Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Sabaki Tilapia (Oreochromis spilurus) - 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.

Sabaki Tilapia (Oreochromis spilurus) is a fish native to Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in east Africa. This species is widely used in aquaculture, it can be raised in brackish water as well as freshwater. O. spilurus is listed as a prohibited species in Florida. The history of invasiveness is data deficient. Froese and Pauly (2020) reports O. spilurus introductions in that resulted in either established or probably established populations in six countries in the Middle East and Africa and introduced in an additional nine countries in those regions. The climate match analysis resulted in a low match for the contiguous United States. Small areas of medium match were found in southern Florida and Texas, as well as in patches along the West Coast. The certainty of this assessment is low due to lack of information. The overall risk assessment category in uncertain.