blue-tilapia
Species Facts

Science Name: Oreochromis aurea
World Record: 4 lbs. 7 ounces Santiago
Environment: Stream, river, & lakes
Techniques: light tackle, casting
Range: Southern and central Florida.

Description


Young blue tilapia are a nondescript grey with vertical bars on the body and a black spot at the rear of the dorsal fin. Adults are generally dark grey-blue on the back shading to white on the belly. The border of the dorsal fin is red or orange, the caudal fin has a red to pink border. They have a broken lateral line and the spiny dorsal fin is joined to the soft dorsal fin.

Subspecies
It is a distinct species with no known subspecies.

Habitat
They are found in fertile lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and canals.

Spawning Habits
Spawning activities occur when the water temperature exceeds 68-72 F. Males dig a pit with their mouth and fins in shallow water over a sandy bottom and actively defend their territory. The male will swim out to a passing female and lead her to the nest where courtship occurs. The female lays batches of eggs which the male fertilizes. She immediately takes the eggs into her mouth and swims off. The male will resume spawning with another female.

Feeding habits
Blue tilapia at all sizes feed primarily on phytoplankton and zooplankton. The top three foods consumed by blue tilapia from Lake Alice and Lake George in central Florida were diatoms, green algae, and detritus.

Age and Growth
Blue tilapia grow rapidly the first few years of life and can reach a large size. Fish weighing 3 to 4 pounds are common. The largest caught in Florida weighed 10 pounds and was over 21 inches in length. A sample of blue tilapia collected from Lake Lena, FL, yielded a maximum age of 6 years and indicated that males were larger at each age than females.

Sporting Qualities
Although not normally known for their sporting quality, tilapia will bite a hook and are often taken by urban anglers on bait such as small pieces of hot dog, bread balls or dog food.

Eating Qualities
Blue tilapia have white flaky meat with a mild flavor and are considered excellent eating.