GIFT "Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia": All Male Tilapia Fingerlings with Greater Yield and Uniformity

Greater yield and uniformity in tilapia farming

Mono-sex tilapia farming is a bit more complicated but it's worth it. It allows for mostly male tilapia to be grown, sometimes up to 98% male. This is done using methods like picking out males and females by hand, using hormones, or natural methods. Using specially bred tilapia (GIFT) is best for commercial farming. Using hormones can change most fish from female to male, usually about 98% of them. Another method uses changes in temperature after the fish hatch, turning about 86% of them into males. The natural method gives you all-natural males. It's important to know that with hormone-treated fish, some might look like males but genetically they're still females.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 8/9

Project adoption1

Technology integrated in the PROMAC project.

See project details ›

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive low

Under 18: Positive low

Women: Positive medium

Climate adaptability: Moderately adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Problem

Low aquaculture productivity: Mixed-sex tilapia farming can limit yields because frequent reproduction reduces growth and results in non-uniform harvests.
Poor production efficiency: Female tilapia divert substantial metabolic energy to reproduction, resulting in slower growth and reduced conversion of feed into body weight.
Limited productive output: Smaller and uneven fish sizes constrain marketable production and the contribution of tilapia farming to domestic fish supply.
Inefficient male stock production: Manual sex selection is time-consuming and can result in discarding nearly half of the fingerlings, limiting the efficient use of available fish seed

Solution

Increased aquaculture productivity: All-male tilapia stocks limit reproduction during grow-out, supporting larger and more uniform fish and higher yields per unit area.
Improved production efficiency: Male tilapia direct more metabolic energy toward weight gain, supporting faster growth and more efficient conversion of feed into body weight.
Higher productive output: GIFT selective breeding improves important production traits, supporting increased and more consistent tilapia production.
Improved male fish seed: GIFT all-male fingerlings provide improved male stocks for production, reducing reliance on inefficient manual sex selection at farm level.

Key points to design your project

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), mono-sex male tilapia technology promotes food security, gender equality, climate action, and life below water. The adoption of mono-sex male tilapia technology also contributes to gender equality by providing women with economic opportunities and empowerment in aquaculture. This technology also supports climate resilience by improving resource efficiency and reducing environmental impact.

To successfully incorporate the all male Tilapia fingerling technology into your project, the following activities and requirements should be considered:

Conduct a feasibility study to assess suitability and economic viability,
Establishment of legal frameworks and standards for technology adoption, and
Specialized training for farmers and extension workers in tilapia breeding and management techniques.

A team of trainers could provide training and support during project installation. Include the cost for training and post-training support for using the technology.

Communication support for the technology should be developed (flyers, videos, radio broadcasts, etc.)

In tandem with this technology, accompanying solutions include Hapa Nets for Mass Fingerling Hatchery Production

0.1 USD

Cost of one month mono-sex fingerlings in Kenya

300 - 900 g

Weight of male fingerlings stocked in cages in 5 to 8 months of culture

IP

Patent granted

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology's development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology's readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 8 out of 9

Used by some intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Project	Countries	Beneficiaries	Budget (USD) & duration	Key figures
PROMAC Projet de Promotion de l’Aquaculture Durable et de Compétitivité des Chaines de Valeur de la Pêche	Benin	Direct: 10550 Indirect: 1200000	102.86 million 2023–2028	250 ha constructed ponds 56,000 m³ of equipped cages and pens 90 million fingerlings planned each year 6,300 direct jobs in aquaculture

Project

Countries

Beneficiaries

Budget (USD) & duration

Key figures

PROMAC
Projet de Promotion de l’Aquaculture Durable et de Compétitivité des Chaines de Valeur de la Pêche

Benin

Direct: 10550
Indirect: 1200000

102.86 million

2023–2028

250 ha constructed ponds
56,000 m³ of equipped cages and pens
90 million fingerlings planned each year
6,300 direct jobs in aquaculture

Figures in italic are from project plans and may change during implementation.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Selecting Broodstock:
- Begin by choosing mature and healthy broodstock, preferably males and females, from a reliable source.
Stocking Spawning Units:
- Place the selected broodstock into separate spawning units, such as tanks or hapas, about 15 days before the spawning season.
Feeding and Temperature Control:
- Provide regular feeding for both males and females in their respective units. Gradually raise the water temperature up to 26°C.
Monitoring Ovulation in Females:
- Keep a close watch on female broodstock for signs of ovulation. When they carry eggs in their mouths, it's time to proceed.
Egg Collection and Incubation:
- Gently collect the eggs and transfer them to designated hatching jars. Incubate until hatching occurs, which typically takes around 10-12 days, depending on the temperature.
Transferring Fry to Rearing Units:
- Move the newly hatched fish, known as fry, from the brooder basins to rearing units.
Hormonal Treatment (Optional):
- If using hormonal alteration for mono-sex production, mix α-Methyltestosterone with fry feed. Ensure continuous feeding for 21 days to achieve a male rate of around 98%.
Ensuring Proper Size Distribution:
- After treatment, ensure there are only a few fry under 14mm in size.
Selection and Management of Broodstock for Future Cycles:
- For ongoing production cycles, continue to select and manage high-quality broodstock. These should be younger, weighing at least 300g, and free of wounds and parasites.
Provision of Adequate Resources:
- Ensure access to clean water, free from pollutants, and install aerators for oxygen supply. Provide hapa-style nets to raise the fingerlings.