1. 9 th International Forum on Tilapia
Position of Tilapia Among Primary Farmed Fish and Aquaculture Technical Difficulties
Kevin Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.
University of Arizona, Professor of Environmental Science
World Aquaculture Society, Past-President
Aquaculture without Frontiers, Past-Chairman
American Tilapia Association, Sec. Tres.
9 th International Forum on Tilapia
HaiKou, HaiNan
November 2012

2. Tilapia: continuing to increase in popularity globaly
Tilapias are second only to the carps as a farmed food fish.
But tilapia have unique characteristics that will facilitate its continued growth to someday surpass carp production.

3. Tilapia Model for how aquaculture industry should develop
Global demand, variety of production systems and geographic regions, some vertically integrated
Environmentally sustainable – “Green Aquaculture” (no fish meal required in the diet, no antibiotics, many farms use effluents for crops)

4. Subsistence and Export Commodity
Tilapia is unique in its role as a small livestock animal grown by subsistence farmers in developing countries around the world…..
And
It is widely grown and exported to high value markets to be served in expensive restaurants and grocery stores
Commodity or specialty crop - BOTH, like chicken

5. Tilapia: the most important aquaculture species of the 21st century Feb 2000 ISTA 5

6. Global production of some major farmed fishes
Metric tons per year

7. Global production of some major farmed fishes including carp
Metric tons per year

8. Top Ten Seafoods (U.S.) per capita (lbs)

9. Percentage of US finfish grocery sales Feb. 2010
% of sales

10. Technical Difficulties
Improved genetics and seed
Improved nutrition and feed quality
Reducing problems with off-flavor
Reducing environmental impacts of aquaculture

11. Improved Genetics and Seed
Farmer need higher quality seed
Requires improved breeding programs
More high quality hatcheries
More all male fish
Need to utilize most advanced genetic tools

12. Selective breeding and genetic improvements
Excellent breeding programs - G.I.F.T. - Malaysia - G.I.F.T., Shanghai, and private - China - Genomar - Brazil and Norway - Chitralada – Thailand - TabTim – Thailand (CP Group) - GIFT Excell – Philippines - Molobicus - Philippines - GIFT Bangladesh
YY Supermale - Philippines and Swansea, Egypt and Indonesia

13. Genetic improvements in tilapia
(From: Mair, G., 2002)

14. Tilapia Genome Project
March First assembly of the tilapia genome
Oreochromis niloticus – Nile Tilapia
Matching many segments to those known from other fish
Publically available and freely accessible
Next frontier of genetic program for tilapia

16. The YY male technology
(GMT®)

17. Improved Nutrition and Feed Quality
Farmers want high quality feeds at lowest cost
Feed mills want additional effective ingredients
Environmental groups want minimum fish meal and fish oils

18. Farmers want high quality feeds at lowest cost
Farmers should select feed based on quality, cost and service
Researchers should work with mills to test new ingredients
Vendors should compete to offer new and improved ingredients.

19. Feed mills want additional effective ingredients
New ingredients: Camelina, dried distillers grains, hydrolized feather meal, new soy products
Alltech, OlMix, Novus, Uni-President, etc.
Improved extruder and pelleting technologies

21. Ingredient vendors

22. From: Ramon Kourie, 2011

23. From: Ramon Kourie, 2011

24. From: Ramon Kourie, 2011

25. From: Ramon Kourie, 2011

26. Reducing Environmental Effects: Integrated Farming Systems Tilapia and citrus in HaiNan, China

27. Tilapia Grapes, wheat, olives, barley, sorghum, cotton, melons, peppers Reuse of effluents to irrigate crops Safford, AZ Marana, AZ

28. Desert Springs Tilapia, Hyder AZ

29. Tilapia-shrimp-halophytes Eritrea
Salicornia
Mangroves
Mangroves
Salicornia
Shrimp and tilapia ponds

30. Polyculture Indonesia

31. Stocking and harvest schedule

32. n
Tilapia – shrimp – seaweed polyculture in Indonesia

33. Gracilaria
Shrimp
Tilapia

34. Pathways in the use of tilapia as biomanipulator in shrimp farms
Promotion of Chlorella dominance
Feeding on organic waste
Bioturbation of sediment
Production of natural antimicrobials
IMPROVED SEDIMENT QUALITY
IMPROVED WATER QUALITY
SUPRESSION OF GROWTH OF V. harveyi

35. The “terrestrial tilapia”
Conclusions
Tilapia has long been called the aquatic chicken.
Instead…...
The “terrestrial tilapia”

37. Buy TILAPIA
Thank you!
Questions?