7 African countries implement native tilapia genetic improvement program

Seven countries in southern Africa are collaborating with Penang, Malaysia-based aquatic food systems research organization WorldFish on a project to improve the quality of native tilapia in the region.Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, and Comoros – all members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional economic bloc – are implementing the initiative, which aims to reduce the prevalence of foreign-sourced varieties in the region’s aquaculture industry and ultimately increase overall production volumes of farmed fish while safeguarding local aquatic biodiversity.The plan to improve tilapia genetics and ensure the competitiveness of the tilapia value chain was initially approved by ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries, and aquaculture in SADC countries in 2017.Each of the participating countries has established a breeding plan for the genetic improvement program that would source tilapia seed from hatcheries ...