Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Oreochromis squamipinnis (a tilapia, no common name) - 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.

Oreochromis squamipinnis is a tilapia native to the Lake Malawi system in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. O. squamipinnis was historically a large part of a commercial fishery but harvest levels have decreased significantly due to overfishing. This species is listed as prohibited in Florida. The history of invasiveness is no known nonnative population. It has not been reported as introduced or established outside of its native range. The climate match analysis resulted in a low match for the contiguous United States. Very small patches of medium match were found in southern Florida, Texas, and Arizona. The certainty of this assessment is low due to lack of information. The overall risk assessment category in uncertain.