Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Ad Konings Denis Tweddle Willem Coetzer Roger Bills Olaf Weyl Albert Chakona
Contributors: J Kazembe Brian Marshall T Moelants
Facilitators: Dewidine Van Der Colff
Reviewers: Jos Snoeks

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

This species has a wide distribution, with no known major widespread threats. It is therefore listed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Tilapia sparrmanii is known from the central and southern part of Africa.

It is known from several large affluents of the Middle Congo (Kwilu, Kwango, Kasai, Lomami) and the major part of he Upper Congo, including the Bangweulu system. 

In eastern Africa, it occurs in the Lake Malawi catchment where it is common in the lower reaches of northern and central Lake Malawi catchment streams. Along the Lake Malawi shoreline it has not been recorded south of Chia lagoon (Nkhotakota) nor anywhere in the Shire River. Tweddle (1979, 1983) stated that it does not occur in Lakes Chilwa and Chiuta, and Bills (2004) did not record it in the Niassa Reserve in the Rovuma River system. It was, however, found in a single fisher's catch from Lake Chiuta by D. Tweddle and P.H. Skelton in 1992 and therefore its presence in the Rovuma system is confirmed.

In southern Africa, it is present in the Zambezi system and Lake Malawi streams south to the Orange River and KwaZulu-Natal (Skelton 2001). It has been extensively translocated south of the Orange system.

It has been introduced in several countries. The introductions to Tanzania and USA are known, but Tilapia sparrmanii has not established in these countries. It has probably also been introduced to Libya, Egypt, Chad and Sudan.

Population trend

Trend

This species is widespread and abundant over most of its range. It has been increasing in Lake Kariba in the last 10-15 years. In the Upper Zambezi and Kafue floodplains it has become a major component of the artisanal catches following the demise of the larger cichlid species that formerly made up the bulk of fishers' catches (Tweddle et al. 2018). Tilapia sparrmanii is regarded as an invasive species in extralimital parts of South Africa south of the Orange River system (de Moor and Bruton 1988).
Remarkably, the situation with the populations in Malawi and the Rovuma system is very different. The species does not occur in Lake Malawi itself, though it is found in the very short, open channel connecting Lake Malawi and Chia Lagoon near Nkhotakota on the western central lakeshore. Otherwise it is a species found only in streams and swamps along the lakeshore. It does not occur in the outflowing Shire River, nor in the Lower Zambezi. In Lake Chiuta (and also the rest of the Rovuma system), despite extensive sampling over many years, it has only been recorded once, with many specimens caught in a single fisherman's catch in Chiuta in 1992.

The current overall population trend is unknown.

Threats

Tilapia sparrmanii is a species that is commercially used for aquaculture. Since the demise of the larger cichlid species in river/floodplain fisheries throughout the Middle and Upper Zambezi (Tweddle et al. 2015), T. sparrmanii has become the main fisheries target species with small meshed monofilament gillnets and seine nets in these systems. This could constitute a threat if this trend continues to escalate and the widespread use of dragnets destroys the weeded habitats in which this species occurs.

Uses and trade

Tilapia sparrmanii is a species that is commercially used for aquaculture. Since the demise of the larger cichlid species in river/floodplain fisheries throughout the Middle and Upper Zambezi (Tweddle et al. 2015), T. sparrmanii has become the main fisheries target species with small meshed monofilament gillnets and seine nets in these systems.

Conservation

This species has some protection in reserves in southern Africa and the Zambezi system. Given the major increase in fishing effort targeting this species in the Zambezi system, catches and population trends should be monitored.

References 

[@article{18475,
 author = {Skelton, P.H.},
 title = {A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa},
 year = {2001}
}
,@book{63287,
 author = {Bell-Cross, G. and Minshull, J.L.},
 publisher = {National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe},
 title = {The fishes of Zimbabwe},
 year = {1988}
}
,@techreport{2562,
 address = {Pretoria, South Africa},
 author = {De Moor, I.J. and Bruton, M.N.},
 institution = {Foundation for Research Development, Council for Sscientific and Industrial Research},
 title = {Atlas of alien and translocated indigenous aquatic animals in southern Africa},
 year = {1988}
}
,@techreport{63281,
 author = {Van der Colff, D., Chackona, A. and Raimondo, D.},
 institution = {South African National Biodiversity Institute & South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown},
 title = {Proceedings of the Red List of South Africa's Fresh Water Fish assessment workshop},
 year = {2016}
}
,@article{181632,
 author = {Tweddle, D},
 title = {The zoogeography of the fish fauna of the Lake Chilwa basin. In: Lake Chilwa, studies of change in a tropical ecosystem, edited by Kalk, M., McLachlan, A.J. & Howard- Williams, C.  W. Junk, The Hague, Monogr. Biol., 35:171-181.},
 year = {1979}
}
,@electronic{181632,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2018-2},
 year = {2018}
}
,@article{181777,
 author = {Tweddle, D.},
 title = {The fish and fisheries of Lake Chiuta},
 year = {1983}
}
,@book{181777,
 address = {Halfway House},
 author = {Skelton, P.H.},
 publisher = {Southern Book Publishers (Pty), Ltd},
 title = {A Complete Guide of the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa},
 year = {1993}
}
,@book{181777,
 address = {Edinburgh, U.K},
 author = {Fryer, G. and Iles, T.D.},
 publisher = {Oliver and Boyd},
 title = {The cichlid fishes of the Great Lakes of Africa: their biology and evolution.},
 year = {1972}
}
,@inbook{181777,
 address = {Manila, Philippines},
 author = {},
 booktitle = {Ecology and distribution of tilapias},
 editor = {Philippart, J-Cl. and Ruwet, J-Cl. },
 pages = {15–59},
 publisher = {nternational 1 Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management},
 title = {The biology and culture of tilapias. ICLARM Conference Proceedings 7},
 year = {1982}
}
,@article{181777,
 author = {Tweddle, D., Cowx, I.G., Peel, R.A. & Weyl, O.L.F. },
 journal = {Fisheries Management and Ecology },
 pages = {99--111},
 title = {Challenges in fisheries management in the Zambezi, one of the great rivers of Africa. },
 volume = {22},
 year = {2015}
}
,@techreport{181777,
 author = {Bills, R.},
 institution = {South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, prepared for Sociedade para a Gestao e Desenvolvimento da Reserva do Niassa, Mozambique.},
 title = {A survey of the fishes and fisheries in the Niassa reserve, Niassa and Cabo Delgado Provinces, Mozambique (10-30/8/2003)},
 year = {2004}
}
,@inbook{181777,
 address = {Göttingen & Windhoek},
 author = {Revermann  and Krewenka  and Schmiedel  and Olwoch  and Helmschrot },
 booktitle = {Climate, fish, and people in Zambezian fisheries, with emphasis on a natural flood cycle in the ephemeral Lake Liambezi},
 editor = {Tweddle, D., Peel, R.A., Taylor, G.C., Murphy, C. & Weyl, O.L.F.},
 pages = {466--479},
 publisher = {Klaus Hess Publishers},
 title = {Climate change and adaptive land management in southern Africa – assessments, changes, challenges, and solutions doi:10.7809/b-e.00361},
 year = {2018}
}
,]
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