1. Tilapia
SRAC publications 280-283
Tilapia are tropical cichlids – family Cichlidae
Several species cultured
Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus
Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis massambicus
Blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus
Red tilapia hybrid O. mossambicus X O. aureus
All produce a lean mild meat
-- off flavor is a major marketing problem
5. US Tilapia consumption - 2002 (Jan-
Nov)
(117,842 mt of live weight)
(259,723,000 lbs of live weight)
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
Metric
tons
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002
From: Kevin Fitzsimmons, ATA website
6. Estimated cost of production
• China - $0.70/kg
• Philippines, Indonesia - $0.80/kg
• Brazil, Ecuador, Thailand - $0.85/kg
• Honduras, Costa Rica - $0.90/kg
• Mexico - $1.00/kg
• Taiwan Province - $1.05/kg
• US - $2.00/kg
• Canada - $2.10/kg
From: Kevin Fitzsimmons, ATA website
7. World Tilapia Production in 2001
China
46%
Taiwan Prov.
7%
Philippines
7%
Thailand
7%
Mexico
7%
Others
4%
Indonesia
4%
Costa Rica
1%
Colombia
2%
United States
1%
Brasil
5%
Egypt
4%
Cuba
3%
Ecuador
2%
From: Kevin Fitzsimmons, ATA website
8. Major Tilapia Producers
(for year 2000)
• China - 629,182 metric tons / year
• Mexico - 102,000 mt / year
• Thailand - 100,000 mt / year
• Philippines - 92,284 mt / year
• Taiwan Province - 85,000 mt / year
• Brazil - 65,000 mt / year
• Indonesia - 50,000 mt / year
From: Kevin Fitzsimmons, ATA website
9. US Tilapia supply (Jan-Nov 2002)
259,723,000 lbs (live weight)
CHINA
29%
ECUADOR
16%
INDONESIA
6%
TAIWAN Prov.
25%
HONDURAS
7%
COSTA RICA
7%
Brazil
0%
US
8%
OTHER
2%
From: Kevin Fitzsimmons, ATA website
10. Production constraints – continued
Unwanted reproduction
-- most tilapia will mature & reproduce while in culture
ponds
-- wastes feed and makes it difficult to raise fish to market
size
-- dealing with problem increases costs
-- hand sexing each fish for monosex culture
-- sex reversal using hormones
-- using hybrids
-- O. aurea cannot reproduce in seawater
11. Production constraints in US
Big problem: Low-temperature sensitivity
-- most tilapia grow best at 28 – 30 C
-- death occurs as temperature drops below 10 C
-- US farms cannot keep tilapia in ponds all year
-- must over-winter fish in warm water
-- indoor recircuating systems
-- warm outdoor water
-- geothermal
-- power plant heat
12. Sex reversal
-- when fry are hatched,
-- they are genotypically male or female
-- they are phenotypically undifferentiated
-- by putting sex hormones in first feeds, sex can be
affected
Example:
Feeding 30 - 60 mg/kg ethynyltestosterone or
methyltestosterone on days 21-28 post hatch will yield
95% males
In US a special permit from USDA may be required
13. Feeds and feeding
-- tilapia are omnivorous fishes that can filter feed
phytoplankton
-- in many parts of the world, fish are not fed, but ponds
are fertilized
-- pigs and chickens often raised over or next to ponds
-- fish grown and marketed in US are fed high-protein
prepared feeds
-- feeds use a lot of fish meal as a protein source
-- a lot of research directed toward fish meal substitutes
14. Water quality
-- mortality begins ~ 10 C
-- tilapia reported to survive DO concentrations below 1 mg/L
-- about twice as resistant to ammonia as channel catfish
-- over twice as resistant to nitrite as channel catfish
-- chloride increases tolerance to nitrite
15. USA 9,000 mt
• Production in many states
• Mostly intensive systems, many
recirculating
• Sales to ethnic markets as live fish,
high value
From: Kevin Fitzsimmons, ATA website
