Dr. Peter Esselman shares findings on African tilapia
Dr. Peter Esselman of the U.S. has been studying the Belize water systems extensively for more than a decade. And he has now completed a doctorate that included a three year study programme on inland fishes. Today, Esselman disclosed to members of PACT, the Fisheries Department and the Audubon Society the findings of his research. Belize has one hundred and twenty-six different species of fish found in various areas. Esselman focused his research on the African Tilapia, as an invasive species, that in the past two decades is being harvested for local consumption and export. According to the research, there are positive and negative effects to the infiltration of the tilapia.
Dr. Peter Esselman, Researcher
“There are good and bad and the tilapia is a similar species to some of the main Belize species like the crana, like the tuba, bass snook. Some of those species are doing very well with tilapia, bass snook seems in particular seems to have plenty of food when their babies are around. But the crana, fishermen have been telling me, might be in more troulble because they’re very similar to tilapia and so you might expect them to compete with tilapia. Tilapia is not a catastrophic fish; it has fisheries potential, it has also the potential to change the fundamental nature of the aquatic environment. My recommendations are motivated simply from the observation that in other places, tilapia have caused problems and that if tilapia would become too successful in all locations, might actually cause problems here in Belize as well. So specifically my recommendations are to take advantage of the natural tilapia; take advantage of the natural tilapia that are in the systems. Right now we’re producing and using the natural production of Belize’s waters to create populations. In other words, fisheries in place where tilapias very successful, I think it’s beneficial to target those fisheries as specifically as possible of tilapias to give the native species a break. I also believe that tilapia is benefit from disturbed conditions. This has been shown in research around the world. Tilapias are tough and they deal with though conditions better than some of the fishes that are in Belize.”
George Myvett, Senior Fisheries Officer, Fisheries Dept.
“Our job here at Fisheries Department is obviously two-fold in that regard. A part of what we do is to, in effect, lay down the management measures that in large measure relates to the articulation of laws and the enforcement of those laws. That’s one subset of that which we do for communities. The other thing that we do is the education front and the education front, we would be committed to pointing out that this resource exists and its almost like killing two birds with one stone, I guess you could substitute killing two fish with one stone in the sense that if we stimulate a fishery that is focused largely on tilapia, what you’re doing is you are, in effect, curtailing and to some extent removing an invasive species. Fish is obviously a major export of Belize, what we are used to when we talk about the contribution of fisheries to Belize is mainly the marine fisheries and to a large extent those are mainly lobster and conch. But there has been a time in the past when Belize used to export catfish and there is no reason why if stocks are there, if tilapia is there in abundance to support a sizeable fishery then there is no reason why it cannot be exported especially to the near regional states such as Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.”
Myvett says that this might spur the possibility of exporting tilapia to other regions.
