Tilapia culture in salt water: environmental requirements, nutritional implications and economic potentials
Resumen
The shortage in freshwater in many countries, together with the competition for it with agriculture and other urban
activities has increased the pressure to develop aquaculture in brackishwater and sea water. Tilapia are an excellent
candidate for aquaculture in brackishwater and seawater is due to their ability to tolerate a wide range of water
salinity. Salt tolerance depends on tilapia species, strains and size, adaptation time and method and environmental
factors. Oreochromis mossambicus, O. aureus and T. zillii are the most salinity-tolerant tilapia species. O.
mossambicus can tolerate up to 120‰ water salinity, but they can grow normally and reproduce at water salinity of
49‰, and their fry live and grow reasonably well at 69‰. Blue tilapia (O. aureus) and Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) are
less salinity tolerant. Tilapia hybrids descended from salt-tolerant parents are highly salt-tolerant. Cold tolerance of
tilapia reared under different salinities is species specific. The nutrient requirements of tilapia reared in seawater are
not well-studied, and more research is needed in this regard. Published results indicated that tilapia reared in
seawater and brackishwater environments may require lower protein levels for optimum growth than fish reared in
fresh water. Feed consumption, digestion and utilization by these fishes are also affected by the changes in water
salinity. In addition, the metabolic rate of tilapia increases with increasing water salinity. The economic potentials of
tilapia culture in seawater have also not been well-investigated. However, the available information revealed that
rearing these fishes in saltwater environments can be cost effective, if proper management measurements are
adopted.
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