TILAPIA
This common name refers to a wide range of fish species from the Tilapia, Oreochromis and Sarotherodon genera. Two of the indigenous Southern African tilapia species that are suited to aquaculture as a food fish are Oreochromis mossambicus and Tilapia rendalli. O. mossambiccus has been introduced into almost every freshwater body in the country and their natural distribution includes the warm Limpopo River basin and along the eastern coastline as far as Port Alfred.
Tilapia tolerates water temperatures from ranging < 15 to 42°C, but 28 to 30°C is ideal for aquaculture. Their fast growth rate, ease of breeding, good taste and hard bodies make them a good choice, particularly for the first fish farmer. The suitability of this species to aquaculture is also being appreciated and commercial operations have recently been launched in South Africa to produce tilapia.
There are no formal markets of tilapia in South Africa, although an enormous market exists for low priced fish and initial investigations by several entrepreneurs that tilapia are well received locally.