TILAPIA IS AN INVASIVE SPECIES

The truth may be too hard to swallow, but the truth is, tilapia is an invasive species and is doing harm to the environment in general, and the native fish species in particular. Tilapia may have been introduced in the Philippines many years ago, but it does not mean that it is already “native” and should already be accepted and tolerated. As far as I know, there is no awareness among the general population that tilapia is an invasive species. There also appears to be no awareness among the government agencies that it is invasive, and that is why there appears to be no effort to control or eradicate it. In other words, we are simply accepting the reality that it is here, and it is here to stay. Some might argue that tilapia is now part of our food supply and is therefore part of our food security. On the other hand, I would also argue that tilapia threatens our food security, because it eats the eggs and the fingerlings of our native fish species, thus reducing our actual food production. To be clear, not all non-native fish are destructive, even if they are all invasive. For example, milkfish may be non-native, but it is generally not destructive, that is why it is very popular as a source of human food. However, milkfish is considered as an invasive species in other countries, because they compete with native fish for food and habitat. For whatever it is worth, BFAR should look into the economics of continuing with tilapia or not. Is it good for the economy or not? IKE SENERES/1-4-2024