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De Silva, S.S; Subasinghe, R.P.; Bartley, D.M.; Lowther, A.
Tilapias as alien aquatics in Asia and the Pacific: a review.
FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 453. Rome, FAO. 2004. 65p.
ABSTRACT
Tilapias are not native to Asia but have been a significant component
of inland fisheries and aquaculture in the region for over half a century.
They have been introduced into over 90 countries worldwide, with a global
distribution second only to common carp. The contribution of tilapias
to global aquaculture production has increased over the past three decades
with production in 2002 exceeding 1.5 million tonnes with an estimated
value of US$1.8 billion. The average annual growth rate in aquaculture
and capture fisheries production of tilapias from 1970 to 2002 has been
13.2 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively. In the present context of
development, success of a species is determined not only by its contribution
to production per se, but also by its social, cultural, economic
and environmental impacts. Although tilapia has been associated with adverse
environmental impacts, detailed analysis of the literature suggested that
other factors, such as overfishing, environmental degradation from land-based
activities, and changes in hydrological regime have probably been more
responsible for adverse impacts. It is clear that numerous factors working
together can impact biodiversity. It is also clear that tilapias, as a
group of alien species, have made a significant contribution to food production,
poverty alleviation and livelihoods support in Asia and the Pacific. In
spite of the wide-scale introduction into Asian waters, there is scant
explicit evidence to indicate that tilapias have been overly destructive
environmentally.
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