School of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Technology, formerly department of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries in the College of Agriculture and Fisheries (CoAF)
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Browsing School of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Technology (SoAF) by Author "Chacha J. Mwita"
(University of Dar es Salaam, 2020-04-17) Mussa G. Mndeme; Amon P. Shoko; Samwel Mchele Limbu; Chacha J. Mwita
The development of aquaculture industry in Tanzania cannot cope with the expected substantial
increase in demand for fish and fish products due to several bottlenecks including unavailability of
good quality feeds and fingerlings. Fish farmers often complain about slow growth rate of the
farmed fish necessitating genetic characterization. This study identified and determined the genetic
diversity of tilapia species farmed in Kilombero Districts at Chita earthen ponds. Fish samples
were collected from nine earthen ponds belonging to small-scale fish farmers for genetic
characterization. Total DNA was extracted by using the phenol-chloroform technique. The genetic
diversity was calculated by using the Arlequine version 3.01. The study found that, 90% of the
sampled fish at Chita were Oreochromis niloticus, while 5.5% were Bathybates minor. There was
low genetic diversity in the farmed tilapia, suggesting the possibility of inbreeding effects and a limited number of founder broodstock in the populations. Therefore, successful aquaculture development in Tanzania requires well-managed and effective fish breeding programs for production of good quality fingerlings through fish genetic resources management.