Maoming has a long history of fish farming. As early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the people of Xinyi have been raising fish. By 1656, Dianbai had developed marine aquaculture.

Tilapia is native to Africa and is known for its quick growth, high yield, minimal disease and strong fertility. Its meat is tasty, tender, not thorny, high in protein, and rich in eight kinds of amino acids needed by humans.

Maoming introduced tilapia for aquaculture in the late 1950s. After more than 60 years, the city has formed a tilapia industry that includes breeding, processing and exporting.

In 2010, Maoming was awarded the title of "Tilapia Capital of China". Last year, there were 15 tilapia processing and export enterprises in the city, with an annual processing and export capacity of nearly 480,000 metric tons. There are 13 tilapia export enterprises in Maoming registered abroad. Maoming's tilapia are exported to more than 20 countries including the United States, Russia, and Canada. Last year, the export volume of tilapia was 99,000 tons with the worth of 2.2 billion yuan ($326.25 million).

Maoming is making efforts to boost the total output value of its tilapia industry to 10 billion yuan by 2025.

Tilapia breeding base in Maonan district, Maoming. [Photo/WeChat account: maofabu]