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Tilapia farming in the Philippines has evolved from traditional fishing practices into one of the country’s fastest-growing aquaculture industries.

Fishing has existed since the dawn of time. Even in Biblical eras, it served as a means of sustenance for certain individuals. In Matthew 4:18, it is stated: “As Jesus walked along Lake Galilee, he encountered two brothers, Simon (known as Peter) and his sibling Andrew, who were casting a net to catch fish in the lake.”

If you are curious about the type of fish the two brothers were capturing, it was tilapia. Although the scripture does not specify it, this is the same fish that had a shekel coin in its mouth, which Peter caught in the same lake. From this event, the term “St. Peter’s fish” came into being. 

Today, tilapia is now one of the fastest-growing aquaculture commodities globally.  In fact, tilapia has become the mainstay of many small-scale aquaculture projects of poor fish farmers in the developing world. “The fish is cultured in more than 70 countries,” says Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, a fishery expert and academician at the National Academy of Science and Technology.

The Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions, in a publication entitled Tilapia Farming in the Philippines: A Success Story, cited three factors which contributed to the phenomenal growth of the tilapia industry.  These were: (1) government support for research and extension, (2) the strong linkage between government and industry, and (3) the splendid cooperation between researchers and fish farmers.

“Tilapia farming started in the Philippines in the 1950s with the introduction of the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from Thailand,” Guerrero recalls.  “But it was only in the 1970s that our tilapia industry took off with the propagation of the Nile tilapia (O. niloticus).  This is a much better fish than other tilapias in terms of growth rate and consumer acceptance.”

Tilapia serves as a significant source of protein and a means of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of Filipinos. Indeed, it ranks as the second most commercially vital fish species in the country, following bangus. There was a period when the Philippines stood as the 6th largest producer of farmed tilapia globally, accounting for 4.80% of the total world production.

Tilapia is primarily raised for local consumption. Nutritionists claim that 100 grams of tilapia provides approximately 93 calories, with one gram of fat (0.5 grams saturated), 55 milligrams cholesterol, 37 grams sodium, 0.5 milligram iron, 19.5 grams protein, and 90 milligrams Omega-3 fatty acids.

From pest to feast

Tilapia has gone a long, long way since it was introduced in the 1950s. It was Deogracias Villadolid, of the then Bureau of Fisheries (now known as Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources or BFAR), who brought some breeding stocks of tilapia from Thailand into the Philippines. Calling it a “miracle fish,” the bureau wanted it to be raised in backyard ponds nationwide.

But it took some time for Filipinos to accept tilapia as table fish. Muddy taste, unappealing color, and stories about it being bred in unsanitary waters were among the reasons why tilapia was initially shunned.

Farmers also avoided raising tilapia because of its high reproduction rate, which resulted in overcrowded ponds and stunted fish.

The cause of overcrowding was simple. Pond-reared tilapia, with a natural ratio of 50% male and 50% female, mature in 60 days. They breed frequently, often every 30 days. “Female tilapias may spawn from 100 to thousands of eggs, depending on its size,” reports the Iloilo-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC).

At such a growth rate, there were more fish in the pond and competition for food escalated. With reduced nutrition, the best attainable market size for tilapia at that time after four month was only 150 grams. 

“Tilapias are prolific,” says Dr. Guerrero. Generally, tilapias spawn in shallow portions of lakes, rivers or ponds. In breeding, the male builds nests on the bottom to attract females.  The nests are round and shallow, about 20-25 centimeters wide.

“The male waits for the female partner in the nests,” SEAFDEC reveals. “After a brief courtship (to last a few hours), eggs are spawned by the female and fertilized by milt from the male. The female then gathers the fertilized eggs in its mouth to incubate them. The eggs hatch after three days. Spawning can occur as often as twice a month during the year if conditions warrant.”

Research indicates that male tilapia exhibit faster growth rates and larger sizes compared to their female counterparts. The most rational approach would be to cultivate exclusively male tilapia. However, the question arises: is it feasible to identify and separate male tilapia from females? Can this selection process be physically implemented for pond stocking? The answer is affirmative—this can be achieved through a method known as manual sexing.

Manual sexing involves differentiating male tilapia from females by examining a specific anatomical feature known as the urogenital papilla, located near the fish’s anus. In female tilapia, there are two openings, whereas male tilapia possess only one.

“Manual sexing is cumbersome and time-consuming,” said a DOST publication. “Sometimes, the openings are not easy to see. The technique is only 80% accurate because of human error. Another disadvantage is that you can only sex fish when they are 3 months old. By then, they are almost fully grown.”

Dr. Guerrero, having dedicated over thirty years to laboratory and applied science, recognized the existence of a more practical, efficient, and cost-effective solution to the issue at hand. He examined the research of fellow scientists and discovered the idea of utilizing sex hormones to alter the sex of fish.

After nearly two years of investigation, he successfully transformed all tilapias in a pond into males by administering a synthetic male hormone—methyltestosterone or MT (a synthetic variant of testosterone)—during a specific period of their “sexless” stage. He termed this innovation sex reversal technology (SRT).

As much as 90% of the tilapia cultured in the country is sex-reversed, Dr. Guerrero said. “At least 50% of the tilapia produced in the United States, Canada, Israel, the Caribbean and Asia is sex-reversed,” he pointed out.

According to Dr. Guerrero, MT is not deactivated once it gets into the stomach of the fish with the acid present unlike the natural hormone which has to be injected. “The oral treatment with MT which, by the way, is used in human medicine for treatment of breast cancer, is only for 3-4 weeks during the sexless stage of the fry or the stage of sexual differentiation,” he explained.

After withdrawal of the treatment (about 92 hours), there are no residuals left in the system of the fish. “Since the fry are grown for at least 3-4 months for market and human consumption, it is very safe,” he assured. “There can therefore be no side effects if there is no synthetic hormone left in the systems of the fish.”

On the issue of what happens to the metabolites (excreted compounds) of the synthetic hormone once they are eliminated in the environment, Dr. Guerrero replied, “Can they affect other organisms and affect people? Studies have shown that in the tropics the high temperature and the effect of sunlight breaks down the metabolites into simpler compounds through biodegradation and photo-oxidation that have no effect on humans.”

Easiest to raise

According to Dr. Guerrero, tilapias are among the easiest and most profitable fish to farm. “The tilapia has good attributes that make it suitable for aquaculture,” he says. “It matures early, breeds readily and is a hardy fish.”

Ten strains of tilapia are domestically produced. The most popular breeds are iExcel strain which the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is distributing; the FAC (freshwater aquaculture center) or FAST (FAC selected tilapia strain) of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU); the GIFT Excel 2022, also from CLSU; and Genomar strain by Genomar Philippines.

Other popular breeds are the SEAFDEC strain for brackishwater; Improve brackishwater enhance tilapia (IBEST); and the new hybrid Molobicus which is grown for high-saline water.

Jodecel Danting, the chief of the BFAR’s National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center indicates that the predominant approach to tilapia farming in the country involves the use of fish ponds, particularly through extensive systems or backyard cultivation. The semi-intensive system encompasses fish ponds ranging from one to ten hectares in size.

According to data from BFAR, as of 2023, there are a total of 725 hatcheries dedicated to tilapia farming, with 161 being government-operated and 564 managed by private entities.

Grow-out farms have reached 60,056 farms located around the country. Most of the grow-out farms are located in Regions II, III and in Cordillera Autonomous Region. Meanwhile, there are around 15 processors of tilapia operating nationwide and 48 aquafeed millers that are manufacturing tilapia feeds.

Several forms can be made out of the whole tilapia. Such examples are live, fresh, frozen (whole gutted), dried, and smoked. Meanwhile, fillet form, fresh and frozen fillet are the common products that are sold in the markets.

In terms of pulp and minced parts, value added products such as surimi, nuggets, tofu, tocino, siomai, longganisa, kroepeck, quekiam, ice cream and tilapia bagoong can be processed out of pulp and minced flesh of tilapia. In addition, leather and gelatin can be produced out of tilapia skin.

Challenges of tilapia farming

 
Despite the profitability of tilapia farming, the industry continues to face many challenges, including escalating farm input costs, the growing impact of climate change, lack of supply of quality fry and fingerlings, and economic volatility on both national and regional levels.

The Industry Strategic Science and Technology Program of the Philippine Council of Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), under the auspices of Department of Science and Technology (DOST), identified the following  problems faced by the freshwater tilapia strains: low survival rate (averaging 55%) in typical freshwater grow-out farm compared to modern farm; mass mortalities arising from poor culture conditions and disease outbreaks; non/slow adoption of good aquaculture practices and technologies; and quality source of breeders and fry.

For saline tilapia strains, the following problems have been identified: low survival rate of saline tilapia in brackishwater ponds; low production of tilapia in brackishwater and marine waters; slow growth of saline tilapia strain in brackishwater ponds; no aquaculture of saline tilapia in estuarine mangrove environment; and quality source of breeders and fry to meet the expansion of the industry.

“In view of the dynamics of tilapia industry in the Philippines, there is a need for both public and private sectors to continue working together in order to address the major challenges and attain the target indicated in the tilapia development plan,” SEAFDEC points out.

SEAFDEC has proposed a number of research areas/initiatives to improve tilapia production in the country. These include researches in genetics, improved production techniques, marketing and credit, improved extension methodology, institutional and social aspects, nutrition and environmental impact. 

Text and photographs by Henrylito D. Tacio