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Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Teleostei: Cichlidae): a threat to native fishes of Lake Malawi?

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Abstract

The Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, is a freshwater cichlid indigenous to the tropical and subtropical parts of the eastern and western Africa and is being cultured in the Lake Malawi catchment on the Tanzanian side. Historically, the Nile Tilapia has been successful in dispersing once it has been introduced into a catchment area. The probability of the Nile Tilapia successfully colonizing Lake Malawi is enhanced by many of its life history attributes including its fast growth rate, large size relative to native Oreochromis spp., and its diverse repertoire of feeding options. Where introduced, Nile Tilapia has had devastating impacts through competition or hybridization with native congenerics. We contend that the Nile Tilapia is a significant threat to the native fishes of Lake Malawi. With Lake Malawi harboring more species of fishes than any other freshwater lake in the world, a loss of species diversity due to the introduction of Nile Tilapia would be catastrophic for this unique system. Native fishes that in recent years provided 70% of the animal protein consumed in the country would be threatened by the colonization of the Nile Tilapia. We are convinced that should the Nile Tilapia become established in Lake Malawi it would (1) Cause the extirpation/extinction of native fishes, (2) Hybridize with endemic Oreochromis spp., and (3) Damage the livelihoods of existing artisanal fishermen.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are in the literature cited or catalogued into the Penn State University Fish Museum.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the government of Malawi for giving us permission to work in Lake Malawi. Funding was provided in part by the NSF/NIH joint program in ecology of infectious diseases. This study was funded in part by Agriculture Experiment Station Project 04584 (Penn State University). Olaf Weyl passed away several weeks before this manuscript was submitted, and all the authors acknowledge his significant contributions to this document.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, 432 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Jay R. Stauffer Jr.

  2. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda, South Africa

    Jay R. Stauffer Jr., Denis Tweddle & Olaf Weyl

  3. Africa Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture and Fisheries, Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi

    E. R. Chirwa & Wilson Jere

  4. Cichlid Press, P.O. Box 13608, El Paso, TX, 79913, USA

    Adrianus F. Konings

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  1. Jay R. Stauffer Jr.
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  2. E. R. Chirwa
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  3. Wilson Jere
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  4. Adrianus F. Konings
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  5. Denis Tweddle
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  6. Olaf Weyl
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Correspondence to Jay R. Stauffer Jr..

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Stauffer, J.R., Chirwa, E.R., Jere, W. et al. Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Teleostei: Cichlidae): a threat to native fishes of Lake Malawi?. Biol Invasions 24, 1585–1597 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02756-z

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