Piaractus brachypomus commonly known as Pacu is a highly debated candidate species for culture. Pacu popularly known as Roopchand in Andhra Pradesh is a native of South America and introduced in India in 2003-2004 from Bangladesh.There are a lot of misconceptions around the culture of this species among the farmers and environmentalists. Pacu culture is profitable owing to its fast growth, adaptability and hardy nature.

The performance of this species in farming as well as in small backyard tanks or holdings was also good but it is not getting the required acceptance among consumers. The presumed misconception is that it is a threat to the native species and its farming has not been legally approved in spite of fetching a higher market price compared to other freshwater fishes like IMC, Pangas and Tilapia.

Similarly, Exotic Tilapia species Oreochromis mossambicus was legally introduced in 1952 but was not approved due to its prolific breeding habits. Genetically improved strains of Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus and GIFT Tilapia, Chitralada and Hybrid varieties are approved for culture in India.

Consumers have a misconception that the improved strains of Tilapia is still the banned O. mossambicus known as China gorka in AP. This is a myth that has to be debunked for increasing the market potential of farmed Nile Tilapia in India.