Tilapia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tilapias
Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus niloticus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Cichlidae Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae Tribe: Tilapiini
Genera
Oreochromis (about 30 species) Sarotherodon (over 10 species) Tilapia (about 40 species) and see text

Tilapia (pronounced /tɨˌlɑːpiə/) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats including shallow streams, ponds, rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Most tilapia are omnivorous with a preference for soft aquatic vegetation and detritus. Historically they have been of major importance in artisanal fishing in Africa and the Levant, and are of increasing importance in aquaculture (see tilapia in aquaculture). Tilapia often become problematic invasive species in new habitats, whether deliberately or accidentally introduced. (See tilapia as exotic species).

[edit] Etymology

The common name tilapia is based on the name of the cichlid genus Tilapia, which is itself a latinization of thiape, the Tswana word for "fish".^[1] The genus name and term was first introduced by Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith in 1840.^[2]

Tilapia go by many names. The moniker "St. Peter's fish" comes from the account in the Christian Bible about the apostle Peter catching a fish that carried a shekel coin in its mouth. However, that passage does not name the fish .^[3] While the name also applies to Zeus faber, a marine fish not found in the area, one tilapia species (Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus) is found in the Sea of Galilee where the account took place. This particular species has been the target of small-scale artisanal fisheries in the area for thousands of years.^[4][5] In some Asian countries including the Philippines, large tilapia go by pla-pla while their smaller brethren are just tilapia.^[6] The Hebrew name is amnoon (אמנון). The Arabic name is mushṭ (مشط) (comb) because of its comb-like tail. Tamil speakers use jilaebi .

[edit] Aquaculture

Commercial fishing
Fin fish
Anchovy
Catfish
Cod
Eel
Halibut
Herring
Mackerel
Pollock
Sillaginids
Salmon
Sardine
Sole
Sturgeon
Sturgeon (beluga)
Sturgeon (white)
Tilapia
Toothfish
Tuna
Turbot
Whitebait
more...
Fishing industry
Fisheries
List of fishing topics
This box: view • talk • edit

Tilapia is the third most important fish in aquaculture after carps and salmonids, with production reaching 1,505,804 metric tons in 2002^[7]. Because of their large size, rapid growth, and palatability, tilapiine cichlids are the focus of major aquaculture efforts, specifically various species of Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, and Tilapia, collectively known colloquially as tilapias. Like other large fish, they are a good source of protein and a popular target for artisanal and commercial fisheries. Originally, the majority of such fisheries were in Africa, but outdoor aquaculture projects in tropical countries such as Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Indonesia are underway in freshwater lake habitats.[2] In temperate zone localities, tilapiine farming operations require energy to warm the water to tropical temperatures. One method uses waste heat from factories and power stations.^[8]

Commercially grown tilapia are almost exclusively male. Being prolific breeders, female tilapia in the ponds/tanks will result in large populations of small fish. Whole Tilapia fish can be processed into skinless, boneless (PBO) fillets: the yield is from 30% to 37%, depending on fillet size and final trim. ^[9]

[edit] Nutrition

Tilapia have very low levels of mercury^[10] because it is a fast growing and short lived fish that mostly eats a vegetarian diet and therefore does not concentrate mercury found in prey.

Farm-raised tilapia has very low levels of omega-3^[11], the primary fatty-acid nutrient doctors look for in fish. Farmed tilapia also have high levels of omega-6 fatty acids^[12]. A diet with a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is suspected to cause inflammation. It is not clear if this poor ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is due to the corn and/or soy based diets typically fed to farm raised Tilapia, natural fatty acid levels, or a combination of the two.^[12]

[edit] Non-indigenous populations

Tilapia serve as biological controls for several aquatic plant problems. They prefer a floating aquatic plant, duckweed (Lemna sp.) but also consume some filamentous alga ^[13] . In Kenya tilapia help control mosquitoes which cause malaria. They consume mosquito larvae, which reduces the numbers of adult female mosquitoes, the vector of the disease (Petr 2000). Frequently, negative side-effects outweigh these benefits and reveal Tilapia as an invasive species.

[edit] In aquaria

Larger tilapia species are generally viewed as poor community aquarium fish because they eat plants and tend to be very disruptive, digging up the substrate and fighting with other fish. The smaller west African species, such as Tilapia joka, and those species from the crater lakes of Cameroon are, by contrast, relatively popular. In specialized cichlid aquaria tilapias can be mixed successfully with non-territorial cichlids, armoured catfish, tinfoil barbs, garpike, and other robust but peaceful fish. Some species, including Tilapia buttikoferi, Tilapia rendalli, Tilapia joka, and the brackish-water Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron, have attractive patterns and are quite decorative.^[14]

[edit] See also

• Tilapia in aquaculture

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Tilapia en Hidalgo

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tilapia