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Under Memorandum Circular No. 136, Malacañang has ordered a half-day suspension of work starting 1:00 p.m. on Sept. 28 in government offices to allow government employees and their families to observe the 34th National Family Week. Read more |
You may have heard tilapia referred to as “garbage fish”. However, most people who know fish, fish production and the value of captured and cultured fish consider tilapia “the miracle fish” or “the wonder fish”.
Egyptians have been culturing this freshwater fish for over 4,000 years. Clearly identifiable images of tilapias appear among ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
There are about 70 species of tilapia, of which 9 have been used for commercial production. There has been a great effort in identifying and systematizing the classification of these fishes which is highly complex mostly because they are ancient fish with a great affinity for hybridization. Tilapia has been introduced for culture to practically every continent with the exception of Antarctica. The best known and the most widely cultured species is the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The Nile Tilapia is produced in about 85 countries around the world. About 98 per cent of all tilapias cultured in the world belongs to this species or to some of its hybrids with a closely related species, the Blue tilapia (O. aureus).
In 2017, the total production of tilapia (wild capture and cultured fish) was about 7,5 million metric tonnes. In 2018, the total value of tilapia sales worldwide was about US$12,000,000,000. Most of the output of cultured tilapia comes from China and Egypt with 42 and 14 per cent, respectively. Other important tilapia producers in Asia are Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, while the major producers in Latin America are Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. The main market for cultured tilapias is the United States. Other important markets, especially for tilapia produced in China, are Mexico and Russia.
Tilapias are also produced in Canada. Farms for tilapia culture using heated water in indoor tanks exist in British Columbia and Alberta. Toronto is the largest market for live tilapia in North America. Other important markets for Canadian-produced live tilapia are Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
In the United States tilapia is cultured in several states including Arizona, Texas and California, however, most tilapia growing operations are located in Idaho and use greenhouses, industrial waste heat or geothermal water resources in recirculating systems to produce live tilapia most of which supplies the demand of the large Asian population living in Vancouver.
Because of my work, I know about tilapias; I have studied their reproductive and survival requirements, their selective breeding and genetic improvement. I have eaten them in many preparations, and it is a delicious fish. Far from being a “garbage fish”, tilapia is an extremely valuable fish well deserving of its high reputation.
Furthermore, tilapias are beautiful fish!
EDITED 02–05–19
Thanks to all readers who have upvoted my answer to the question on tilapia as a “garbage fish”.
In response to several comments, I believe there are two aspects that deserve additional information and clarification:
1) On the subject of “tilapia feeding on fecal material”:
Wild tilapia are omnivorous, however, they prefer aquatic plants and consume most forms of algae. Tilapia farming operations (fish grown in ponds at a rate of 100 fish/meter^3) regularly allow the fish at various life stages to feed on algae, floating aquatic plants and submerged plants. Because of the higher stocking density than fish in the wild, nutrients that sustain the growth of vegetation in the pond must be supplemented or the fish may stop growing, starve or become stressed. To achieve increased plant production in the pond, animal manures (from water buffalo, horse, chicken or duck) are used as fertilizers. In some low-intensive operations, inorganic fertilizers such as urea and TSP ( tri-sodium phosphate) are applied to provide nutrients that stimulate the growth of protein-rich phytoplankton, which is consumed by filter-feeding tilapia.
At this point is worth recalling that intensive agriculture operations also enrich the soil by using inorganic fertilizers and manure to enhance the yield of vegetable crops. Additionally, the production of the common mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) relies on cow, chicken or horse manure as a substrate and nutrient to grow the mushrooms.
A well-run tilapia farming operation normally uses manure to provide nutrients for aquatic plants growth that feed the tilapias, and not as direct food for the fish.
2) On the subject of “muddy taste of tilapias”:
Several commercially important cultured freshwater fish (carp, catfish, tilapia, trout, etc.) may have a rather unpleasant “muddy taste”. This is caused by a compound called “Geosmin”. This compound, also known as Cyclododecanone [C12H22O] is produced by the gram-positive bacteria Streptomyces and various cyanobacteria naturally present in the water and it’s released when these micro-organisms die. In such occasions, Geosmin combines with 2-methylisoborneol [C11H20O], a compound also present in water produced by blue-green algae, such as Anabaena. The ensuing combined compound can concentrate in the fatty skin and dark muscle tissues of the fish resulting in the muddy taste. The good thing is that [Geosmin + 2-methylisoborneol] easily breaks down in acid conditions; soaking the fish filets in vinegar or other acidic ingredient (lemon juice) can reduce or eliminate the muddy flavor.
In the Philippines, there are no "quick" goodbyes, the standard greeting is "Have you eaten?", and traditionally, an entire village would literally carry a neighbor's house on their shoulders.
The culture is a vibrant, often chaotic blend of indigenous Austronesian roots, 300 years of Spanish Catholicism, and decades of American pop-culture influence.
At its core, this culture revolves around a concept called bayanihan. While the term historically referred to that physical act of moving a family's nipa hut, today the houses are mostly concrete, but the spirit remains. Bayanihan is the communal unity that drives neighbors to share resources during the typhoons that frequently batter the archipelago, or pool money to send a local kid to college.
This communal mindset is most visible in the Filipino approach to family. You do not just marry a person; you marry their entire extended clan. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and second cousins often live in the same neighborhood or even the same compound. Respect for elders is absolute, symbolized by the mano po—a gesture where a younger person takes an elder's hand and gently presses it to their own forehead as a sign of reverence.
The ultimate expression of this community spirit, however, is food.
That ubiquitous "Have you eaten?" (kumain ka na ba?) greeting reflects a society where food is never meant to be consumed in isolation; it is a salo-salo (gathering). This reaches its peak in a kamayan or "boodle fight"—a feast where a long table is lined with banana leaves and piled high with a border of white rice surrounding grilled fish, meats, and dipping sauces. There are no plates or utensils; everyone stands shoulder-to-shoulder and eats with their bare hands, dismantling the physical barriers that usually separate diners.
This collective joy is also what fuels the country's famous fiesta culture. Every single town and barrio has a patron saint, and their feast days are celebrated for days. Festivals like Cebu's Sinulog involve millions of people taking to the streets in elaborate costumes, dancing for hours to rhythmic drums. Even in the face of systemic poverty and natural disasters, this festive instinct survives through a cultural trait known as bahala na—a mix of fatalism and faith that loosely translates to "leave it to God," allowing people to smile, share a meal, and push forward through the worst of storms.
Negativity is the enemy of creativity." — David Lynch. "Nothing counterfeit has any staying power." — Cicero. "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." — Will Rogers.
Negative energy is wasted energy, a powerful mindset popularized by Roger Federer on X during his speeches on resilience and overcoming setbacks.
Negative thinking refers to a pattern of thinking negatively about yourself and your surroundings.
Many of us unconsciously use negativity as a defence mechanism. It protects us from things not working out. Our minds use negative thoughts so we're not blindsided when we're disappointed. Unfortunately, this anticipated failure or bad luck also prevents us from putting our best foot forward.
It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts. When the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray.Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
Sometimes, we feel our life is turning miserably. Our negativity doesn't allow us to keep our eyes, ears - and, most important! - our minds, hearts and souls opened. We're reaching our breaking point.
As I said several months ago here: this breaking point can be the prelude to our strongest moment. It is when we reach our breaking point, that we discover our real strength. Allow me to ask you, my dear readers, "What happens to you or with you when you reach your breaking point?" Do you face it or do you run away?
I'll be giving you a very simple answer: If you face it - you break it. If you run away (and/or close your ears, eyes and mouth) - it surely breaks you!
Everyday - a dull reality! Many of us will answer this question with a big YES! Actually we do like to cover a newborn's day already with a grey veil? Each day has a new face, but sometimes we don't have the strength to watch its countenance. Of course, not every day has adventures and highlights.
But we enjoy quarreling and arguing. With other people and even with ourselves.
Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that, at the same time, seemed especially desolating and painful with a particular satisfaction. Indeed, everything I have learned, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness.
If it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from your earthly existence, the result would not be make life delectable, but to make it too banal and trivial to be endurable.
By observation, we can feel that many of us need help to manage our everyday life. We need something that would keep us going as we journey through life. Many times we can also learn from other people and their experiences.
Blue eyed or very philosophical but so very true: If the world is to be brought to order, a nation must be first changed.
If the nation isn't changed, my home town is to be reordered and must first set be right, my dear brothers and sisters. And, one step further: If my family is to be regenerated, I MYSELF MUST FIRST BE!
And here is one more thing: Affection is the humblest love - it gives itself no airs. It lives with humble and private things: soft slippers, old clothes, old jokes, and the thump of a sleepy dog's tail on the kitchen floor. The glory of affection, the disposition of mind, the good will and tender attachment, is that it can unite those who are not "made for one and another", people. Who, if not out down by fate in the same household or community, would have nothing to do with one and another.
For me life has been a thing of ups and downs in approximately equal measure. I don't have something sensational to report every day about my progress. Often, I wonder if fulfillment in life is necessarily tied to change for the better.
