Florida Seafood Products
Tilapia
Tilapia (various species and hybrids of the genus Tilapia) originated from Mediterranean and African countries and has been successfully cultured throughout the world in temperate to tropical regions.
Within the last few years, production of tilapia (pronounced "tuh-laa-pee-ah") in the United States has exceeded freshwater trout. Tilapia is a hardy fish that will thrive in outdoor ponds or high-tech tank systems using several different filter types to cleanse and recycle water.
The fish is fed high-quality, grain-based pellets to produce a mild flavored fillet. Florida has a wild fishery of tilapia found in Central Florida lakes and Tampa Bay's brackish water estuary that are sold in regional seafood retail shops as fresh, gutted fish.
Similar in appearance to bream, tilapia are produced with a wide range of skin colors, black to dark blue to brilliant golden red. Much of the tilapia production in the United States is sold to Asian buyers as a live product, which is generally harvested at 1 to 1 1/2 pounds.
More About Tilapia
Print Resources
- DACS-P-01414 Florida Seafood Healthy Facts Brochure (PDF)
- DACS-P-01549 Florida Seafood Buying Guide (PDF)
Multimedia
Contact Us About Seafood Products
Division of Marketing and Development
Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing
The Collins Building, Innovation Park
2051 East Dirac Drive
Tallahassee, Florida 32310
Martin May
(850) 617-7280
(850) 617-7281 Fax
Martin.May@FreshFromFlorida.com
