave us an opportunity to pick delicious lettuces, tomatoes, cabbage, peas, herbs and peppers to be shared with our food bank, St. Vincent de Paul, and Gonzaga Family Haven.

~ Feeding the hungry in our own community ~

People attending the Gonzaga Family Haven community meal night enjoyed our tilapia prepared by Gonzaga University’s Campus Kitchen chefs.