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 adoption

The technology has been integrated in the PROMAC project: in Benin

Goal: annual production of 30,000 tons of fish feed

238 actors trained in fish feed formulation under TAAT Phase I

Budget: ~USD 77.64 million

Implementation period: Dec 2023 – Dec 2028

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

Mixed-sex tilapia culturing often leads to lower yields and non-uniform harvests.
Manual sex selection at the beginning of the production cycle is time-consuming and results in discarding nearly half of the stock.
Hormonal alteration of fry involves the application of α-Methyltestosterone, which may pose concerns regarding its use in feed and its impact on fish health and the environment.
Temperature manipulation to convert the sex of fry may result in a significant portion of the fry not surviving the process.
Hormone sex-reversed fish may exhibit phenotypically male characteristics but genetically remain female in approximately 50% of cases, potentially causing issues in breeding programs and overall stock management.

Solution

Utilizing improved lines of tilapia breeds with desirable traits for growth rate, feed conversion, size, and hardiness can enhance the effectiveness of manual selection, hormonal treatment, YY male technology, and GIFT.
Crossbreeding strategies, such as mating male Blue or Wami tilapia with female Nile tilapia, can produce 100% male offspring, improving mono-sex tilapia production efficiency.
Careful management of brood stock selection in hatcheries, focusing on younger brooders free from wounds and parasites, ensures high-quality and abundant fish seed production for successful mono-sex tilapia farming.
Development and utilization of sterile transgenic breeds capable of achieving larger harvest weights offer potential solutions for enhancing tilapia aquaculture productivity while addressing concerns related to sex management techniques.

Key points to design your program

Aquaculture development programs and fish value chain initiatives can increase fish productivity and profitability through improved mono-sex tilapia production systems.

Integration Steps:

Target high-potential aquaculture zones
Focus on areas with suitable water resources, existing fish farming activities, and growing market demand.

Support access to quality fingerlings
Facilitate the production and distribution of improved mono-sex tilapia strains through hatcheries and breeding centers.

Strengthen hatchery and farmer skills
Train operators on broodstock management, spawning, fry rearing, sex control techniques, and fingerling production.

Integrate improved production practices
Promote proper feeding, water quality management, aeration, and health monitoring to maximize growth performance.

Establish demonstration and learning sites
Use model farms to showcase productivity gains and best management practices.

Build partnerships across the aquaculture sector
Collaborate with hatcheries, research institutions, extension services, and private investors to support scaling and sustainability.

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 to Promote Aquaculture and the Competitiveness of Fisheries Value Chains (PROMAC)

Project funder: African Development Fund (ADF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Dutch Cooperation, Government of Benin, project beneficiaries
Planned Budget: UA 77.639 million (~USD 77.64 million)
Location: Benin – seafront (Mono, Atlantic, Littoral, Ouémé), southern/central catchments (Mono, Atlantic, Ouémé, Zou), northern/central reservoirs (Collines, Zou, Alibori, Atacora, Donga, Borgou)
Planned duration: Dec 2023 – Dec 2028 (5 years)
Deployment means: Infrastructure construction/rehabilitation (aquaculture villages, landing points, markets), distribution of equipment (improved stoves, solar dryers, refrigerated vehicles), technical/entrepreneurial training, facilitating access to financial services
Project main implementer: Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAEP), Republic of Benin
Project Description: Transform Benin’s fisheries and aquaculture sector through climate-resilient technologies, modernized hatcheries/feed mills, aquaculture villages, post-harvest processing improvements, and better market access
Objective: Increase fisheries and aquaculture contribution to local/national economies and strengthen food security/sovereignty
Expected outcome: +30,000 tonnes of fish annually, reduced post-capture losses, creation of 200,000 jobs, 15% income increase for vulnerable operators
Figures of adoption: 673,000 direct/indirect beneficiaries (63,000 in aquaculture, 610,000 in fishing), 6 aquaculture villages, 250 ha ponds, 56,000 m³ cages, 10,550 people trained
Profiles of adopters: Small-scale fishermen, fish farmers, fishmongers, processors; 50% women; significant youth involvement
Lessons learnt: Access to microfinance is critical, robust M&E systems are essential, permanent technical structures improve sustainability and ensure long-term impact

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.