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Tilapia


jgarner447

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ive really never heard of these fish, are they good eating or fight hard? why is there so many reports and things about them? thanks

there on the noxious fish list mate, they have to be killed and disposed of in a bin not left on the bank as they are mouth brooders and hold the eggs in there mouth , if they are left on the bank and it rains that day and gets washed back in , the eggs can survive , they can get to 15cm in about 8-10 weeks,a very fast growing fish... Alot of asian people love to eat these fish, they are also used in most aquaculture setups as a food supply in alot of country's....but they are definitely NOT welcome in Australia, and they are everywhere

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mostly fresh water, well if you think about how quick they grow , bass take maybe a year to get to 12cm and tilapia only take 8-10 weeks to get to that size and can also have up to 700 babys, the bass can not reproduce fast enough as the tillys eat their babys .... soo slowly but surely the bass get lesser and lesser ....this is also why i enjoy releasing every bass i catch, i actually hate seeing people taking bass home to eat they should be enjoyed as a sports fish and released to catch another day, but thats just my opinion.

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mostly fresh water, well if you think about how quick they grow , bass take maybe a year to get to 12cm and tilapia only take 8-10 weeks to get to that size and can also have up to 700 babys, the bass can not reproduce fast enough as the tillys eat their babys .... soo slowly but surely the bass get lesser and lesser ....this is also why i enjoy releasing every bass i catch, i actually hate seeing people taking bass home to eat they should be enjoyed as a sports fish and released to catch another day, but thats just my opinion.

I agree.

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Eggs dont survive out of the mothers mouth.

Bass eat Tilapia, Tilapia dont eat Bass.

I never said the eggs were out of the mothers mouth, if the eggs are about to hatch and it gets washed in the water the eggs can hatch, that is why they have to be disposed of in a bin and not left on the banks, well thats what the fisheries told me when i called them for info years ago...

and you say tilapia dont eat bass, im pretty sure if im able to catch 2 tilapias today on a 5cm lure that they are more then capable of eating baby bass

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Actually, from watching them in fish tanks (when they weren't illegal to have), the young also reside in the mouth for protection after hatching. They are allowed out to eat and return when danger threatens. Also, they usually release eggs and young from the mouth when stressed or to eat, i.e. when hooked and being dragged to the bank. You could open the mouth to check when you catch them. Eggs won't survive long outside the mouth - they'd get eaten by other fish real quick anyway :)

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ive really never heard of these fish, are they good eating or fight hard? why is there so many reports and things about them? thanks

there on the noxious fish list mate, they have to be killed and disposed of in a bin not left on the bank as they are mouth brooders and hold the eggs in there mouth , if they are left on the bank and it rains that day and gets washed back in , the eggs can survive , they can get to 15cm in about 8-10 weeks,a very fast growing fish... Alot of asian people love to eat these fish, they are also used in most aquaculture setups as a food supply in alot of country's....but they are definitely NOT welcome in Australia, and they are everywhere

I am not trying to highjack this. I agree with killing the fish and burying them or binning them however in reality when the fish is tending tot brood or eggs they will not eat so there is no chance of catching a fish with eggs or brood in their mouths. Only way to catch a fish while mouth breeding is via a net or trap.

Keep up the good work killing them.

I reckon they should change the rule to allow folks to eat them legally.

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... I didn't realize you couldn't legally eat tilapia, sheesh, guess I've been a naughty boy. I agree, we should encourage people to catch and eat these fish. Unfortunately the main reason for their spread has nothing to do with people but rather to do with 'water birds', their eggs adhere to the birds feathers and are transported from water source to water source. This point was clearly demonstrated on a construction site where I worked, we had constructed a foundation base which collected rain water over a period of time. Withing a few months we noticed a thriving tillapia population in the base. It was on an elevated controlled site and inaccessable to people. the nearest water source containing 'fish' was a substantial distance from the base and there was no communication between the two ...

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For me in a perfect world it would be legal to harvest them out of our waterways ie: pay kids a few dollars a kilo for them and turn them into fertiliser or something.

I often see the big colourful males really aggressively chasing little jungle perch out of their territory, so even if they are not eating natives they are definately displacing them. Haven't seen big jungle perch or crocs eating tillies but am hoping to!

Also have noted tilapia can't negotiate big rapids- have watched jungle perch jumping up rapids 'salmon style' to get right up the top of creeks and there's big populations of them there, but not a single tilly in sight thankfully, they seem to be confined to the slower moving water.

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Unfortunately the main reason for their spread has nothing to do with people but rather to do with 'water birds', their eggs adhere to the birds feathers and are transported from water source to water source.
Interesting, the most common type of tilapia found here is the mozambique tilapia which, after eggs are laid on the substrate and fertilised they are scooped up by the female to be incubated. I can't see how the eggs would have time to adhere to the feathers. Possible that larger waterbirds are catching tilapia and dumping them in new waterways with the eggs still fertile inside the dead parents mouth?

I agree that the public should be able to eat them, at the end of the day they are established and we may as well do something useful with them. I personally don't think a fisheries officer is going to ping you for taking them home to eat and then disposing of the leftovers in your garden or the cat's bowl. I actually think the big males are quite a good looking fish and a big pair would look great in an aquarium.

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... Interesting point about the eggs and the females being 'mouth brooders', you might be right about the birds catching fish with eggs in their mouths and being dumped into other water sources. They certainly spread quickly from one water source to another. We have 'plastic' lined dams filled with borehole water on site and within weeks the tilapia have established themselves, it would be interesting to know for sure how this happens. They certainly are hardy fish ...

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The floods certainly would have increased the areas they are caught in. Once Wivenhoe opened up, it would have been party time for the Tilapia. Would not be suprised if you could get tilapia in every river system and its tributaries from Coomera to Sunshine coast now. The amount of fresh that was in the bay would have given them plenty of time to find their way into new spots

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