Learn & Explore/Species/Introduced & Invasive/Blackchin Tilapia
Blackchin Tilapia
Category: Invasive
A hardy tilapia that outcompetes native fish in Hawaiʻi’s streams and estuaries.
Blackchin Tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron)
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Usually have black spots on chin or throat 1
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Irregular vertical bars 9
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Gold spot near gills in males 9
Habitat
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High salinity tolerance and prefers brackish water 9
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Found in streams, estuaries and wetlands 3
Impacts & Concern
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Can greatly reduce aquatic vegetation present and therefore negatively impact native Hawaiian birds 2, 6
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May overcrowd or act aggressive towards native fish 2, 4
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Could serve as a vector of disease: blackchin tilapia is impacted by an unknown disease sometimes with no symptoms as well as the bacterium Francisella noatunensis subsp. Orientalis 5, 10
Introduction
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Imported by Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in 1962 onto Sand Island where it was studied as potential tuna bait and likely escaped
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After initial escape, blackchin tilapia spread through freshwater and estuary habitats
Distribution in Hawai‘i
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Kauaʻi: Anahola Stream, Puali Stream 10
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Oʻahu: Kahuku Pond, Kuliouou Steam, Kawaihāpai Reservoir 10, Wahiawa Lake, Nuʻuana Reservoir
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Molokaʻi: Not documented
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Lānaʻi: Not documented
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Maui: Not documented
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Hawaiʻi Island: Not documented
Related AIS Team Management Projects
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2019 Special Activity Permit allowed DAR officials and local fishermen to net about 300 fish in Nu‘alolo Bay, Kaua‘i
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DAR investigated a large die-off of tilapia in the ‘Anahulu River near Hale‘iwa, O‘ahu after reports from kayak/SUP rental companies
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Monitoring for spread and disease outbreaks continues
Regulations
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Prohibited for import, not currently listed under HDOA import rules (§4-71-6.5)
References
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Campbell, D. (1987). A review of the culture of Sarotherodon melanotheron in West Africa. UNDP-FAO-NIOMR. 20 p.
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Courtenay W.R., Sahlman H. F., Miley W. M., Herrema D. J. Exotic fishes in fresh and brackish waters of Florida. (1974). Biological Conservation, 6(4), 292-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(74)90008-1
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Englund, R.A. (2005). Threats to native aquatic insect biodiversity in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, and challenges in their conservation. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Hawaiʻi]. University of Hawaiʻi Manoa ScholarSpace.
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Faunce, C.H. & Paperno R. (1999). Tilapia-dominated fish assemblages within an impounded mangrove ecosystem in east-central Florida. Wetlands, 19(1), 126-138.
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Mauel, M., Miller, D., Frazier, K., Liggett, A., & Styer, L., Montgomery-Brock, D., & Brock, J. (2003). Characterization of a piscirickettsiosis-like disease in Hawaiian tilapia. Diseases of aquatic organisms, 53, 249-55. 10.3354/dao053249
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McGuire, C. (2006). Effects of introduced fish on aquatic insect abundance: A case study of Hamakua marsh, Oahu Hawaiʻi. [Master dissertation, University of Hawaiʻi]. University of Hawaiʻi Manoa ScholarSpace.
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Randall, J. E. (1987). Introductions of marine fishes to the Hawaiian Islands. Bulletin of Marine Science, 41(2), 490-502.
- Szyper, J.P., Hopkins, K.D., Malchow, W., & Okamura, W. Y. (2000). History and Prospects of Tilapia Stocks in Hawaiʻi, U.S.A. In Tilapia Culture in the 21st Century–Proceedings from the Fifth International Symposium on Tilapia Aquaculture, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Trewavas, E. (1983). Tilapiine Fishes of the genera Sarotherodon, Oreochromis, and Danakilia. The Dorset Press. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.123198
