Suetsosipel;3791873; said:
If you talk to FWC wardens and Miami water dept (those guys know everything) they will agree non natives if they take a toll on natives is tiny.
You have seen LMB spawn and nothing goes near them or its killed except big grass carp which more throw them and try to eat their eggs .
Those were introduced by Florida to control weeds yet they are the #1 threat to LMB and sunfish spawning sites.
Florida also introduced Peacock bass and according to FWC they eat cichlids . If not they would be eating native fish.
Most cichlids eat algae ,each other or mosquito fish . I am not saying an oscar or jag wont take a sun fish but more likely will take an algae eating Miyan ,talipia ,jewel .
The FWC no longer even ask that they be killed except pirahna and Sh. I used to think same you did but met few here who work for Miami water dept -1 warden all told me its tiny the toll they take if any.
The schools of big carp now thats another story as is the perpetual never ending illegal catch and keep lmb fishing here in Miami than add construction pollution run off which as you know never ends and one day only cichlids will be around due to humans. As you know Cichlids can live where natives can not.
My brother in law has a lake behind his house loaded with cichlids (well maybe not anymore) and the native fish are big and run that lake whether sunfish or lmb.
The plecos eat algae and junk. around here the man made canals are only cichlids however your correct they are also found in lakes but they run nothing in LMB areas only the canals do they own and natives dont go in canals at all or average 6 months a yr (to hot).
If you disagree thats fine as your opinion is as valid as mine but if cichlids died in numbers which are main PB food and state reintroduces PB or enough lived . Than we are going to see real reduction of native fish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_peacock_bass
"Few measures can protect native fish once peacock bass have been introduced: reduction in native species richness in lakes with introduced peacock bass was observed in all areas of each lake regardless of the presence of macrophyte refugia.[5]After initial increase in abundance, introduced peacock bass often deplete local prey and resort to cannibalis""
