Originating from the lakes of Eastern, Central and Western Africa, the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was first introduced to developing countries as a cheap, easy way for subsistence farmers to provide their families with enough protein. With improved production techniques and methods of controlling its flavour, the fish became more of a mainstream product. Communities of migrants from these countries then created a market for tilapia in the developed nations they had moved to, and finally a taste for the fish spread amongst the locals.

1. 40 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | July-August 2015
EXPERT T●PIC
Welcome to Expert Topic. Each issue will take an in-depth look
at a particular species and how its feed is managed.
TILAPIA
EXPERT TOPIC

2. 1Tilapia: adaptable
from fingerling to fillet
O
riginating from the lakes of
Eastern, Central and Western
Africa, the Nile tilapia
(Oreochromis niloticus) was first
introduced to developing countries as a
cheap, easy way for subsistence farmers to
provide their families with enough protein.
With improved production techniques and
methods of controlling its flavour, the fish
became more of a mainstream product.
Communities of migrants from these coun-
tries then created a market for tilapia in the
developed nations they had moved to, and
finally a taste for the fish spread amongst
the locals.
With a mild, unintrusive flavour, Nile
tilapia lends itself readily to a wide range of
dishes and cuisines. It’s pretty adaptable from
the farmer’s point of view, too. Omnivorous
yet predominantly vegetarian, tilapia grow
quickly on a diet lower in protein and higher
in carbohydrates than that required by many
carnivorous farmed species. They are also
relatively resistant to disease and poor water
quality, and they breed easily.
Keeping mixed-gender groups in ponds
can result in lots of stunted offspring compet-
ing for food and space. There are two main
ways to fix this. You could try sex-reversal.
Administering hormones in their feed at an
early stage ensures the fish all grow up as
males. This has an added benefit, owing to
the fact that males of this species grow twice
as fast as females.
Alternatively, you could continue to raise
them in mixed-gender groups, but in cages.
Nile tilapia needs a bowl-like depression in
a sandy substrate in which to fertilise their
eggs and from which to gather them up in
their mouths to brood them. In a cage, even
if any eggs do get fertilised, they will simply
fall through the mesh and be lost. Being
both easier and cheaper than sex-reversal,
the cage method is employed across China,
Indonesia and much of Central and South
America.
Source: FAO
July-August 2015 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 41
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3
2 Tilapia survey
demonstrates GAA’s
commitment to
responsible aquaculture
S
ince its inception in 1997, The
Global Aquaculture Alliance’s phi-
losophy has been to proactively
identify the challenges facing aqua-
culture and to implement practical solutions
that lead to continual improvements over
time.
One such challenge is the use of antibiot-
ics in aquaculture. Restrictions on antibiotic
use are addressed in great detail in both the
Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) finfish and
crustacean farm standards and BAP seafood
processing plant standards.
On June 2, GAA further demonstrated
its commitment to responsible aquaculture
by publishing a survey to gather first-hand
information on the use of antibiotics in tilapia
farming, the results of which will educate the
evolving Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)
program.
An invitation to take the 11-question
survey was delivered to about 125 repre-
sentatives of BAP-certified tilapia farms and
processing plants located in China, Columbia,
Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam.
This survey primarily concerns the use
of antimicrobials listed by the World Health
Organisation (WHO) as critical to human
health. Some of these substances are permit-
ted for veterinary use. But there are concerns
that overuse could potentially, by spreading
resistance, reduce the effectiveness of human
antimicrobial therapy. Thus, subject to the
survey results, GAA will seek by year’s end
to modify the tilapia-specific section of the
BAP finfish and crustacean farm standards to
exclude the use of antimicrobials listed by the
WHO as critical to human health.
Some experts feel that antimicrobials listed
by the WHO as critical to human health
should be excluded from use in tilapia farm-
ing. Other experts feel that these antibiotics
are critical tools for disease treatment and
animal welfare. BAP-certified tilapia farms and
processing plants are encouraged to take the
survey, which is anonymous.

3. Tilapia
production in India:
present status and prospects
by Dr B Laxmappa, Fisheries Development Officer, Department
of Fisheries, India
T
ilapia are now the world’s second most popular group of
farmed fish after carp. Worldwide production exceeded
3.9 million tonnes in 2012 according to FAO and demand
continues at a steady pace. Geographically Tilapias are the
most widespread species for aquaculture production in the world.
Tilapia, a native to Africa and Middle East has emerged as one of
the most internationally traded food fishes in the World. Around
20 countries are farming Tilapia, with China, Egypt, Indonesian
Philippines, Thailand and Brazil taking the lead.
Tilapia belongs to the family Cichlidae under order Perciformes
and has recently been classified into three genera, based on parental
incubation of eggs. The species of the genera Sarotherodon and
Oreochromis are mouth brooders, while Tilapia incubate eggs in a
‘nest’ built on the bottom of a lake or pond. There are about 70
species of Tilapia, of which eight species are used in aquaculture
worldwide (Table: 1). One of the eight cultured species is Nile Tilapia,
a relatively large cichlid fish introduced to several countries outside its
natural range e.g. Brazil, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India.
Present status
India is a vast country in terms of natural resources and considered
one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. The Indian mainland
is drained by 15 major, 45 medium and over 120 minor rivers, besides
numerous ephemeral streams. The diverse river systems in India har-
bour one of the richest fish germplasm resources in the world. Official
records show that O. mossambicus was first introduced to India from Sri
Lanka in 1952 and thereafter stocked in several reservoirs in southern
India for production enhancement.
O. niloticus was introduced to India in late 1987. The aquaculture of
O. niloticus expanded in the southern region of the country, especially
by private entrepreneurs. In 1995, Vorion Chemicals Ltd. Chennai
claimed high production of hybrid red Tilapia, popularly known as
golden Tilapia. However, production collapsed for unknown reasons.
Culture of O. niloticus is now gearing up, particularly in Andhra Pradesh,
Orissa and West Bengal, and the fish is now distributed to many states
particularly the coastal areas.
Cultivated Tilapia are typically hybrids between O. niloticus and
other closely related species native to Africa. O. niloticus are one of
the easiest and most profitable fish to farm, in part because they are
omnivorous and can be fed a diet derived exclusively from plants. O.
niloticus and other fish that feed on vegetable materials offer a much
more ecologically sound and environmentally friendly means of provid-
ing humankind with an abundance of nutritious and delicious fish. There
have been frequent escapes of Tilapia from aquaculture facilities due to
recurring floods or inadvertent releases. Tilapia now forms a part of the
fish fauna in the Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Yamuna and Ganga Rivers.
Presently in many rivers particularly the Ganga River and Krishna
River system, the proportion of Tilapia production is about 10-48
percent of the total fish species. However, Tilapia holds vast promise
to become an important species for aquaculture in India, considering
the demand for more fish. There are many unpublished data about
the availability of Tilapia in tanks, reservoirs and rivers in many states in
India. In the Kolkata Wetlands, some farmers are producing mono-sex
Tilapia on a commercial scale in waste-water. In Andhra Pradesh Tilapia
culture is practised in an area of around 1000 acres.
As the demand for fish increases, diversification of species in aqua-
42 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | July-August 2015
3EXPERT T●PIC

4. culture by including more species for increasing production levels has
become necessary. Introduction of Tilapia in Indian culture systems is
advantageous because it represents a lower level in the food chain, and
thus its culture will be economical and eco-friendly. Mono-sex culture
of Tilapia is advantageous because of faster growth and the larger and
more uniform size of males.
Government support
Tilapia is farmed widely in the whole of Asia, with the exception
of India. The Government of India has allowed Tilapia farming recently
but with specific guidelines. Farms have to obtain a permit/license from
the Government to carry out the farming. Farming is allowed only with
mono-sex male Nile Tilapia or its hybrids. Cage culture is permitted
in reservoirs where there is an established stock of Tilapia. In cages,
use of floating feeds with a minimum protein content of 25 percent is
encouraged. The guidelines also specify bio-security measures to pre-
vent escapees. In the case of hatcheries and nurseries, permits are also
required and they may only use brood stock from approved foreign
and Indian companies.
In India, O. mossambicus has been widely cultured in states including
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha for the last 30 years. The Marine
Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has chalked out a
plan to culture O. niloticus in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), the Research
and Development arm of the MPEDA, Government of India also
organised a one-day international seminar on Tilapia Aquaculture and
Trade, the ‘India Tilapia Summit 2014’ in December 2014 in Andhra
Pradesh to popularise and promote Tilapia culture in the country.
Prospects
India has enormous potential for aquaculture of Tilapia. Numerous
freshwater and brackish water ponds, lakes and reservoirs suitable for
Tilapia culture are available in the country. The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for
Aquaculture (RGCA) in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh started producing
seedstocks of this variety three years ago based on technology adopted
from the World Fish Centre in Malaysia. The centre already has a stock
of around one million seed and is capable of meeting demand from
other states. O. niloticus is in high demand not only on the local market
but also in the US and the European Union.
The development of Genetically Improved Tilapia (GIFT) technol-
ogy is based on traditional selective breeding and is meant to improve
commercially important traits of tropical farmed fish, which is a major
milestone in the history of Tilapia aquaculture. The Kerala and Andhra
Pradesh governments recently issued directives allowing the farming
of O. niloticus.
To encourage entrepreneurs, the National Development Board
(NFDB) is also providing financial subsidies for Tilapia culture in the
country. For species diversity, Tilapia is one of the most suitable alterna-
tive species for Indian aquaculture. In future Tilapia will be the cheapest
protein food source in India even for people below the poverty line.
References available on request
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Table 1: World-wide aquaculture tilapia species
Sl.
No.
Common name Scientific name
1 Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus 1757)
2 Mozambique tilapia O. mossambicus (Peters 1852)
3 Blue tilapia O. aureus (Steindachner 1864)
4 Zanzibar tilapia O. hornorum (Trewavas 1966)
5 Gallilee tilapia Sarotherodon galilaeus (Hasselquist 1757)
6 Black-chinned tilapia S.melanotheron (Ruppel 1852)
7 Redbreast tilapia Tilapia rendalii (Boulenger 1896)
8 Red-belly tilapia T. zillii (Ge vais 1848)
July-August 2015 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 43
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