Spotted Tilapia

Oreochromis aureus

Appearance:

Young nondescript Spotted Tilapia are gray with a black spot at the rear of the dorsal fin; adults generally have blue-gray shading to white on the belly; borders of dorsal and caudal fins with red to pink borders; broken lateral line and the spiny dorsal fin is joined to the soft dorsal fin. In central Florida, anglers can assume every tilapia they observe in freshwater is a blue, and any spotted tilapia over 3 pounds is also likely a blue tilapia.

Similar Species

Female Mozambique tilapia (O. mossambicus) are nearly identical but don’t grow as large and currently only occur in coastal areas south of Titusville. Possible hybridization between blue and Mozambique tilapias further complicates identification. Male Mozambique tilapia are easily distinguished by largemouth and black coloration when breeding, just like a snakehead or bowfin. The photo to the right is of a spawning male and female Mozambique tilapia.

Habitat:

It is widespread and abundant in Florida, found in fertile lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and canals. It is tolerant of saltwater and found in some near-shore marine habitats, such as Tampa Bay.

Native to North Africa and the Middle East.

Behavior:

Spawning Habits: Spawning occurs when the water temperature exceeds 68F. Males dig large circular nests with their mouths in shallow water over a sandy bottom. The male swims out to a passing female and leads her to the nest, where courtship occurs; the female lays eggs and immediately takes them into her mouth after the male fertilizes them, after which she swims off, possibly to mate with another male.

The spotted tilapia males continue to guard nests and may spawn again with another female. Eggs hatch in the female’s mouth, and fry is occasionally released to feed, but whenever threatened, they return to the female’s mouth until they are about three weeks old, similar to what snakeheads do as well. This type of parental care is called mouth-brooding.

Feeding Habits: Feed primarily on plankton and small organisms living in or on bottom detritus; three most common foods consumed in Lake Alice and Lake George were diatoms, green algae, and detritus; dominant food items in stomachs of fish from Six-Mile Creek near Tampa were detritus, algae, diatoms, and plant material.

Age and Growth

Grow rapidly for first few months, then slow somewhat but ultimately reach 5-6 pounds by age 3-5 yrs; fish weighing 2-4 pounds common; largest caught in Florida weighed 10 pounds and measured over 21 inches in length; Lake Lena fish yielded a maximum age of 6 years, and indicated that males were larger at each age than females.

Sporting Quality

Spotted Tilapia are not generally known for their angling quality. The exception is that some urban anglers catch these in ponds using small pieces of hot dogs, bread balls, dog food, or live worms; there are no bag or size limits. They are rarely caught on artificial lures. There is also a group of avid bow anglers that target this species.

Edibility

White flaky meat with a mild flavor is considered excellent eating, and farm-raised fish is often sold in grocery stores.

State Record:

The state record is open; the qualifying weight is 10 pounds. The Big Catch program recognizes spotted tilapia longer than 18 inches or heavier than 5 pounds.

Fishing Tips and Facts:

Content provided by MYFWC.com