A gift for aquaculture breeders V L Syam Sundar

A gift for aquaculture breeders V L Syam Sundar
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Highlights

World Fish Research Centre has developed disease resistant Gift Tilapia (Genetically improved farmed Tilapia) fish using strain of Nile Tilapia that was suitable for small and commercial culture.

​Guntur: World Fish Research Centre has developed disease resistant Gift Tilapia (Genetically improved farmed Tilapia) fish using strain of Nile Tilapia that was suitable for small and commercial culture. The fish starts breeding within 4 -months before being big enough to eat. It has extremely high breeding rate and female can produce 100 fries per week.

While other varieties fish will get yield 5000 kgs to 6000 kgs per hectare , the farmers who cultivate this variety will get 8000 kgs per yield per hectare. This variety of fish will develop in four to five months, while ordinary varieties of fish will develop in seven to eight months, the farmers will get one crop per year.

When it is disease resistant, the farmers are cultivating this fish with less loss. The Marine Exports Develop Authority has taken up Fish Tilapia fish farming in Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture in Manikonda in Krishna district and supplying Gift Tilapia seed to the farmers to start farming. The innovative farmers in Krishna,Guntur,Prakasam and Nellore district are cultivating this variety of fish.

While consumers prefer other variety of fish above 1- kg weight, for Gift Tilapia fish, they prefer them after they attain 200 - 300 grams weight. The farmers who cultivate this crop will get two crops per year. The demand for this variety fish is increasing in Karnataka and Kerala. The farmers who cultivate this variety in Andhra Pradesh is exporting fish to Kerala and Karnataka states. The consumers in Andhra Pradesh have less awareness about this variety. The farmers who suffered losses in prawn farming are now shifting to Gift Tilapia.

Matrix-ANU Advanced Aquaculture Research Centre (MAAARC) Scientists is doing research on this fish. They have hybridized this fish with other fishes to improve quality further and conducting research for the last five months. Dr.B.S.Vishwanatha Scientist in-charge MAAARC, said " The Gift Tilapia fish will have uniform growth and are tolerant towards temperature fluctuations. Its’ survival rate is high.

The farmers will get two crops yearly making it profitable. At present Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture Centre Manikonda is supplying seed to the farmers. We have hybridized this fish with other varieties to develop the breed further. Demand for this fish is high in the United States, Karnataka and Kerala. "

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