Wild tilapia is not often seen on the shelves of Russian or European stores, where mainly selected fish is supplied, but for African countries this commercial fish is familiar. Unlike cultured tilapia, wild tilapia contains many fatty acids and trace elements.
The habitat of fish in natural conditions
The unpretentious commercial fish tilapia has remained an integral part of the diet of African tribes for many years, even the name of this freshwater representative of the perch family has its African roots.
This fish is able to withstand a fairly large temperature range, easily adapts to both fresh and salt water, and can exist in waters with a low oxygen content.
The natural habitat of tilapia is the waters of East Africa, Syria, Jordan, however, thanks to active cultivation and unpretentiousness, today it can be found both in the reservoirs of East and Central Asia, and in the waters of America, European countries, China and even Russia.
Tilapias are by nature individualists and egoists, capable of showing signs of aggression at the first appearance of a stranger on their territory. In a strange way, they show all the signs of complex behavior, sometimes resembling affectionate pets, showing miracles of conditioned reflexes and a special affection for the owner.
Features of tilapia
Nature has endowed these amazing fish with the ability to change sex: throughout life, tilapia is able to carry out the transition of both external and internal structure from the state of a female to a male.
A caring fish bears eggs in its mouth in the literal sense, periodically releasing newly appeared fry for a walk and search for food until the offspring gets stronger and acquires the ability to lead an independent lifestyle. This method allows tilapia not only to protect its offspring from the attacks of predators, to select strong eggs suitable for further deep life, but also to protect the future generation from the influence of harmful microorganisms and bacteria, thanks to the development of a special secret.
Tilapia is omnivorous; this predominantly bottom fish spends most of its life in digging the ground and searching for plant plankton.
Thanks to its delicate taste and low fat content, tilapia meat has become a real boon for modern gourmets, which made it possible to build the fish farming process on an industrial scale. Today, this unpretentious freshwater breeding facility, which ranks second in popularity after carp, carries a serious economic burden in the export of commercial fish for countries such as China, where it can live in natural conditions, and is immensely popular both in the walls of home cooking and in a menu of some of the finest and most famous restaurants in the world.
