Claim:  A meme claiming that tilapia is a “mutant” fish that’s unsafe to eat combines a number of long-running warnings about the fish. 
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Tilapia
text: trim. Tilapia is one of several commercially important aquaculture species (including trout, barramundi and channel catfish) susceptible to off flavors. These 'muddy' or 'musty' flavors are normally caused by geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, organic products of ubiquitous cyanobacteria that are often present or bloom sporadically in water bodies and soil. These flavors are no indication of freshness or safety of the fish, but they make the product unattractive to consumers. Simple quality control procedures are known to be effective in ensuring the quality of fish entering the market. Tilapia have very low levels of mercury, as they are fast-growing, lean, and

title: Tilapia
text: a light-colored hybrid breed known as "Rocky Mountain White" tilapia is often grown due to its very light flesh and tolerance of low temperatures. Commercially grown tilapia are almost exclusively male. Because tilapia are prolific breeders, the presence of female tilapia results in rapidly increasing populations of small fish, rather than a stable population of harvest-size animals. Other methods of tilapia population control are polyculture, with predators farmed alongside tilapia or hybridization with other species. Whole tilapia fish can be processed into skinless, boneless (pin-bone out) fillets: the yield is from 30 to 37%, depending on fillet size and final

title: Genetically modified fish
text: exhibiting an enlarged head relative to the body and a bulging operculum. This becomes progressively worse as the fish ages. It can interfere with feeding and may ultimately cause death. According to a study commissioned by Compassion in World Farming, the abnormalities are probably a direct consequence of growth hormone over-expression and have been reported in GM coho salmon, rainbow trout, common carp, channel catfish and loach, but to a lesser extent in Nile tilapia. In GM coho salmon ("Oncorhynchus kisutch") there are morphological changes and changed allometry that lead to reduced swimming abilities. They also exhibit abnormal behaviour such

title: Aquaculture of tilapia
text: be raised in rice fields at planting time and grow to edible size () when the rice is ready for harvest. Unlike salmon, which rely on high-protein feeds based on fish or meat, commercially important tilapiine species eat a vegetable or cereal-based diet. Tilapia raised in inland tanks or channels are considered safe for the environment, since their waste and disease is contained and not spread to the wild. However, tilapiines have acquired notoriety as being among the most serious invasive species in many subtropical and tropical parts of the world. For example, "Oreochromis aureus", "O. mossambicus", "Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron",

title: Tilapia
text: salmon and other carnivorous fish can alternatively be formulated from protein sources such as soybean, although soy-based diets may also change in the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Tilapia serve as a natural, biological control for most aquatic plant problems. Tilapia consume floating aquatic plants, such as duckweed watermeal ("Lemna" sp.), most "undesirable" submerged plants, and most forms of algae. In the United States and countries such as Thailand, they are becoming the plant-control method of choice, reducing or eliminating the use of toxic chemicals and heavy metal-based algaecides. Tilapia rarely compete with other "pond" fish for food.

title: Tetraodontidae
text: shellfish poisoning and red tide, can also be found in certain puffers. In September 2012, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the Philippines issued a warning not to eat puffer fish, locally known as "butete", after local fishermen died upon consuming puffer fish for dinner. The warning indicated that puffer fish toxin is 100 times more potent than cyanide. Pufferfish, called "pakpao" in Thailand, are usually consumed by mistake. They are often cheaper than other fish, and because they contain inconsistent levels of toxins between fish and season, there is little awareness or monitoring of the danger. Consumers

title: Tilapia
text: short-lived, with a primarily vegetarian diet, so do not accumulate mercury found in prey. Tilapia are low in saturated fat, calories, carbohydrates, and sodium, and are a good protein source. They also contain the micronutrients phosphorus, niacin, selenium, vitamin B, and potassium. Some research has found that tilapia may be a less nutritious fish than generally believed. The Wake Forest University School of Medicine released a report in 2008 showing that the fish's omega-3 fatty acid content is often far lower than that of other commonly eaten fish species. The same study also showed that their omega-6 fatty acid levels

title: Tilapia
text: Tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes, and less commonly found living in brackish water. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisanal fishing in Africa, and they are of increasing importance in aquaculture and aquaponics. Tilapia can become a problematic invasive species in new warm-water habitats such as Australia, whether deliberately or accidentally introduced, but generally not in temperate climates due to their inability to survive in cold water. Tilapia is the

title: Nile tilapia
text: larvae, making it a possible tool in the fight against malaria in Africa. The Nile tilapia is an omnivore that feeds on both plankton and aquatic plants. It generally feeds in shallow waters, as harmful gases (such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia) and temperature fluctuations found in deep waters create problems for the physiology of the fish. The Nile tilapia thrives on the warmer temperatures commonly found in shallow waters compared to the colder environment of the deep lake. In general, tilapias are macrophyte-feeders, feeding on a diverse range of filamentous algae and plankton. The Nile tilapia typically

title: Oreochromis leucostictus
text: species, leading to genetic contamination and creating hybrid swarms, sometimes apparently replacing the native species altogether eventually. Thus, this species seems to be rather a menace to the maintenance of biodiversity and in particular to the maintenance of wild genetic diversity of tilapias, an important food fish throughout the tropics. Oreochromis leucostictus Oreochromis leucostictus (the blue-spotted tilapia) is a species of cichlid originally native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It has now been introduced widely East Africa, and is believed to have negative ecological impact, particularly on native tilapias. This species is reported to reach a

title: Tilapia
text: the species of any one genus, frequent hybridization occurs. The species remaining in "Tilapia" in particular still seem to be a paraphyletic assemblage. Tilapia have been used as biological controls for certain aquatic plant problems. They have a preference for a floating aquatic plant, duckweed ("Lemna" sp.) but also consume some filamentous algae. In Kenya, tilapia were introduced to control mosquitoes, which were causing malaria, because they consume mosquito larvae, consequently reducing the numbers of adult female mosquitoes, the vector of the disease. These benefits are, however, frequently outweighed by the negative aspects of tilapia as an invasive species. Tilapia

title: Mozambique tilapia
text: and ich. Mozambique tilapia are resistant to wide varieties of water quality issues and pollution levels. Because of these abilities they have been used as bioassay organisms to generate metal toxicity data for risk assessments of local freshwater species in South Africa rivers. The species is known by a number of other names including: Mozambique tilapia The Mozambique tilapia ("Oreochromis mossambicus") is a tilapiine cichlid fish native to southern Africa. It is a popular fish for aquaculture. Dull colored, the Mozambique tilapia often lives up to a decade in its native habitats. Due to human introductions, it is now found

title: Genetically modified fish
text: comparable age. This research area has resulted in dramatic growth enhancement in several species, including salmon, trout and tilapia. Other sources indicate an 11-fold and 30-fold increase in growth of salmon and mud loach, respectively, compared to wild-type fish. Transgenic fish development has reached the stage where several species are ready to be marketed in different countries, for example, GM tilapia in Cuba, GM carp in the People’s Republic of China, and GM salmon in the USA and Canada. In 2014, it was reported that applications for the approval of transgenic fish as food had been made in Canada, China,

title: Tilapia as exotic species
text: other organisms have experienced a reduction in stream access and cover as a result of tilapia activities. Tilapia are listed as a noxious pest in Queensland, Australia, and are spreading rapidly into previously untouched and relatively pristine river systems such as the Endeavour River near Cooktown and the Eureka Creek. As tilapia can thrive in fresh, brackish and salt water habitats, it is thought that tilapia can quickly infest neighbouring rivers. Tilapia, like eels or bull sharks, can enter new river systems via the sea. Tilapia have been introduced into Laguna Junco, a volcanic caldera in the Galapagos Islands. Within

title: Nile tilapia
text: tilapia are not farmed very often because of the dark color of their flesh, that is undesirable for many customers, and because of the reputation the fish has as being a trash fish. However, they are fast-growing and produce good fillets; leucistic ("red") breeds which have lighter meat have been developed to counter the consumer distaste for darker meat. Hybrid stock is also used in aquaculture; Nile × blue tilapia hybrids are usually rather dark, but a light-colored hybrid breed known as "Rocky Mountain White" tilapia is often grown due to its very light flesh and tolerance of low temperatures.

title: Genetically modified fish
text: and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial production, sale and consumption, making it the first genetically modified animal to be approved for human consumption. Some GM fish that have been created have promoters driving an over-production of "all fish" growth hormone. This results in dramatic growth enhancement in several species, including salmonids, carps and tilapias. Critics have objected to GM fish on several grounds, including ecological concerns, animal welfare concerns and with respect to whether using them as food is safe and whether GM fish are needed to help address the world's food needs. The first transgenic fish were produced in

title: Genetically modified fish
text: are kept at high stocking densities. This means they suffer from frequent transmission of contagious diseases, a problem which is being addressed by GM research. Grass carp ("Ctenopharyngodon idella") have been modified with a transgene coding for human lactoferrin, which doubles their survival rate relative to control fish after exposure to "Aeromonas" bacteria and Grass carp hemorrhage virus. Cecropin has been used in channel catfish to enhance their protection against several pathogenic bacteria by 2–4 times. GloFish is a patented technology which allows GM fish (tetra, barb, zebrafish) to express jellyfish and sea coral proteins giving the fish bright red,

title: Aquaculture of tilapia
text: Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT strain) for aquaculture development in the country. The GIFT tilapia strain, selectively bred in Malaysia and the Philippines, has achieved an improvement of more than 10 per cent per generation in growth rate and has been widely distributed to several Asian countries and to Latin America (Brazil). However, rather than passively importing the improved genetic stock, the Center is interested in running a formal breeding program (fully pedigreed population) similar to the one that has been carried out for the GIFT strain in Malaysia. The aim is to produce fast-growing high yielding tilapia strains adapted

title: Genetically modified fish
text: China in 1985. As of 2013, approximately 50 species of fish have been subject to genetic modification. This has resulted in more than 400 fish/trait combinations. Most of the modifications have been conducted on food species, such as Atlantic salmon ("Salmo salar"), tilapia (genus) and common carp ("Cyprinus carpio"). Generally, genetic modification entails manipulation of DNA. The process is known as cisgenesis when a gene is transferred between organisms that could be conventionally bred, or transgenesis when a gene from one species is added to a different species. Gene transfer into the genome of the desired organism, as for fish

title: Tilapia
text: rapidly and tolerate high stocking densities and poor water quality. Smaller West African species, such as "T. joka" and species from the crater lakes of Cameroon, are more popular. In specialised cichlid aquaria, tilapia can be mixed successfully with nonterritorial cichlids, armored catfish, tinfoil barbs, garpike, and other robust and dangerous fish. Some species, including "Tilapia buttikoferi", "Tilapia rendalli","Tilapia mariae", "T. joka" and the brackish-water "Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron", have attractive patterns and are quite decorative. The tilapiines of North Africa are the most important commercial cichlids. Fast-growing, tolerant of stocking density, and adaptable, they have been introduced to and are