Medico Veterinario

TILAPIA AQUACULTURE IN MEXICO
Kevin Fitzsimmons
Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85706 United States
Fitzsimmons K. 2000. Tilapia aquaculture in Mexico. Pages 171–183 in B.A. Costa-Pierce and J.E. Rakocy, eds. Tilapia Aquaculture in the Americas, Vol. 2. The World Aquaculture Society, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States.

ABSTRACTMexico produces more tilapia than any other country in the Americas, 94,279 t in 1996. Tilapia are cultured under extensive and intensive methods and are captured from reservoirs stocked with fingerlings. There are highly developed internal markets and few fish are exported. Culture methods have become more intensive in recent years, with improved feeds, development of cage and raceway culture,genetic manipulations and more skilled producers. The government has begun a project to develop 3 tilapia parks. These parks will be research, education and demonstration sites as well as major production locations. As additional technology is applied, Mexico’s tilapia production will expand. Mexico, with its large domestic demand, proximity to US markets, and enormous water resources for tilapiaculture, will soon be a major factor in the international trade in tilapia.

of tilapia may be a fairly recent phenomenon but fish farming is not new to Mexico. In pre-Hispanic times fish were maintained for “ritual and religious” purposes (Aguilera Hernández and Noriega Curtis 1991a). In 1883 Esteban Cházari wrote the first text on fish culture in Mexico (Piscicultura en Agua Dulce). Many speciesare now raised domestically and there is a well developed aquaculture infrastructure. Several tilapia species were introduced to Mexico in the 1960s and 1970s. O. mossambicus and O. aureus were first introduced in 1964 (Pullin et al. 1997), O. niloticus and O. urolepis hornorum in 1978 (Pullin et al. 1997), and Tilapia zillii and at least one red hybrid sometime in between. Several additionalpopulations of each of these species have been brought into Mexico. Introductions are the result of privately sponsored imports as well as state and federal fisheries programs. Tilapia are now found in every state in Mexico and are established in the wild across much of the country. Tilapia are widely recognized as an important food fish. In the early years after introduction, tilapia were referred toas mojarra or mojarra africana. This was especially true of the O. mossambicus. The name mojarra is still encountered in some instances, but tilapia is now recognized in much of the country as the common name. O. mossambicus are no longer the major culture species of tilapia in Mexico. O. aureus are the most common tilapia in the south of the country and in reservoir fisheries. O. niloticus andred strains are the most widely cultured species in intensive operations, which occur mainly in the northern states. Much of the public is aware of tilapia and the fish can be found in grocery stores in many regions. The fish are usually sold fresh whole on ice, but some stores are now beginning to sell them headed and gutted and on rare occasions as

INTRODUCTION
During the 1990s Mexico hasbecome one of the world’s major producers and consumers of tilapia. In 1987, national production was 27,765 t of tilapia, and by 1996 Mexico produced 94,279 t (Figure 1). The amount of tilapia derived from aquaculture operations in 1996 was 79,154 t. Many fish reported for aquaculture were derived from fingerlings released into reservoirs in ranching operations. Tilapia represents the third largestseafood product (by weight) of Mexico, after sardines and tuna, and the 4th most valuable, after shrimp, tuna, and octopus (Table 1). Virtually all production was consumed domestically. The industry is widely diversified in terms of geography, with production reported for all but 4 states, and methods of production, ranging from extensive stocking and recapture to super-intensive controlled...