The Brazilian aquaculture is the second (Chile is the first one) in South American production, supported basically by production chains of shrimp and tilapia culture. Brazil produced, in 2007, 95691.0 tons of tilapia, representing 45% of the continental aquaculture. Aquaculture from small and medium producers has shown in recent years changes on farming systems. By the end of the 90s, it was based on semi-intensive ponds and dams. From the year 2000, tilapia culture in cages highlighted, especially in Union waters (large reservoirs and hydroelectric dams in the Northeast Region). This change led to changes in the production chain, because adequate inputs to the system is needed: special diets, genetic material compatible with the rearing phases and production flow, since the new system has a higher scale of production. The agro-industrial system of fish covers two distinct production systems: a fishery system (extraction) and aquaculture (production system). Some links in this system are shared by both systems, but food and genetic material are exclusive of aquaculture. Both systems interact with processing, distribution and marketing, and often compete with each other. Currently, Brazil has genetically improved strains, continuous process improvement and adaptation to our conditions. The activity of tilapia culture has increased through a process of professionalization, where the producer is closer to the used management and inputs. Today, producers can choose the input that best fits the management practices, but this is not a common practice when considering price.
inputs; fingerlings; ration; tilapia
