Salt tolerant Nile tilapia production: Prospects in aquaculture

In the Philippines, salt tolerant Nile tilapia strains have been developed and promoted for culture to increase tilapia production in brackishwater pond systems previously dedicated for milkfish and/or penaeid shrimp culture. This was mainly done to address the decline in the production of such major commodities in ponds and/or cages brought about by diseases and mass fish kills caused by intensified culture methods. The present paper focuses on the different salt tolerant Nile tilapia stocks that have been developed and disseminated in the Philippines, the culture practices involved, as well as the prospects for profitable production of Nile tilapia in saline conditions.