Tilapia
[2] Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes, and less commonly found living in brackish water.
Tilapia can become a problematic invasive species in new warm-water habitats such as Australia,[3] whether deliberately or accidentally introduced, but generally not in temperate climates due to their inability to survive in cold water.
Traditionally a popular and affordable food in the Philippines with a mild taste, tilapia has been the fourth-most consumed fish in the United States since 2002, favored for its low cost and easy preparation.
[6] The aquaculture of Nile tilapia dates from Ancient Egypt, where it was represented by the hieroglyph K1, of the Gardiner list: 𓆛.
[8] Tilapia were one of the three main types of fish caught in Talmudic times from the Sea of Galilee, specifically the Galilean comb (Sarotherodon galilaeus).
Though the passage does not name the fish, several tilapia species are found in the Sea of Galilee, where the narrative recounts the event took place.
An extreme example is the Salton Sea, where tilapia introduced when the water was merely brackish now live in salt concentrations so high that other marine fish cannot survive.
[13] Tilapia are also known to be mouth-brooding species, which means they carry the fertilized eggs and young fish in their mouths for several days after the yolk sac is absorbed.
As a consequence, none of the species that are of major economic importance remain in Tilapia, but are instead placed in Coptodon, Oreochormis, and Sarotherodon.
[21] In the United States, tilapia are found in much of the south, especially Florida and Texas, and as far north as Idaho, where they survive in power-plant discharge zones.
The larger species are often raised as a food source, though, because they grow rapidly and tolerate high stocking densities and poor water quality.
Some species, including Heterotilapia buttikoferi, Coptodon rendalli, Pelmatolapia mariae, C. joka, and the brackish-water Sarotherodon melanotheron, have attractive patterns and are quite decorative.
Fast-growing, tolerant of stocking density, and adaptable, tilapia have been introduced to and are farmed extensively in many parts of Asia and are increasingly common aquaculture targets elsewhere.
Most such fisheries were originally found in Africa, but outdoor fish farms in tropical countries, such as Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Indonesia, are underway in freshwater lakes.
[41] In temperate zone localities, tilapiine farming operations require energy to warm the water to tropical temperatures.
[38] In modern aquaculture, wild-type Nile tilapia are not too often seen, as the dark color of their flesh is not much desired by many customers, and because it has a bit of a reputation of being a rough fish associated with poverty.
[50] The Fisheries Research Committee has recommended the culture of this fish only in areas in the western slopes of the Western Ghats and the coastal strip between Cape Comorin and south of and excluding river Tapti, and in districts of Tinnevellv, Madurai and Ramnad in Madras south of and including river Vaigai.
[52][53] Tilapia are among the commercially important aquaculture species that are susceptible to off-flavors (others include trout, barramundi, and channel catfish).
These 'muddy' or 'musty' flavors are normally caused by geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, organic products of ubiquitous cyanobacteria that are often present or bloom sporadically in water bodies and soil.
Multiple studies have evaluated the effects of adding flaxseed derivatives (a vegetable source of omega-3 fatty acids) to the feed of farmed tilapia.
[57][58] Guided by these findings, tilapia farming techniques could be adjusted to address the nutritional criticisms directed at the fish, while retaining its advantage as an omnivore capable of feeding on economically and environmentally inexpensive vegetable protein.
[60] In the United States and countries such as Thailand, they are becoming the plant-control method of choice, reducing or eliminating the use of toxic chemicals and heavy metal-based algaecides.
[67] Nile tilapia skin has completed a phase III clinical trial for superficial partial-thickness burns.
