Tilapiine species, specifically Oreochromis mossambicus,
are amongst the world’s worst invasive alien species (International
Union for the Conservation of Nature 2010), with
T. mariae a declared noxious fish in most of Australia (Bureau
of Rural Sciences 2007) and its possession banned in Florida
(Clark 1981). Despite its status, the documented impact of
T. mariae in the USA is restricted to territorial competition with
Lepomis spp. during the breeding season (Brooks and Jordan
2010), and food competition with smaller native fish and
sportfish (Courtenay and Deacon 1983). It is unclear whether
such competition has resulted in an associated decline in
abundance or distribution of native species.