Abstract
Two genetically improved tilapia strains (GIFT and Akosombo) have been created with Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia), which is native to Africa. In particular, GIFT has been shown to be significantly superior to local African tilapia strains in terms of growth rate. While development economists see the potential for food security and poverty reduction in Africa from culture of these new strains of tilapia, conservationists are wary of potential ecological and genetic impacts on receiving ecosystems and native stocks of tilapia. This study reviews the history of the GIFT technology, and identifies potential environmental and genetic risks of improved and farmed strains and tilapia in general. We also estimate the potential economic gains from the introduction of genetically improved strains in Africa, using Ghana as a case country. Employing a combination of the Economic-Surplus model and Monte Carlo simulation, we found the mean net present value (NPV) of the introduction of the GIFT strain in Ghana to be approximately 1% of the country’s gross domestic product. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the difference in growth or yield between the GIFT and locally-available strains has the largest effect on mean NPV. We conclude that improvements in management practices and infrastructure could increase the yield and profitability of the local strains even if genetically-improved strains are not introduced. These improvements also will ensure the realization of the full potential of introduced strains.
Highlights
Background to Genetic Improvement of TilapiasDue to the increasing importance of the tilapias in global fish farming, the intensity and diversity of efforts to improve the genetic baseline of these species have intensified over the last few decades.Ponzoni et al [23] showed that genetic improvement is one of the most powerful and least expensive means of increasing the efficiency of aquaculture
One common traditional approach to genetic improvement is the practice of individual selection, or selective breeding, which is based on the underlying principle that some significant portion of the variation in observable performance is due to individual genotypes, and that a component of these genotypic influences is directly heritable from parent to offspring [24]
The estimated cumulative net benefits of adoption of the Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia strain in Ghana over twenty years ranged from over $130 million to about $650 million, with a mean close to $400 million (Figure 2)
Summary
Ponzoni et al [23] showed that genetic improvement is one of the most powerful and least expensive means of increasing the efficiency of aquaculture. Both traditional animal breeding and science-based quantitative genetic approaches have been used to improve tilapia phenotypes [24]. One common traditional approach to genetic improvement is the practice of individual selection, or selective breeding, which is based on the underlying principle that some significant portion of the variation in observable performance is due to individual genotypes, and that a component of these genotypic influences is directly heritable from parent to offspring [24]. Selection is usually a viable approach for tilapia genetic improvement where sufficient genetic variation exists [24]
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