Project to help protect waterways from tilapia invasion

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Project to help protect waterways from tilapia invasion

Communities in NSW and Queensland are being
asked to help stop the pest fish tilapia from
entering the Murray-Darling Basin.
NSW DPI Aquatic Biosecurity Officer, Debra Ballagh, said tilapia
(Oreochromis mossambicus) are already established in many
Queensland waterways surrounding the northern part of the Basin and
this project aims to implement strategies to help stop the spread.
“Tilapia are one of the world’s most invasive fish species,” Ms Ballagh
said.
“They have pale olive to silver-grey bodies with two to five indistinct
dark blotches on the side, can grow to more than 36 centimetres and
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can live up to 13 years. Once established in a flowing river or creek,
these fish are almost impossible to eradicate so it is important to stop
the spread of tilapia now before it’s too late. The aim of the project is to
educate the community and local government organisations about the
threat of tilapia.
“Tilapia impact on native fish numbers by competing for habitat and
food, behaving aggressively, disturbing aquatic vegetation and could
potentially introduce disease and parasites.The Murray-Darling Basin
is already infested with pest fish including European carp, and if tilapia
were to establish in the river system the additional pest species may
significantly impact native species populations.”
The project is being funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and
is being developed by NSW DPI in collaboration with the Queensland
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.
Ms Ballagh said the project was kicking off with a tilapia public
education campaign that targeted the communities of Brewarrina and
Moree in NSW and Dalby and Warwick in Queensland.
“This campaign will ensure these communities are aware of the current
tilapia threat and how to stop them from spreading into the Murray-
Darling Basin,” she said.
“Project staff will be visiting these towns in the coming months to
present a series of workshops to stakeholders within the community.
The intention of these workshops is to increase public awareness of
pest fish by providing the community with the tools needed to help
identify and report pest fish, as well as information on currently
available management options.”

Source - NSWCoFA