Tilapia is a very promising aquaculture species with the development of the aquaculture industry. The commercial value of tilapia varies greatly with size in certain countries like Israel and Africa. In Southeast Asia, size is not an important factor; the market price varies regionally. Although tilapia could compare favorably with other aquaculture products, its flesh being very high in quality, some consumers have a strong objection to its dark skin. Nonetheless, tilapia is currently one of the most important fish crops in most countries of the world. With the improvement of aquaculture technology, tilapia is now grown in fish cages, fishponds and other inland waters. There is no doubt that this has helped increase the production of the aquaculture sector to the total fish production by over 20% in 1983. The 1984 production of tilapia in fish cages was 7,070 kg; for inland fisheries, the production was 22,295 kg; and in fishponds, 10,508 kg. This gave a total value of P485,653 (BFAR Statistics 1981). With appropriate processing technology, tilapia can be manufactured into various products both for human consumption and as feed ingredients which will help increase its commercial value. Tilapia which are too small for human consumption should not be wasted. These can be converted into feed ingredients for livestock feeds or used as baits in commercial fishing. In developing countries like the Philippines where there is an immediate need for protein source, tilapia could be readily available due to subsistence and commercial-scale culture of this fish.

The culture of tilapia in the Philippines has spread across the country. Tilapia production is increasing as reflected in the volume of tilapia unloaded in major fish landings in the country. In Metro Manila, where a large percentage of the country s population is concentrated, tilapia consumption has gained wide acceptance among consumers. The introduction of a new and better tilapia species which is meaty and bigger in size than the first species introduced in the country has ushered in the acceptance of tilapia even among sophisticated consumers in urban areas. While literature on the culture of tilapia abounds, only a few papers on the marketing of this fish have been written, thus leaving much questions on this matter still unanswered. This paper hopes to add to whatever information is available on the marketing of tilapia. Primary focus is given on the marketing of tilapia in Metro Manila. Special emphasis of this paper will be on the distribution, production, price trends and problems in marketing of tilapia in Metro Manila. The data are based on a study conducted among fish traders, wholesalers and retailers and other available information related to the subject. Experiences and observations of the author in marketing tilapia in Metro Manila for the past five years have also been included to add practical relevance to this paper.

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of Nile tilapia production on a commercial scale in Philippine freshwater ponds and cages. Culture practices and problems are also discussed. Commercial production of tilapia as applied here refers to growing of table fish to generate income.