Nile Perch discussion

koliveira

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Dec 29, 2005
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koliveira

Feeder Fish
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Dec 29, 2005
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Geographic Range
Lates niloticus (Nile perch) is widespread throughout the Ethiopian Region of Africa, occurring commonly in all major river basins including Nile, Chad, Niger, Senegal and Volta. The nilotic population penetrates northwards well into the geographical limits of the Mediterranean Region and is present in the waters of Lake Mariout situated in the Nile Delta. Southwards the distribution includes parts of the Congo Basin. The most common place to find the Nile perch is in Lake Victoria where the species was introduced in 1962 (Hopson, 1972).

Biogeographic Regions:
ethiopian (introduced , native ).

Habitat
Nile perch are found in many different types of fresh water. They prefer warm, tropical waters (27°N – 7°S) where they grow to large sizes and occur in high densities. Adult Nile perch occupy all habitats in lakes and rivers (10-60 m in depth) where there is enough oxygen with the exception of rocks, swamps, and the pelagic zone. Small juveniles are restricted to shallow near-shore environments (Luna, 2002; Queensland Government, 2002). (FishBase, 2004; Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2004)

These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
tropical ; freshwater .

Aquatic Biomes:
lakes and ponds; rivers and streams.

Wetlands: marsh .

Physical Description
Mass
2 to 232 kg
(4.4 to 510.4 lbs)


Length
193 cm (high); avg. 85-100 cm
(75.98 in; avg. in)

Nile perch are silver in color with a blue tinge. They have a distinctive dark black eye with a bright yellow outer ring. Nile perch are usually seen around 2-4 kg, but have been caught and seen at sizes up to 200 kg (the largest at 232 kg). They average around 85-100 cm but can grow to 193 cm. The females are generally larger than males. The preopercle and pre-orbital bones are armed with spines, with a large spine on the free edge of the operculum. (FishBase, 2004; Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2004)

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lates_niloticus.html
 

koliveira

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Journal of Fish Biology
Volume 37 Page 17 - December 1990
doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1990.tb05016.x
Volume 37 Issue sa


The impact of the introduction of Nile perch, Lates niloticus (L.) on the fisheries of Lake Victoria
A. P. Achieng1
The piscivorous Nile perch was introduced into Lake Victoria some 30 years ago, since when it has completely transformed the fishing industry and the species composition of the fish fauna of the lake. The original multispecies fishery, based mostly on cichlids (haplochromines, tilapias), cyprinids (Barbus, Labeo, Rastrineobola) and siluroids (Bagrus, Clarias, Synodontis, Schilbe), has changed dramatically to one based on three species: the introduced Nile perch, the cyprinids, Rastrineobola argenrea (Pellegrin), and the introduced Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus).

Within 25 years of its introduction the Nile perch became ubiquitous and now occurs in virtually every habitat with the exception of swamps and affluent rivers. It has preyed on all other species with profound effects, especially on the stocks of haplochromines. These originally comprised 80% of the total fish biomass in Lake Victoria, but have now decreased to less than 1% offish catches from the Kenyan waters of the lake. The fishermen of Lake Victoria have adjusted to this ecological crisis by using large-meshed nets to catch Nile perch, which has become the most important commercial species. For the first time in the history of Lake Victoria, fish fillets are now being exported to several overseas countries: the fillets are all from Nile perch.


http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/do...49.1990.tb05016.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=jfb
 

Oddball

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By Potts50:

Well now I just have to rant!
Here are some Nile Perch facts

"Reproduction
Free spawning over shallow sheltered areas, all the year round with peaks in rainy season.
Up to 16 million eggs per breeding cycle.

"Nutrition
Large predator, feeding in Lake Victoria on haplochromine cichlids, the zooplanktivorous cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea, the prawn Caridina nilotica and juvenile Nile perch (cannibalism). Young stages feed on invertebrates.

"Geographical range
Native range: Native to the Nile system, Lake Mariout, and most major West African river systems, from the Senegal to the Cross; also present in the Zaire system and lakes Albert, Turkana and several lakes in the Ethiopian highlands.
Known introduced range: Introduced in Lakes Kyoga, Nabugabo and Victoria in East Africa. Occuring in all depth zones; less abundant in littoral rocky habitats and oxygen-poor conditions. Also reported to be introduced from Sudan to Congo and from Ethiopia to Cuba and possibly established in the wild; also from Mali to Morocco and from Africa to Texas (USA), both apparently without establishing populations in the wild (yet).

"General impacts
The Nile perch is responsible through predation and competition for food for the decimation and possible disappearance of two hundred or more species of the unique flock of endemic haplochromine cichlids in Lake Victoria.

This species has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.."

Source; http://www.issg.org/database/species...si=89&fr=1&sts

Now I know that Kolivera will be upset with me for disrupting his thread but there is some history here as to why I have a problem with people trading this fish.
In the early 1980's catfish was becoming a popular fish in the aquaculture industry in the southern US. There was some concern about water quality due to the feeding habits of catfish and the practice of introducing fertilizer to grow out ponds. The US Dept of Agriculture encouraged the culture of Asian Carp in these ponds to help control the plankton blooms and provide a complimentary species for sale in the domestic fish market.
The following article is available on there website...


American Fish Farmers Could ?Clean Up? with Chinese Carp
By Sandy Hays
February 3, 1997
American fish farmers could ?clean up? with Chinese carp, in more ways than one.
Chinese carp is a big seller in Europe and Asia, and a hit in the United States? ethnic markets. But the carp?s extremely bony body has kept it off most menus here.
Scientists with USDA?s Agricultural Research Service say canned carp is the answer. Their tests show canning softens the bones, just like salmon, giving fish farmers a brand-new product with an extended shelf life. In taste tests in Arkansas and England, participants praised canned carp?s flavor and said they?d pay at least as much for that product as for tuna.
Chinese carp makes a tidy pond-mate, too, because its favorite food is plankton that flourishes in water where catfish dwell. In fact, the carp won?t even compete for food put into the ponds for other fish, the scientists say. But its growth rate is about four times that of catfish, and a Chinese carp can tip the scales at 6 pounds in a year.
Health-conscious consumers should be pleased with carp: It?s less than 2 percent fat and about 40 percent of those fats are the desirable omega-3 acids linked in some studies to reduced heart disease. It?s also loaded with calcium and protein..."

So who is Sandy Hays.... http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/contacts.htm#Sandy
He might want to make a retraction. A lot of fish farmers took his advice.
Unfortunately some levees broke on the Mississipi river and these fish were released into the wild. The US government now has a very differant perspective on Asian Carp:

http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/reports_pu...r_2000_05.html

You may feel that this is no big deal and that these invaders wont have much impact on the river systems but watch this video if you have'nt seen it already..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuTZFm9tjvs

In some reaches of the river these fish make up over 90% of the fish biomass. They eat plankton and essentially cut off the food web at the very bottom, preventing nearly every other (native) fish species from feeding.

Its only a matter of years befiore these fish make it into the great lakes and the western praire river systems here in Canada. The loss of billions of dollars in sport fishing tourism alone, is at stake. The aquatic environment as we know it is virtually beyond hope of inevitable destruction because of an innocent mistake and the introduction of a foreign invasive species. I'm certain I wont live to see things return to normal with this screw-up!

So what does this have to do with Nile Perch. They are in the opinion of the writer no less dangerous a species even though less tolerant of cold water than Asian Carp. They will find their way into US lakes and rivers and no doubt have a traumatic impact- Unless your an avid fisherman...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6QmEsC49E

http://www.african-angler.co.uk/fishing.html

Evey cloud has a silver lining I guess but what are we prepared to give up? How responsible are we as hobbyists, and can we guarantee that we will do no harm in our pursuit of monster fish keeping? Can we hold back the river when the Army Corp of Engineers can't?

I apologise again to Koliveira for railroading his thread. He just wants to sell a fish and is clearly a responsible guy who would never give the fish to someone who didnt know what they were getting. But on the other hand, nobody thought the levees on the Mississipi river would break, did they? Or at least I'll wager that Sandy Hays sure didnt!
 

koliveira

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 29, 2005
1,125
3
0
43
Atascadero CA
www.undertheamazon.com
Oddball;544778; said:
By Potts50:

Well now I just have to rant!
Here are some Nile Perch facts

"Reproduction
Free spawning over shallow sheltered areas, all the year round with peaks in rainy season.
Up to 16 million eggs per breeding cycle.

"Nutrition
Large predator, feeding in Lake Victoria on haplochromine cichlids, the zooplanktivorous cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea, the prawn Caridina nilotica and juvenile Nile perch (cannibalism). Young stages feed on invertebrates.

"Geographical range
Native range: Native to the Nile system, Lake Mariout, and most major West African river systems, from the Senegal to the Cross; also present in the Zaire system and lakes Albert, Turkana and several lakes in the Ethiopian highlands.
Known introduced range: Introduced in Lakes Kyoga, Nabugabo and Victoria in East Africa. Occuring in all depth zones; less abundant in littoral rocky habitats and oxygen-poor conditions. Also reported to be introduced from Sudan to Congo and from Ethiopia to Cuba and possibly established in the wild; also from Mali to Morocco and from Africa to Texas (USA), both apparently without establishing populations in the wild (yet).

"General impacts
The Nile perch is responsible through predation and competition for food for the decimation and possible disappearance of two hundred or more species of the unique flock of endemic haplochromine cichlids in Lake Victoria.

This species has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.."

Source; http://www.issg.org/database/species...si=89&fr=1&sts

Now I know that Kolivera will be upset with me for disrupting his thread but there is some history here as to why I have a problem with people trading this fish.
In the early 1980's catfish was becoming a popular fish in the aquaculture industry in the southern US. There was some concern about water quality due to the feeding habits of catfish and the practice of introducing fertilizer to grow out ponds. The US Dept of Agriculture encouraged the culture of Asian Carp in these ponds to help control the plankton blooms and provide a complimentary species for sale in the domestic fish market.
The following article is available on there website...


American Fish Farmers Could ?Clean Up? with Chinese Carp
By Sandy Hays
February 3, 1997
American fish farmers could ?clean up? with Chinese carp, in more ways than one.
Chinese carp is a big seller in Europe and Asia, and a hit in the United States? ethnic markets. But the carp?s extremely bony body has kept it off most menus here.
Scientists with USDA?s Agricultural Research Service say canned carp is the answer. Their tests show canning softens the bones, just like salmon, giving fish farmers a brand-new product with an extended shelf life. In taste tests in Arkansas and England, participants praised canned carp?s flavor and said they?d pay at least as much for that product as for tuna.
Chinese carp makes a tidy pond-mate, too, because its favorite food is plankton that flourishes in water where catfish dwell. In fact, the carp won?t even compete for food put into the ponds for other fish, the scientists say. But its growth rate is about four times that of catfish, and a Chinese carp can tip the scales at 6 pounds in a year.
Health-conscious consumers should be pleased with carp: It?s less than 2 percent fat and about 40 percent of those fats are the desirable omega-3 acids linked in some studies to reduced heart disease. It?s also loaded with calcium and protein..."

So who is Sandy Hays.... http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/contacts.htm#Sandy
He might want to make a retraction. A lot of fish farmers took his advice.
Unfortunately some levees broke on the Mississipi river and these fish were released into the wild. The US government now has a very differant perspective on Asian Carp:

http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/reports_pu...r_2000_05.html

You may feel that this is no big deal and that these invaders wont have much impact on the river systems but watch this video if you have'nt seen it already..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuTZFm9tjvs

In some reaches of the river these fish make up over 90% of the fish biomass. They eat plankton and essentially cut off the food web at the very bottom, preventing nearly every other (native) fish species from feeding.

Its only a matter of years befiore these fish make it into the great lakes and the western praire river systems here in Canada. The loss of billions of dollars in sport fishing tourism alone, is at stake. The aquatic environment as we know it is virtually beyond hope of inevitable destruction because of an innocent mistake and the introduction of a foreign invasive species. I'm certain I wont live to see things return to normal with this screw-up!

So what does this have to do with Nile Perch. They are in the opinion of the writer no less dangerous a species even though less tolerant of cold water than Asian Carp. They will find their way into US lakes and rivers and no doubt have a traumatic impact- Unless your an avid fisherman...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6QmEsC49E

http://www.african-angler.co.uk/fishing.html

Evey cloud has a silver lining I guess but what are we prepared to give up? How responsible are we as hobbyists, and can we guarantee that we will do no harm in our pursuit of monster fish keeping? Can we hold back the river when the Army Corp of Engineers can't?

I apologise again to Koliveira for railroading his thread. He just wants to sell a fish and is clearly a responsible guy who would never give the fish to someone who didnt know what they were getting. But on the other hand, nobody thought the levees on the Mississipi river would break, did they? Or at least I'll wager that Sandy Hays sure didnt!
I understad your fear of them beeing released but I don't think anyone is going to put them in an outdoor pond with an earth damn next to them. This fish would be hard to enjoy in a pond.
 

koliveira

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 29, 2005
1,125
3
0
43
Atascadero CA
www.undertheamazon.com
Oddball;544778; said:
By Potts50:

Well now I just have to rant!
Here are some Nile Perch facts

"Reproduction
Free spawning over shallow sheltered areas, all the year round with peaks in rainy season.
Up to 16 million eggs per breeding cycle.

"Nutrition
Large predator, feeding in Lake Victoria on haplochromine cichlids, the zooplanktivorous cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea, the prawn Caridina nilotica and juvenile Nile perch (cannibalism). Young stages feed on invertebrates.

"Geographical range
Native range: Native to the Nile system, Lake Mariout, and most major West African river systems, from the Senegal to the Cross; also present in the Zaire system and lakes Albert, Turkana and several lakes in the Ethiopian highlands.
Known introduced range: Introduced in Lakes Kyoga, Nabugabo and Victoria in East Africa. Occuring in all depth zones; less abundant in littoral rocky habitats and oxygen-poor conditions. Also reported to be introduced from Sudan to Congo and from Ethiopia to Cuba and possibly established in the wild; also from Mali to Morocco and from Africa to Texas (USA), both apparently without establishing populations in the wild (yet).

"General impacts
The Nile perch is responsible through predation and competition for food for the decimation and possible disappearance of two hundred or more species of the unique flock of endemic haplochromine cichlids in Lake Victoria.

This species has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.."

Source; http://www.issg.org/database/species...si=89&fr=1&sts

Now I know that Kolivera will be upset with me for disrupting his thread but there is some history here as to why I have a problem with people trading this fish.
In the early 1980's catfish was becoming a popular fish in the aquaculture industry in the southern US. There was some concern about water quality due to the feeding habits of catfish and the practice of introducing fertilizer to grow out ponds. The US Dept of Agriculture encouraged the culture of Asian Carp in these ponds to help control the plankton blooms and provide a complimentary species for sale in the domestic fish market.
The following article is available on there website...


American Fish Farmers Could ?Clean Up? with Chinese Carp
By Sandy Hays
February 3, 1997
American fish farmers could ?clean up? with Chinese carp, in more ways than one.
Chinese carp is a big seller in Europe and Asia, and a hit in the United States? ethnic markets. But the carp?s extremely bony body has kept it off most menus here.
Scientists with USDA?s Agricultural Research Service say canned carp is the answer. Their tests show canning softens the bones, just like salmon, giving fish farmers a brand-new product with an extended shelf life. In taste tests in Arkansas and England, participants praised canned carp?s flavor and said they?d pay at least as much for that product as for tuna.
Chinese carp makes a tidy pond-mate, too, because its favorite food is plankton that flourishes in water where catfish dwell. In fact, the carp won?t even compete for food put into the ponds for other fish, the scientists say. But its growth rate is about four times that of catfish, and a Chinese carp can tip the scales at 6 pounds in a year.
Health-conscious consumers should be pleased with carp: It?s less than 2 percent fat and about 40 percent of those fats are the desirable omega-3 acids linked in some studies to reduced heart disease. It?s also loaded with calcium and protein..."

So who is Sandy Hays.... http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/contacts.htm#Sandy
He might want to make a retraction. A lot of fish farmers took his advice.
Unfortunately some levees broke on the Mississipi river and these fish were released into the wild. The US government now has a very differant perspective on Asian Carp:

http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/reports_pu...r_2000_05.html

You may feel that this is no big deal and that these invaders wont have much impact on the river systems but watch this video if you have'nt seen it already..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuTZFm9tjvs

In some reaches of the river these fish make up over 90% of the fish biomass. They eat plankton and essentially cut off the food web at the very bottom, preventing nearly every other (native) fish species from feeding.

Its only a matter of years befiore these fish make it into the great lakes and the western praire river systems here in Canada. The loss of billions of dollars in sport fishing tourism alone, is at stake. The aquatic environment as we know it is virtually beyond hope of inevitable destruction because of an innocent mistake and the introduction of a foreign invasive species. I'm certain I wont live to see things return to normal with this screw-up!

So what does this have to do with Nile Perch. They are in the opinion of the writer no less dangerous a species even though less tolerant of cold water than Asian Carp. They will find their way into US lakes and rivers and no doubt have a traumatic impact- Unless your an avid fisherman...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6QmEsC49E

http://www.african-angler.co.uk/fishing.html

Evey cloud has a silver lining I guess but what are we prepared to give up? How responsible are we as hobbyists, and can we guarantee that we will do no harm in our pursuit of monster fish keeping? Can we hold back the river when the Army Corp of Engineers can't?

I apologise again to Koliveira for railroading his thread. He just wants to sell a fish and is clearly a responsible guy who would never give the fish to someone who didnt know what they were getting. But on the other hand, nobody thought the levees on the Mississipi river would break, did they? Or at least I'll wager that Sandy Hays sure didnt!
I understad your fear of them beeing released but I don't think anyone is going to put them in an outdoor pond with an earth damn next to them. This fish would be hard to enjoy in a pond.
 
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