Nile tilapia genetic improvement: achievements and future directions

This is a review of the current developmental state of Nile tilapia selective breeding programs, most of which have focused mainly on growth rate and body traits. There is evidence of sustained gains of ~10% per generation, over several generations. To date, selection for growth has not been accompanied by any undesirable correlated response in production traits. We show recent results from reproduction experiments that indicate, with a note of caution, positive genetic correlations between production traits and fertility. We conclude with a discussion of possible future directions for research