Tilapia fish farming

Since 1980, tilapia fish farming has displayed continuous high growth. In 2005, tilapia production was second to carp production worldwide. Tilapia biological and zootechnical characteristics are particularly suited to fish farming: very rustic character, spontaneous reproduction in captivity, low protein diets, adaptability to various farming systems. Several simple, low-cost technologies have been developed based on these characteristics. These techniques are accessible to the small-scale entrepreneurs who have contributed to the spectacular increase of tilapia industry in certain countries with favourable conditions. Tilapia fish come from Africa and are primarily farmed in Asia and to a lesser extent in South America. Over the last twenty years, tilapia have been introduced on international markets, especially in Japan, the United States and Europe, where they are gaining in popularity and being marketed in addition to the other two tropical species, the Mekong catfish and Nile perch. In this context, in the late 1980s a selective breeding program was conducted in the Philippines on the main cultured tilapia species, the Nile tilapia. The GIFT (genetically improved farmed tilapia) strain resulting from this program bred for South-East Asian countries, displays growth performance which is greatly superior to that of "Asian" strains. However, for socio-economic reasons, its commercial use by poor fish farmers, for whom this selection program was initially intended, was restricted. The GIFT strain was then taken over by a private international operator and is currently being developed by industrial operators on the three continents.