Better management practices for tilapia hatcheries in Egypt

Abstract

Tilapia hatcheries are the most common type of fish hatchery in Egypt. They are nearly all private sector businesses, and their success in supplying fish farms with tilapia seed has contributed to the increase in national farmed fish production. There are three different hatchery systems used for Nile tilapia: (1) concrete tanks with a water-heating system, (2) hapas under plastic tunnels and (3) hapas in open ponds. The fish farming industry is growing quickly, and tilapia hatcheries have to improve the quality of seed production for fish farmers to maintain their profit margins. For this reason, these guidelines have been developed to document optimal, locally appropriate management practices.