The Executive Director, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, NIOMR, Dr. A. O. Ayinla, has tasked scientists on the need to reinvigorate research on mass production of high breed Tilapia fish species.The species hitherto was known for its high prolific nature and stunted growth.
He said this was necessary in order to meet up with the demand of the Nigerian populace for scaly fish. According to him, Tilapia guineensis is a euryhaline species commonly found along the West Coast of Africa.
Ayinla said that there was an increasing interest in this fish for aquaculture processes, adding that the African Regional Center for Aquaculture, ARAC, an outstation of NIOMR, has carried out considerable work on breeding of Tilapia fish with high growth up to 300gms in three months.
“The general practice is mix-sex culture, which is usually stocked at low rates to reduce competition for food and promote rapid growth. However, with the new technology being promoted by NIOMR, Tilapia growth will be improved considerably,” he said.
The aquaculture specialist noted that the technology on all Male monosex culture of Tilapia was currently going on in NIOMR. He explained that males were used for monosex culture because male Tilapia grew faster than females, adding that the females used considerable energy in egg production and did not eat when they were incubating eggs.
According to him, the Males monosex culture permits the use of longer culture period, higher stocking rates of fingerlings of any age. High stocking densities reduce individual growth rates, but yields per unit area are greater.
While disclosing that the expected survival for all-male culture is 90 per cent or greater, Ayinla maintained that NIOMR saw great potentials in Tilapia mass production and sent scientists to Egypt for technology perfection.
Already, the institute has sent five scientists to Egypt for new technologies in the breeding of all-male Tilapia culture just as Tilapia research is being intensified.