Genetically improved Farmed Tilapia Identifying the article Acosta, B. O., & Gupta, M. V. is trying to develop a new method of breeding tropical fish that will not harm its population but also help them to reproduce more. Cite of the Article Acosta, B. O., & Gupta, M. V. (2010). The genetic improvement of farmed tilapias project: Impact and lessons learned. In S. S. Silva & F. B. Davy (Eds.), Success Stories in Asian Aquaculture (pp. 149-171). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. Introduction Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector in the world, providing almost half of the global fish supply, and by 2030 it is estimated that aquaculture production will grow by 40% to satisfy global fish demand. This global growth will only be achieved through the greater use of genetically improved strains in aquaculture production systems. Started in 1988, the Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) project, a selective breeding project pioneered by CGIAR researchers at World Fish, has played a critical role in boosting fish productivity both in commercial and in small-scale systems, benefiting millions around the world. For small-scale farmers, GIFT has helped provide a sustainable source of income, food and nutrition. It has also helped farmers adapt to climate change. Now produced in at least 14 countries on five continents, GIFT can complete a production cycle even more quickly and efficiently. The improved strain, the Nile tilapia and its derivates, is now responsible for more than half of the tilapia production in the world. Tilapia is an affordable source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids that are vital for good health. Its unique characteristics make it an ideal candidate for genetic improvement through selective breeding. Tilapia can be grown in diverse farming systems and is omnivorous, requiring minimal fish meal in its feed. It also has a naturally high tolerance to variable water quality and can grow in both freshwater and marine environments. Because tilapia is hardy and has good disease resistance, it is inexpensive and easy for small-scale farmers to grow for food, nutrition and income. Tilapia fish also start breeding at four to six months, enabling genetic improvements to be made in a short time. The selective breeding methodology developed through the GIFT project, known as “GIFT technology”, has also been successfully applied to other tilapia species in Egypt, Ghana, and Malawi, as well as to other fish species, including carp, having widespread impact. After 20 generations of GIFT, CGIAR scientists continue to work on developing more resilient, disease-resistant, and hardier strains that can be produced in stressful environments, helping farmers adapt to a changing climate. In response to challenges that the developing world confront on food security and malnutrition, the last two decades have witnessed increased efforts in genetic improvement to enhance production traits of commercially important aquatic species. From the 1980s to the present, several institutions in developing countries have been engaged in such R&D activity and it is recognized that the collaborative program on Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapias (GIFT) has spurred the development of several tilapia and carp breeding programs that now exist in numerous developing countries. The GIFT is a collaborative R&D program conducted by the WorldFish Center (formerly, International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, ICLARM) and its partners from the Philippines and Norway aimed to develop methodologies for the genetic improvement of tropical finfish of aqua-culture importance. The GIFT project has demonstrated that selective breeding is a feasible, cost effective, and sustainable approach to the genetic improvement of tropical finfish, and also confirmed the importance of a multidisciplinary approach that enabled the assessment of economic viability, social acceptability, and environmental compatibility, thus, creating confidence among planners and administrators, all of which facilitated the transfer of research findings to farming systems in a host of countries. The program and its successors, such as the International Network on Genetics in Aquaculture (INGA), demonstrated that networking and partnership building among national institutions in developing countries, advanced scientific institutions, and regional and international organizations can play a major role in accelerating research and the success of R&D. Summarization Tilapia is an affordable source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids that are vital for good health. Its unique characteristics make it an ideal candidate for genetic improvement through selective breeding. Tilapia can be grown in diverse farming systems and is omnivorous, requiring minimal fish meal in its feed. It also has a naturally high tolerance to variable water quality and can grow in both freshwater and marine environments. Because tilapia is hardy and has good disease resistance, it is inexpensive and easy for small-scale farmers to grow for food, nutrition and income. Tilapia fish also start breeding at four to six months, enabling genetic improvements to be made in a short time. Conclusion As of today we can see that farming tropical are both effective in our daily lives especially when it comes to tilapia, we all know that some agriculturist are trying to breed tilapia because it is the easiest source of food and livelihood for every person around the world also as the article said that breeding tilapia are now been doing by 14 countries because they saw that it can help small scale fishermen to earn more money and the process of breeding it will only took about 4-6 months by enabling genetical breeding. But of course, for me natural tilapia is also good but to help many fishermen I said I am agree in breeding tilapia and other tropical fish.
