The culture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) can be traced to ancient Egyptian times as depicted on bas-relief from an Egyptian tomb dating back over 4000 years, which showed the fish held in ornamental ponds. While significant worldwide distribution of tilapias, primarily Oreochromis mossambicus, occurred during the 1940s and 1950s, distribution of the more desirable Nile tilapia occurred during the 1960s up to the 1980s. Nile tilapia from Japan were introduced to Thailand in 1965, and from Thailand they were sent to the Philippines. Nile tilapia from Cote d'Ivoire were introduced to Brazil in 1971, and from Brazil they were sent to the United States in 1974. In 1978, Nile tilapia was introduced to China, which leads the world in tilapia production and consistently produced more than half of the global production in every year from 1992 to 2003. The uncontrolled breeding of tilapia in ponds, which led to excessive recruitment, stunting and a low percentage of marketable-sized fish, dampened the initial enthusiasm for tilapia as a food fish. The development of hormonal sex-reversal techniques in the 1970s represented a major breakthrough that allowed male mono sex populations to be raised to uniform, marketable sizes. In addition, research on nutrition and culture systems, along with market development and processing advances, led to rapid expansion of the industry since the mid 1980s. Several species of tilapia are cultured commercially, but Nile tilapia is the predominant cultured species worldwide.
Latin name – Oreochromis niloticus
Taxonomic Code: 1705905102
Local Names
English : Nile mouthbrooder, Nile tilapia
German : Tilapie
French : Tilapia du Nil
Spanish : Tilapia del Nilo
Japanese : Chikadai, Telapia
Khmer : Trey tilapia chhnoht
Swedish : Munruvare
Tagalog : Pla pla, Tilapia
Thai : Pla nil
Wolof : Wass
Turkish : Tilapya
Diagnostic Features
Body compressed; caudal peduncle depth equal to length. Scales cycloid. A knob-like protuberance absent on dorsal surface of snout. Upper jaw length showing no sexual dimorphism. First gill arch with 27 to 33 gillrakers. Lateral line interrupted. Spinous and soft ray parts of dorsal fin continuous. Dorsal fin with 16 - 17 spines and 11 to 15 soft rays. Anal fin with 3 spines and 10-11 rays. Caudal fin truncated. Color in spawning season, pectoral, dorsal and caudal fins becoming reddish; caudal fin with numerous black bars.
Habitat and Biology
Nile tilapia is a tropical species that prefers to live in shallow water. The lower and upper lethal temperatures for Nile tilapia are 11-12 °C and 42 °C, respectively, while the preferred temperature ranges from 31 to 36 °C. It is an omnivorous grazer that feeds on phytoplankton, periphyton, aquatic plants, small invertebrates, benthic fauna, detritus and bacterial films associated with detritus. Nile tilapia can filter feed by entrapping suspended particles, including phytoplankton and bacteria, on mucous in the buccal cavity, although its main source of nutrition is obtained by surface grazing on periphyton mats. Sexual maturity in ponds is reached at an age of 5-6 months. Spawning begins when the water temperature reaches 24 °C. The breeding process starts when the male establishes a territory, digs a craterlike spawning nest and guards his territory. The ripe female spawns in the nest, and immediately after fertilization by the male, collects the eggs into her mouth and moves off. The female incubates the eggs in her mouth and broods the fry after hatching until the yolk sac is absorbed. Incubating and brooding is accomplished in 1 to 2 weeks, depending on temperature. After fry are released, they may swim back into her mouth if danger threatens. Being a maternal mouth brooder, the number of eggs per spawn is small in comparison with most other pond fishes. Egg number is proportional to the body weight of the female. A 100 g female will produce about 100 eggs per spawn, while a female weighing 600-1 000 g can produce 1 000 to 1 500 eggs. The male remains in his territory, guarding the nest, and is able to fertilize eggs from a succession of females. If there is no cold period, during which spawning is suppressed, the female may spawn continuously. While the female is brooding, she eats little or nothing. Nile tilapia can live longer than 10 years and reach a weight exceeding 5 kg.
Market And Trade
Nile tilapia were introduced to developing countries and cultured on a subsistence level to meet local protein needs. As production techniques improved and off-flavors were controlled, tilapia moved into the mainstream seafood markets of these countries. In highly industrialized countries, small markets for live local tilapia or frozen imports developed among immigrant communities. With the appearance of fresh tilapia fillets from tropical countries, new markets opened in upper echelon restaurants, casual dining restaurant chains, hypermarkets and discount stores. Virtually all casual dining restaurant chains in the USA feature tilapia, which are an ideal menu addition due to their reasonable price, year-round supply, mild, delicious flavor and flexibility in preparation. Most Europeans are just discovering tilapia, and great potential exists in Europe for market expansion. China, a major exporter of tilapia, has great potential for market development to supply a rapidly growing middle class. Tilapia is ideally suited to replace carp as the staple of Chinese seafood.
An important component of the growing tilapia industry is the proliferation of product forms. Tilapia exports initially consisted of frozen whole fish from Taiwan Province of China, but the USA market preferred fillets, which were initially supplied by Jamaica, Colombia and Costa Rica as a fresh product. Today, fresh or frozen fillets are available in different sizes and packages, as skin-on, skin-off, deep skinned, individually quick frozen, smoked, and sashimi grade, and are treated by carbon monoxide or ozone dipped. Whole or gutted tilapia are still available but are sold primarily in ethnic markets. Interesting by-products have emerged such as leather goods for clothing and accessories, gelatin from skins for time-released medicines and flower ornaments made from dried and colored fish scales.
Status and trends
Tilapia (including all species) is the second most important group of farmed fish after carps, and the most widely grown of any farmed fish. In 2004 tilapia moved up to the eighth most popular seafood in the USA global production of all species of tilapia is projected to increase from 1.5 million tones in 2003 to 2.5 million tones by 2010, with a sales value of more than USD 5 billion. Most of this enhanced production is expected to be attributed to Nile tilapia.
Some current trends include:
The development of new faster growing strains through selective breeding techniques.
Breeding procedures to produce genetically male tilapia (GMT) without direct hormone use.
Pond polyculture systems.
Intensive cost-effective recirculation systems.
Main issues
Tilapia grow rapidly on formulated feeds with lower protein levels and tolerate higher carbohydrate levels than many carnivorous farmed species. They can also accept feeds with a higher percentage of plant proteins. It is easy to breed tilapia and culture them intensively and economically. They are relatively resistant to poor water quality and disease. Their ability to over-reproduce in ponds requires the use of male mono sex populations. Their hardiness and adaptability to a wide range of culture systems has led to the commercialization of tilapia production in more than 100 countries. Their widespread consumer appeal will fuel the expansion of the tilapia industry for years to come.
FAO. © 4-2011. A world overview of species of interest to fisheries. Oreochromis niloticus. FIGIS Species Fact Sheets. Text by SIDP - Species Identification and Data Programme. In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Updated 2001. [Cited 12 September 2011]. http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Oreochromis_niloticus/en
The culture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) can be traced to ancient Egyptian times as depicted on bas-relief from an Egyptian tomb dating back over 4000 years, which showed the fish held in ornamental ponds. While significant worldwide distribution of tilapias, primarily Oreochromis mossambicus, occurred during the 1940s and 1950s, distribution of the more desirable Nile tilapia occurred during the 1960s up to the 1980s. Nile tilapia from Japan were introduced to Thailand in 1965, and from Thailand they were sent to the Philippines. Nile tilapia from Cote d'Ivoire were introduced to Brazil in 1971, and from Brazil they were sent to the United States in 1974. In 1978, Nile tilapia was introduced to China, which leads the world in tilapia production and consistently produced more than half of the global production in every year from 1992 to 2003. The uncontrolled breeding of tilapia in ponds, which led to excessive recruitment, stunting and a low percentage of marketable-sized fish, dampened the initial enthusiasm for tilapia as a food fish. The development of hormonal sex-reversal techniques in the 1970s represented a major breakthrough that allowed male mono sex populations to be raised to uniform, marketable sizes. In addition, research on nutrition and culture systems, along with market development and processing advances, led to rapid expansion of the industry since the mid 1980s. Several species of tilapia are cultured commercially, but Nile tilapia is the predominant cultured species worldwide.
Latin name – Oreochromis niloticus
Taxonomic Code: 1705905102
Local Names
English : Nile mouthbrooder, Nile tilapia
German : Tilapie
French : Tilapia du Nil
Spanish : Tilapia del Nilo
Japanese : Chikadai, Telapia
Khmer : Trey tilapia chhnoht
Swedish : Munruvare
Tagalog : Pla pla, Tilapia
Thai : Pla nil
Wolof : Wass
Turkish : Tilapya
Diagnostic Features
Body compressed; caudal peduncle depth equal to length. Scales cycloid. A knob-like protuberance absent on dorsal surface of snout. Upper jaw length showing no sexual dimorphism. First gill arch with 27 to 33 gillrakers. Lateral line interrupted. Spinous and soft ray parts of dorsal fin continuous. Dorsal fin with 16 - 17 spines and 11 to 15 soft rays. Anal fin with 3 spines and 10-11 rays. Caudal fin truncated. Color in spawning season, pectoral, dorsal and caudal fins becoming reddish; caudal fin with numerous black bars.
Habitat and Biology
Nile tilapia is a tropical species that prefers to live in shallow water. The lower and upper lethal temperatures for Nile tilapia are 11-12 °C and 42 °C, respectively, while the preferred temperature ranges from 31 to 36 °C. It is an omnivorous grazer that feeds on phytoplankton, periphyton, aquatic plants, small invertebrates, benthic fauna, detritus and bacterial films associated with detritus. Nile tilapia can filter feed by entrapping suspended particles, including phytoplankton and bacteria, on mucous in the buccal cavity, although its main source of nutrition is obtained by surface grazing on periphyton mats. Sexual maturity in ponds is reached at an age of 5-6 months. Spawning begins when the water temperature reaches 24 °C. The breeding process starts when the male establishes a territory, digs a craterlike spawning nest and guards his territory. The ripe female spawns in the nest, and immediately after fertilization by the male, collects the eggs into her mouth and moves off. The female incubates the eggs in her mouth and broods the fry after hatching until the yolk sac is absorbed. Incubating and brooding is accomplished in 1 to 2 weeks, depending on temperature. After fry are released, they may swim back into her mouth if danger threatens. Being a maternal mouth brooder, the number of eggs per spawn is small in comparison with most other pond fishes. Egg number is proportional to the body weight of the female. A 100 g female will produce about 100 eggs per spawn, while a female weighing 600-1 000 g can produce 1 000 to 1 500 eggs. The male remains in his territory, guarding the nest, and is able to fertilize eggs from a succession of females. If there is no cold period, during which spawning is suppressed, the female may spawn continuously. While the female is brooding, she eats little or nothing. Nile tilapia can live longer than 10 years and reach a weight exceeding 5 kg.
Market And Trade
Nile tilapia were introduced to developing countries and cultured on a subsistence level to meet local protein needs. As production techniques improved and off-flavors were controlled, tilapia moved into the mainstream seafood markets of these countries. In highly industrialized countries, small markets for live local tilapia or frozen imports developed among immigrant communities. With the appearance of fresh tilapia fillets from tropical countries, new markets opened in upper echelon restaurants, casual dining restaurant chains, hypermarkets and discount stores. Virtually all casual dining restaurant chains in the USA feature tilapia, which are an ideal menu addition due to their reasonable price, year-round supply, mild, delicious flavor and flexibility in preparation. Most Europeans are just discovering tilapia, and great potential exists in Europe for market expansion. China, a major exporter of tilapia, has great potential for market development to supply a rapidly growing middle class. Tilapia is ideally suited to replace carp as the staple of Chinese seafood.
An important component of the growing tilapia industry is the proliferation of product forms. Tilapia exports initially consisted of frozen whole fish from Taiwan Province of China, but the USA market preferred fillets, which were initially supplied by Jamaica, Colombia and Costa Rica as a fresh product. Today, fresh or frozen fillets are available in different sizes and packages, as skin-on, skin-off, deep skinned, individually quick frozen, smoked, and sashimi grade, and are treated by carbon monoxide or ozone dipped. Whole or gutted tilapia are still available but are sold primarily in ethnic markets. Interesting by-products have emerged such as leather goods for clothing and accessories, gelatin from skins for time-released medicines and flower ornaments made from dried and colored fish scales.
Status and trends
Tilapia (including all species) is the second most important group of farmed fish after carps, and the most widely grown of any farmed fish. In 2004 tilapia moved up to the eighth most popular seafood in the USA global production of all species of tilapia is projected to increase from 1.5 million tones in 2003 to 2.5 million tones by 2010, with a sales value of more than USD 5 billion. Most of this enhanced production is expected to be attributed to Nile tilapia.
Some current trends include:
The development of new faster growing strains through selective breeding techniques.
Breeding procedures to produce genetically male tilapia (GMT) without direct hormone use.
Pond polyculture systems.
Intensive cost-effective recirculation systems.
Main issues
Tilapia grow rapidly on formulated feeds with lower protein levels and tolerate higher carbohydrate levels than many carnivorous farmed species. They can also accept feeds with a higher percentage of plant proteins. It is easy to breed tilapia and culture them intensively and economically. They are relatively resistant to poor water quality and disease. Their ability to over-reproduce in ponds requires the use of male mono sex populations. Their hardiness and adaptability to a wide range of culture systems has led to the commercialization of tilapia production in more than 100 countries. Their widespread consumer appeal will fuel the expansion of the tilapia industry for years to come.
FAO. © 4-2011. A world overview of species of interest to fisheries. Oreochromis niloticus. FIGIS Species Fact Sheets. Text by SIDP - Species Identification and Data Programme. In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Updated 2001. [Cited 12 September 2011]. http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Oreochromis_niloticus/en