.Selective breeding can alter the cold tolerance of tilapia. Behrends and Smitherman
(1984) used introgressive backcrossing to successfully transfer the cold tolerance of blue
tilapia, O. aureus, to red tilapia. The use of pure blue tilapia or its hybrids could enhance cold
tolerance of tilapia in China. However, Nile tilapia are the most commonly grown tilapia in
China, probably because of their rapid growth during the warmer part of the seasons. Since
Nile tilapia are the most common tilapia in China, study of their cold tolerance is important