Editing Tilapia (section)

=== Exotic and invasive species ===
{{See also|Tilapia as exotic species}}

Tilapia have been used as biological controls for certain aquatic plant problems. They have a preference for a floating aquatic plant, [[duckweed]] (''Lemna'' spp.), but also consume some filamentous algae.<ref>{{cite web |author=John W. Cross |url=http://www.mobot.org/jwcross/duckweed/weed_control.htm |title=Aquatic Weed Control |publisher=Mobot.org |date=2013-08-13 |access-date=2013-09-14 |archive-date=2012-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921081544/http://www.mobot.org/jwcross/duckweed/weed_control.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In [[Kenya]], tilapia were introduced to [[Mosquito control|control mosquitoes]], which were causing [[malaria]], because they consume [[mosquito]] larvae, consequently reducing the numbers of adult female mosquitoes, the [[Vector (epidemiology)|vector]] of the disease.<ref name=Petr2000 /> These benefits are, however, frequently outweighed by the negative aspects of tilapia as invasive species.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oreochromis aureus|url=http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1323|access-date=25 April 2015}}</ref>

Tilapia are unable to survive in temperate climates because they require warm water. The pure strain of the blue tilapia, ''[[Oreochromis aureus]]'', has the greatest cold tolerance and dies at {{convert|45|F|C|order=flip}}, while all other species of tilapia die at a range of  {{convert|52|to|62|F|C|order=flip}}. As a result, they cannot invade temperate habitats and disrupt native ecologies in temperate zones; however, they have spread widely beyond their points of introduction in many fresh and brackish tropical and subtropical habitats, often disrupting native species significantly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gisp.org/casestudies/showcasestudy.asp?id=78&MyMenuItem=casestudies&worldmap=&country=|title=Global Invasive Species Programme, Invasive Species Information, Tilapia|access-date=2012-09-15}}</ref> Because of this, tilapia are on the [[IUCN]]'s 100 of the World's Worst Alien Invasive Species list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.issg.org/worst100_species.html|publisher=[[IUCN Species Survival Commission]]|work=Invasive Species Specialist Group|title=100 of the World's Worst Alien Invasive Species|access-date=2012-09-15}}</ref> In the United States, tilapia are found in much of the south, especially [[Florida]] and [[Texas]], and as far north as Idaho, where they survive in power-plant discharge zones.<ref>{{cite web|title=NAS – Nonindigenous Aquatic Species|url=https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=463|publisher=USGS|access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref> Tilapia are also currently stocked in the [[Phoenix, Arizona]], canal system as an algal growth-control measure. In a Washington, D.C. fishing report from 21 June 2024, it was reported that an angler caught a Tilapia on a [[crankbait]] at the Jones Point Park under the [[Woodrow Wilson Bridge]],<ref>{{cite news |title=District Fishing Report |url=https://doee.dc.gov/service/district-fishing-reports |agency=DOEE |issue=21 June 2024}}</ref> which is on the [[Potomac River]]. Many state fish and wildlife agencies in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and elsewhere consider them to be [[invasive species]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.issg.org/database/species/management_info.asp?si=131&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN|publisher=[[IUCN Species Survival Commission]]|work=Global Invasive Species Database|title=Oreochromis mossambicus (fish)|access-date=2012-09-15}}</ref>