Tuncheng Tilapia

Tuncheng Tilapia

　　Tuncheng Tilapia is a warm-water fish species originally from Africa. It is one of the notable freshwater fish varieties successfully introduced and cultivated by Tuncheng County in 1990. Tilapia boasts many advantages such as strong adaptability, a wide diet, low susceptibility to disease, easy breeding, fast growth, high yield, and good meat quality.

　　The farming areas are centered around the Datong Farming Base and Jinpo Fish Farm, extending across the entire county. The annual farming area covers 25,385 mu, with an annual total aquatic product harvest of 4,863 tons. Fish fry produced at the Datong Farming Base not only supply various cities and counties within the province but are also exported to Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Shanghai. The aquatic products from Jinpo Fish Farm supply not only the local county market but also the Ding’an processing plant. The selling price is 2.8 yuan per kilogram. The region has the foundation for industrialized development.

　　Tilapia (Tilapia), commonly known as African carp, belongs to the Cichlidae family, Tilapiine cichlid subfamily, Tilapia genus. This genus originates from Africa and includes over 600 species, with 15 currently being farmed. Tilapia is a small to medium-sized fish, with appearance and size somewhat similar to crucian carp, and fins with spines resembling those of mandarin fish. It is a euryhaline species that can survive in both seawater and freshwater; it tolerates low oxygen levels and generally inhabits the lower layers of water but may change depth depending on water temperature or fish size. Tilapia has a broad diet, mostly omnivorous with a plant-based focus, highly voracious, and with a large food intake; it grows rapidly, especially during the juvenile stage.

　　The farming distribution of Tuncheng Tilapia is centered around the Datong Farming Base and Jinpo Fish Farm, extending across the entire county. The annual farming area covers 25,385 mu, with an annual total aquatic product harvest of 4,863 tons. Fish fry produced at the Datong Farming Base not only supply various cities and counties within the province but are also exported to Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Shanghai. The aquatic products from Jinpo Fish Farm supply not only the local county market but also the Ding’an processing plant. The selling price is 2.8 yuan per kilogram. The region has the foundation for industrialized development.