Bangkok, The Director-General of the Fisheries Department confirmed that black-chinned tilapia and Nile tilapia do not interbreed. He had previously experimented with raising Nile tilapia, black-chinned tilapia, and Nile tilapia together to study whether they could interbreed in the same habitat. The results of the experiment showed that there was no interbreeding. However, for farmers' peace of mind, he ordered officials to collect samples for academic examination at the taxonomy laboratory. Mr. Bancha Sukkaew, Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, mentioned the news that farmers in Wang Kung Khlong Dan, Samut Prakan Province, took reporters to cast nets to catch fish in a pond. He understood that there were fish that were a mix between black-chinned tilapia and Nile tilapia, which were similar in appearance to Nile tilapia, but with a black chin. Therefore, he wondered if it had mutated into a 'black-chinned tilapia' and wanted an investigation. The Director-General of the Fisheries Department said that the two species are from different genera and therefore cannot interbreed. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) are from different genus. The external appearances are clearly different: Nile tilapia has similar cheeks and body colors, a rounded tail with lines, while Blackchin tilapia has black spots under its chin, a concave tail, and no patterns. In addition, the behavior of incubating eggs and taking care of the fish fry is also different. In Nile tilapia, females take care of eggs and larvae, while in Blackchin tilapia, males take care of eggs and larvae. Such biological differences mean that in nature, the two species of fish do not interbreed. Therefore, the possibility of crossbreeding in nature is very unlikely. Importantly, there is no academic evidence indicating natural crossbreeding between the two species. In addition, in April 2024, the Fisheries Department experimented with raising Nile tilapia, black chin tilapia, and Indian tilapia together to study whether they could interbreed in the same habitat. The results of the experiment showed that there was no crossbreeding. In addition, the Nile tilapia was found to be aggressive by biting the black chin tilapia. Therefore, concerns about mutations resulting from crossbreeding are impossible. As for the comparative images of the shapes shown in the news, the species can be clearly separated by external characteristics. For the peace of mind of farmers, the Department of Fisheries has assigned the Provincial Fisheries Office to collaborate with the Samut Prakan Freshwater Aquaculture Research and Development Center to visit the pond where the fish were found and collect fish samples for academic examination at the taxonomy laboratory. This is because to determine whether the fish in the news are hybrids or not, they must be thoroughly examined in the laboratory, both in terms of taxonomy and molecular genetics, by expert scholars. Source: Thai News Agency