While still relatively small, the international  trade in tilapia – dubbed variously as “the miracle fish”, “the fish of the millennium” and “the aquatic chicken” – is growing rapidly. The trade is concentrated in a few countries with the USA being the largest importer. It is estimated that a little less than 15% of around 2.3 million mt of tilapia produced globally enters the international market, while the bulk is sold and consumed locally. FAO figures, however, put the global export of tilapia at only 133,504 mt worth US$ 223.4 million in 2004. The main reason for this underestimation is that many countries do not report their tilapia exports separately, but lump them together with other freshwater fish products. In addition, there is also active regional trade of live tilapia among neighbouring countries that goes unrecorded. It is strongly believed, therefore, that the actual international trade is much higher than the reported figures.