Importance of Tilapia Farming in Aquaculture

The fish you are cultivating, Is it GIFT or Chitralada Tilapia?

The tilapia you are culturing whether it is GIFT, Chitralada or MST. One of the most important aspects of fish farming is the selection of good breed baby fishes. The growth of the fish and its immunity depend on the quality of the baby fishes. In this video we are going to explain Importance of Tilapia Farming in Aquaculture. If you intend to cultivate tilapia fish try to watch this video completely.

Today, tilapia is considered as one of the most widely cultivated fishes in the world through various fish farming methods. Tilapia is one of the best cultivated fish varieties around 85 countries of the world. Tilapia is used in aquaculture for a variety of reasons.

1 – Tilapia is a fish that can be grown well in any farming method.

Tilapia is a variety commonly grown by farmers in all types of farming methods such as natural pond, Aquaponics and Biofloc fish farming.

2 – Good growth

Good growth in a short period of time. It attains weight of around 300 grams to 500 grams within 4 to 6 months. Similarly, Fish farmers who have reared tilapia for 8 months have obtained a yield of fishes weighing over 700 grams.

3 – Tilapia is a tasty and dense meat fish.

It is a fish that is rich in protein and vitamins.

The native tilapia found in our country belongs to the genus Mozambique tilapia. It does not attain enough growth.

But today Nile tilapia is the most widely used variety of tilapia for tilapia cultivation. Nile tilapia has shown a better growth than native tilapia within a short period of time. It also weighs well.

Here We are going to Discuss Different strains of Tilapia Normally culturing in India

Chitralada Tilapia

Chithralada is one of the most important Nile tilapia species which are cultivated in Kerala these days. This species of tilapia got its name from the fact that it is a strain developed from a local pond at the Chitralada Palace in Thailand. It is also known as Thailand tilapia.

Red Tilapia

Red tilapia is a type of tilapia that is widely cultivated today. It has a white and red colored body. The red hybrid tilapia, which is very beautiful, is also in good demand in the global market. Like the Nile tilapia, the red tilapia is a species with good growth and tasty meat. But red tilapia is a fish that is not as disease resistant as Nile tilapia. Since it is a beautiful fish, it is grown in aquariums and other ponds like ornamental fishes.

Mono-sex tilapia (MST)

MST is one of the most popular species of tilapia. Let’s see what MST is. In tilapia, male tilapia are usually selected for cultivation. Male tilapia have a higher growth rate than female tilapia. The biggest problem faced during tilapia cultivation was that within 4 months fishes breed uncontrollably in the pond, which may result in problems with the fishes not attaining enough growth. Therefore, tilapia baby fishes are now being transformed into male tilapia fishes through hormone treatment. That is why it is called mono sex tilapia. Only 95% accuracy is obtained through this type of hormone treatment. The remaining 5% are likely to be female fish. Therefore breeding between the fishes does not take place and the fish get good growth. Large quantities of MST come from places such as Calcutta and Bangladesh. Therefore quality, growth and immunity of the fishes are not always met. Be sure to purchase baby fishes only from trusted Fish farming agencies and only after they have been treated well.

GIFT – Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia

A hybrid breed of tilapia fish developed from Nile Tilapia through the process of selective breeding. It was developed by an organization called the World Fish Center after 10 years of research and selective breeding. It was approved by the Government of India in 2011 and imported. RGCA or Rajeev Gandhi center for aquaculture is developing GIFT tilapia in India. The Department of Fisheries claims GIFT tilapia attains a growth of 25% to 85% more than normal Nile tilapia. It is said that a typical Nile tilapia weighs only 300 g to 500 g in 6 months, while GIFT is said to weigh 700 g to 800 g.

GIFT baby fishes are available only to those licensed by the Department of Fisheries. Therefore, those who intend to carry out fish farming on a commercial basis should first seek an aquaculture license issued by the Department of Fisheries. If you have any doubts regarding getting a license, you can watch the video by clicking on the link above.

We bought 4000 GIFT baby fishes from MPEDA Vallarpadam Hatchery. It has reached a growth of more than 4 months now. During the harvest time we will share details about its growth rate and other information. They used to give 500 GIFT baby fishes at the rate of RS 10 to a person who no longer had a license to cultivate fish.

Now how to tell the difference between GIFT, Chitralada, MST

GIFT baby fishes are said to have higher growth and immunity than other tilapia species. However, this hybrid variety of tilapia are all developed from Nile tilapia. Therefore, it is difficult for us to differentiate these from one another. The only thing we can do is be careful not to get deceived. GIFT is available only through the agencies designated by the Department of Fisheries. So it’s hard to believe that someone else is able to sell GIFT. Likewise, be sure to buy Chitralada baby fishes only from reputed Fish Farms.

Remember that the expected growth can be achieved only by investing and cultivating baby fishes of good breed or high quality. It is also important to ensure good quality water, aeration and protein rich feed for the fish. We want the videos we post to be an inspiration to everyone to produce fish in a completely organic way. Please leave your doubts and comments below. If you like the video, don’t forget to share it with others and subscribe to our channel. See you again with another video. Thanks.