Unlike carnivorous fish, tilapia feed low in the food chain, as do the world’s domestic livestock.16 Tilapia can rely on natural feed produced in warm water ponds, capitalizing on sunlight and photosynthesis of phytoplankton, and utilizing organic and inorganic fertilizers. Improved tilapia breeds were expected to improve profitability for fish farmers and increase the availability of animal protein for rural and urban consumers, including the poor.