Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.
Blue spotted tilapia, Oreochromis leucostictus is a fish native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda in Africa. O. leucostictus is listed as a prohibited species in Florida. O. leucostictus is consumed as a food fish for humans and has been widely stocked in areas surrounding the native range to create more fisheries. Those stocking events to meet fishery management goals have resulted in established populations outside of its native range. Statements were found that O. leucosticus competed and hybridized with native species, possibly resulting in the elimination of a native species, and had adverse ecological impacts, but no information was available to support these statements. Therefore, history of invasiveness is data deficient. The climate match analysis resulted in a low match for the contiguous United States, with areas of medium match mainly along the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The certainty of this assessment is low due to a lack of information. The overall risk assessment category in uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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