Lack of Nile Tilapia genetic material failing research

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While President Yoweri Museveni is calling on farmers to embrace aquaculture or farmed fish for improved household incomes and enhanced nutrition, farmers still farm indigenous tilapia.

The danger with this is that the growth rate of the current tilapia has reduced, which is why it takes up to nine months for it to mature.

According to Dr Kasozi Nasser, a researcher at the National Agriculture Research and Organisation, the challenge has been due to overuse of the same seed of fingerlings season after season. Other challenges faced by the fisheries sector include limited access to affordable feeds.

Kasozi made the explanation while presenting the status of aquaculture in Uganda on the sidelines of the ongoing World Aquaculture Conference taking place at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala city on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

“The challenge we are facing is that there is no systematic genetic improvement for Nile tilapia. And that is a big problem, many farmers are complaining that the growth rate for fish is not good enough. They are using the seed in and out, and we also have inbreeding challenges,” he said.

He, however, added that NARO has embarked on a research programme that will help farmers farm more fish, which also matures faster.

Other efforts being initiated by the Government to ensure there is an adequate fish supply include the regulatory policies and measures on the lake. This has led to an improvement in the value of fish catches from all the water bodies. Uganda currently produces 658,000 metric tonnes of fish annually.

The Government has also prioritised gazetting of fish breeding grounds, enforcement of fisheries laws and regulations, provision of quality fingerlings and fish feed and providing an enabling environment for the private sector to invest in aquaculture.

As a result, the value of fish and fish products exported increased from $148.7 million in the financial year 2020/21 to $152.8 million in the financial year 2023/24.

According to Museveni, the fisheries sector, once developed, will enhance the incomes and employment opportunities in East African region and Africa.