Tilapia is one fish that makes a substantial contribution to the aquaculture industry. It is the third most popular fish in the industry, ranking just under carp and salmonids. This is one of the most desired food fish and is ever increasing in popularity in the United States.
Tilapia are hardy fish and prolific breeders which makes them a lucrative choice for fish farmers. Grown on a fish farm, they can actually increase in size by a whopping 2-3% of body weight a day! By six months of age, they generally reach market size of about one pound.
Tilapia feed on algea in the wild, but are generally fed fish pellets when raised on a farm. This food is very inexpensive. With food at such an affordable price, the care and feeding of this fish allows for the farmer to make a nice profit. Tilapia also feed on mosquito larvea and this contributes to keeping the mosquito population under control. In addition, they are also used as biolocial controls for some types of problem aquatic plants because they enjoy feeding on various types of plants and algea.
Tilapia, being such a hardy breed, can tolerate disease and temperature changes much easier than other breeds of fish such as catfish or trout. Under proper circumstances in a fish farm, temperature and disease will be controlled and should not be a problem for the farmer. These fish can be raised indoors in a hatchery or outdoors in mud ponds. Generally, a farmer can intend on spending four to five hours a day of labor on raising tilapia.
Tilapia are an affordable and delicious fish, found on many restaurant menus. They may be prepared in various ways such as baked, fried or broiled. This versitilty makes tilapia a good pick for restaurants because they can offer many dishes using the one type of fish.
One of the overall biggest assets to tilapia farming is the effect on the environment. Most American farmers use a low risk, re-circulating system and this produces very little pollution. Tilapia grown in other countries and imported into the United States are not grown in this green manner, thus the importance of more aquaculturists entering into tilapia farming.