Development of an economic breeding objective for Nile tilapia in Nigeria

Economic breeding objectives identify the most profitable candidates by weighting trait performance, with economic values, according to each trait’s expected impact on farm profit. Trait preferences amongst farmers can further impact breeding objectives, supporting the development of improved genetic material for sustainable aquaculture. The production of Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) in Nigeria has increased in recent years, and as production grows, it is important to consider the development of genetic merit of the fish, including how economic values can inform production and selection decisions. In this study, we calculated economic values in Nigerian naira ₦ m −2 cycle −1 for feed conversion ratio (FCR; −175.39), growth rate (-1.02), survival (3.41), resilience to low oxygen (1.22) and skin colour (0.4) traits. The economic values were then used to design a trait preference trade-off survey, deployed across 8 States in Nigeria. Multivariate cluster analysis grouped farmers into 4 distinct trait preference clusters. Trait preference clusters were used to adjust (up or down) the economic values to give new sets of economic values that reflect trait preferences in the respective cluster. Farmers in Cluster 1 prioritize improving fish skin color. Cluster 2 prioritizes FCR, while placing less importance on resilience to low oxygen. Cluster 3 prioritizes survival and low oxygen resilience, while placing less importance on growth rate. Cluster 4 prioritizes growth rate and low oxygen resilience. Applying a selection index developed from these farmer preference-adjusted economic values could lead to the development of Nile tilapia strains that are tailored for Nigerian farmer economic conditions and trait improvement preferences, ultimately improving adoption. • Preference‑adjusted economic weights reveal distinct farmer priorities. • Farmer preference clusters reshape trait weights for breeding objectives. • Results support development of Nigeria‑specific tilapia breeding indexes.