TILAPIA CULTURE

Water Temperatures for:

Tilapia are native to Africa, Israel and Jordan

Best growth- above 770FSpawning - above 680F

Death- 50 to 540F

Nile Tilapia Mozambique Tilapia

Blue Tilapia Red Tilapia

Popular Cultured TilapiasPopular Cultured Tilapias

Food HabitsTilapia feed low on the food chain

phytoplankton

zooplankton

Tilapia can be cultured in fresh and salt water. 1. All tilapia can be grown in fresh water.

2. Mozambique tilapia and red tilapia with Mozambique tilapia genes can be grown in salt water.

Males dig and defend a nest

Reproduction

and defend the fry

Females incubate eggs

Tilapia can be spawned in:

1. ponds

2. cages

3. tanks

Fry can be harvested:

2. 40 days after hatch

1. 18 days after hatch

Fry can be:1. Partial harvested

2. Completely harvestedBrooder removal Fry removal

Eggs can be removed from females:

Incubating tilapia eggs

Yolk-sac tilapia fry

Tilapia can be cultured as:

1. Mixed sexes - males and females together

2. Mono-sex - only males

Advantages: 1. Technically easy

Disadvantages: 1. Small harvest weight 2. Mixed sizes at harvest

Grow-out:

Mixed-sex Culture

Advantages: 1. Large harvest weight 2. Uniform size at harvest

Disadvantages: 1. Technically difficult

Mono-sex culture

Stocking a predacious fish with mixed-sex tilapia will control tilapia density andincrease final harvest weight.

Largemouth bass in the U. S. A.

Peacock bass inSouth America

Mono-sex male tilapia populations can be produced by:

1. Visual selection

2. Hybridization

3. Sex-reversal

4. Genetic manipulation

Male Populations

Visual Selection of the Genital Papilla

Male papilla

Female papilla withoviduct

anus

anus

HybridizationMale Hornorum tilapia

Female Nile tilapia

All-male hybrid tilapia

Sex Reversal of Tilapia Fry

Genetic Manipulation1) XXF + XYM

estrogen

XXF + XY”F”

2) XY”F” x XYM

XXF + 2 XYM + YYM

3) XXF x YYM

100% XYM

Tilapia are raised in: Small earthen ponds

Tilapia are raised in:Large Earthen Ponds

Tilapia Raised In Floating Cages

Tilapia are raised in:Circular tanks with partial water exchange and mechanical aeration

Tilapia are raised in:Raceways with constant water exchange

Tilapia are raised in:Indoors with water reuse, mechanical aeration and oxygen injection

Tilapia ponds can be fertilized with organic and inorganic fertilizers to increase yield

Tilapia can be fed to increase yield

Tilapia can be fed

Agricultural by-productssinking

floating

cottonseed meal wheat bran

rice bran

Pelleted diets

Tilapia can be sold to

Neighbors and

Friends

Tilapia can be purchasedAt supermarkets and fish shops

whole on ice

fresh and frozen fillets

China

Egypt

Philippines

Mexico

Thailand

Taiwan

Brasil

Indonesia

Bangladesh

Colombia

Cuba

EcuadorVietnam

Costa RicaHonduras Malaysia United States

Saudi Arabia

Others

World Tilapia Production of 2,920,941 mt in 2008

Global tilapia aquaculture exceeds salmon in 2009

Tilapia (June 2007, Tesco, UK)

• $8 US per lb whole fish!!!!

• Imports in 2008 were $696,085,981• US production of 20,000,000 lbs at farm• 2009 US tilapia farm-gate sales over

$55,000,000• 2009 US Tilapia Sales estimate – $696,085,981 + $55,000,000 = $751,085,981

US Sales of tilapia

Tilapia farming in the U. S.1. Most production is from enclosed, water reuse system

because of cold winter water temperatures.

2. Production costs are high.

3. Most tilapia are sold live or whole iced.

4. Presently, U. S. producers can’t compete with producers in tropical climates for processed tilapia.

5. Fresh fillets are imported from Central and South America.

6. Frozen fillets are imported from Asia.

Advantages of Farming Tilapia

1. Feeds low on the food chain

2. Accepts wide range of feeds

3. Resistant to poor water quality, disease and handling

4. Good flesh quality

5. Fingerlings easy to produce year round

Disadvantages of raising tilapia

1. Reach sexual maturity at a young age

2. Males grow faster than females

3. Difficult to harvest from earthen ponds with a seine

4. Low percentage of fillet removed from body

Over 3.1 billion pounds of farmed tilapia are harvest world-wide yearly.

Major producers are:China > Philippines > Thailand

U. S. tilapia Production in 2000: 18,191,000 lbs

New product forms

Smoked tilapia

Sashimi grade tilapia

Tilapia and food service• On almost all cruise

ships• Starting to appear on

airlines• Increasingly with

schools, hospitals and prisons

• Several prisons have their own tilapia farms

Courtesy: Eric Roderick

Byproducts - Tilapia Leather

Tilapia Orange Juice

Tilapia pedicures

EAT MORE TILAPIA