From Africa to the world—The journey of Nile tilapia

Abstract

Despite the fact that Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (Linnaeus, 1758) are African freshwater fish, they have been introduced into many countries inside and outside Africa. The journey of Nile tilapia started during the second half of the 20th Century, especially in Southeast Asia and the Americas, mainly for aquaculture and fisheries enhancement. Most of these introductions became well established in aquaculture. As a result, aquaculture of Nile tilapia has been steadily expanding in many countries. These fish play an important role in the livelihoods of local societies on different continents. This review summarizes the current knowledge on global Nile tilapia introductions and sheds light on their social and economic contributions to the countries into which they have been introduced, as well as their share in the global fish market. The ecological impacts of tilapia introductions have also been addressed. The success stories of the major Nile tilapia producers were highlighted so that the lessons learned from their experiences could be transferred to other countries.

The potential impact of aquaculture on the genetic diversity and conservation of wild fish in sub‐Saharan Africa

“…The African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ; Family Cyprinidae) and the Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ; Family Cichilidae) are among the most important freshwater fisheries and aquaculture species in Africa (El‐Sayed & Fitzsimmons, 2023; Munguti et al, 2022; Munguti & Iteba, 2022; Nankinga et al, 2022). The two species have been cultured together under mixed‐species (polyculture) farming (Mandal et al, 2014; Shoko et al, 2015).…”

“…Nile tilapia ( O. niloticus ) is the most successfully cultured of these species due to its fast‐growth, tolerance of harsh environmental conditions and ease of breeding in captivity (Galemoni De Graaf & Huisman, 1999). The WorldFish selective breeding programme for this species has further increased farmers' interests in its culture (El‐Sayed & Fitzsimmons, 2023; Henriksson et al, 2017; McAndrew, 2000).…”

“…GIFT is also now widespread in most Southern African countries despite legislation that prohibits their introduction or culture (Moyo & Rapatsa, 2021). This GIFT strain is currently undergoing mass artificial propagation in commercial hatcheries that supply local farmers; these have undoubtedly played an important role in the expansion and transformation of Nile tilapia farming to a more intensive farming system in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cote d'Ivoire and Uganda (El‐Sayed & Fitzsimmons, 2023).…”

Metal–amino acid complexes (Zn, Se, Cu, Fe, and Mn) enhance immune response, antioxidant capacity, liver function enzymes, and expression of cytokine genes in Nile Tilapia reared under field conditions

“…The Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus is among the most widely farmed fish species in the world, second only to Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella and Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2022). Nile Tilapia have a significant contribution to the livelihoods and food security of rural societies worldwide (El‐Sayed and Fitzsimmons 2022). Tilapia culture has gradually shifted from semi‐intensive to more intensive production systems, with increasing dependence on commercial feeds.…”

Ancient and ongoing hybridization in theOreochromiscichlid fishes

“…The remaining ~1 million tonnes are only accurately recorded to the genus level (FAO, 2022). The success of Nile tilapia has been attributed to high growth rates as well as tolerance of a wide range of environmental conditions, such as temperature, salinity, pH and low dissolved oxygen enable (El-Sayed & Fitzsimmons, 2023). In principle, the use of wild relatives of the Nile tilapia in breeding programmes could be used to further enhance production (Lind et al, 2012).…”