The domestication of tilapias has been a great driver of productivity during the 1990‘s and 2000‘s. This has provided a huge genetic base for the geneticists to perform basic selective breeding. Three or four closely related species of tilapias readily hybridize in captivity and produce fecund F1 progeny. Tilapia is still the darling of the environmental community and the industry continues to polish its ―green‖ credentials. Unique amongst the major farmed fishes, tilapia maintains a key role in rural aquaculture improving the welfare of the poorest farmers while at the same time, it is reared in the most high tech production systems and is sold into international markets for up-scale markets. A variety of breeds and strains have been developed and by most measures, tilapia is now the most highly domesticated of farmed fishes. It‘s wide acceptance across all cultural, religious, and economic groups is similar to chicken. The description of tilapia as an ―aquatic chicken‖ becomes more accurate every day. The global adoption of tilapia as a substitute for all kinds of wild-caught fish has driven demand higher every year, even through the global recession of recent years. We are also seeing an explosion of product forms in the grocery stores that is only matched by the variety of preparations we see in the restaurant trade. 2010 saw farmed tilapia exceed 3.2 million metric tons per annum, surging further ahead of the salmon and catfish industries. Tilapia has become the shining star of aquaculture with farms starting and expanding across the globe while consumption races ahead of even the most ambitious farm building plans.
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