Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Kariba Tilapia (Oreochromis mortimeri) - Uncertain Risk

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.

Kariba Tilapia (Oreochromis mortimeri) is a fish native to river systems in Zambia and Zimbabwe. This species is utilized in a commercial fishery in its native range. O. mortimeri is listed as a prohibited species in Florida. The history of invasiveness is Data Deficient. O. mortimeri has been introduced to Democratic Republic of the Congo and outside the native range in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Some of those introductions resulted in established populations but no information on impacts of those introductions was found. The climate match analysis resulted in a medium match for the contiguous United States. Most of the contiguous United States had a low match but there were areas of medium match in southern Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. The certainty of this assessment is low due to lack of information. The overall risk assessment category in uncertain.