Aquaculture Africa 2023

November 13 - 16, 2023

Lusaka, Zambia

GENETIC ENHANCEMENT OF MOZAMBIQUE TILAPIA Oreochromis mossambicus AT THE AQUACULTURE RESEARCH CENTER (CEPAQ), MOZAMBIQUE

1José Mateus Vilanculo* and 2Humberto Todesco

1Mozambique Institute of Oceanography: Aquaculture Research Center

2AquaBioTech Group

https://cepaq.co.mz/

 



This study reports the results of an ongoing genetic enhancement program for Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) that has been in progress since 2016. Given this Tilapia species’ ability to tolerate a wide range of salinity, withstand stress, and adapt to extreme environments, along with its popularity in local cuisine, the Mozambican government selected it as a preferred choice for genetic improvement. Furthermore, Mozambique boasts an extensive coastline with ideal conditions for brackish water aquaculture development, making Mozambique Tilapia a valuable alternative. To initiate the program, reproductively sized specimens of O. mossambicus were collected from lakes and rivers in the southern and central regions of Mozambique between October 2016 and May 2017. They were divided into five groups based on the collection area and carefully transported to the Aquaculture Research Center in 500-liter tanks containing pure oxygen. Upon arrival, the fish were acclimated in concrete tanks with slightly saline groundwater and continuous aeration, allowing for adaptation and transition to an artificial feed diet over 7 to 10 days. Once acclimated, the fish were transferred to hapas in excavated tanks, where they were segregated by sex and size. Out of the 2,055 collected and acclimated fish, 921 were randomly selected from the five groups and marked with PIT-tags to become breeding candidates. The program’s goal is to develop a commercially attractive Mozambique Tilapia lineage suitable for brackish water cultivation. In generation 1, Mendelian crosses were employed, while in subsequent generations, crosses were based on genetic values for weight gain. Thus far, CEPAQ has produced six generations of Mozambique Tilapia, and the results demonstrate significant improvements in terms of weight gain and salinity resistance. The population maintains a high level of genetic variability, suggesting considerable potential for genetic gains in the forthcoming generations