Blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) is a freshwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of ≥ 5 m.
Scientific name: Oreochromis aureus · Water: Freshwater, Brackish
Size: up to 45.7 cm
The blue tilapia is a benthopelagic cichlid of warm ponds and impoundments as well as lakes and streams, in open water and among stones and vegetation, and it tolerates fairly brackish conditions. Its native range is in Africa and Eurasia: the Jordan Valley, the lower Nile, the Chad Basin, the Benue and the middle and upper Niger, and the Senegal River. It has been introduced to the oasis of Azraq in Jordan and to warm-water ponds in the United States, South and Central America and South East Asia, with at least one country reporting adverse ecological impact. It is cold tolerant, occurring between 8 and 30 °C and tolerating up to 41 °C, and it forms schools though it is sometimes territorial. It feeds on phytoplankton and small quantities of zooplankton, while young fish take large quantities of copepods and cladocerans as well as pieces of small invertebrates. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, reaching maturity in ponds at five to six months, and it reproduces in both fresh and brackish water. Maximum length is about 46 cm total length, commonly about 16 cm, and it matures at about 19 cm. It is a highly commercial species, farmed commercially, a gamefish and a commercial aquarium fish, and it is usually used as bait; it is good to eat. Fishing vulnerability is low to moderate at 26 of 100 and resilience high.
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