Tilapia is an aquaculture species that is being produced intensively
all over the world. In 2012, the global tilapia production reached 4.5
million metric tons (FAO, 2014) and is expected to increase further
exponentially in the future. A key to the success of tilapia production,
as well as other aquaculture species, is the continuous supply of high
quality seed. With the assumption of 80% survival and an average
harvest size of 500 g, it can be calculated that about 11.3 billion tilapia
larvae are needed annually on a global scale. This is, however, not
straight forward. Although tilapia breeds naturally and does not require
any hormonal stimulation for their reproduction in captivity, this fish
spawns asynchronously and only produces low numbers of eggs
(about 1000 per spawn) (Bhujel, 2011). Bhujel (2011), for instance, reported
shortage of premium quality tilapia fry in Thailand in the 1980s.
Various techniques have been introduced and developed ever since to
boost tilapia seed production,most of them involving genetic improvement
through hybridization and all male population seed production
with varying degrees of success