ETB, The Tilapia fry/Fingerlings are easily eaten by young fish and few Tilaia offspring reaching 4+ inches can't be easily captured by LMB until becoming lethargic, when the LMB will gorge on them and wipe out the edible size tilapia in a couple days time. Since the Tilapia are not an easy, filling prey throughout the year for larger LMB, catchability wouldn't be affected till the tilapia lethargy phase occurs, and as said, only lasts a couple days.
FWIW, in trophy Bass ponds SEPM and some other managers stock Tilapia in rates at and eceeding 100 pounds per surface acre to not only be a huge forage supplement, but also to keep aquatic vegetation stripped to allow bass to eat easily and grow. I have yet to see or hear an "upper limit" in a pond where the tilapia will die annually. Unfortunately, there is little, if any scientific studies on Tilapia in sportfishing ponds...lots on monoculture and polyculture aquaculture ressearch related to growing food fish only, where carrying capacities for growth to harvest size exceed 11,000 pounds of fish per acre of water...a capacity a "recreational pond" will never reach without .
Edit: Corrected typo on LMB capturing 4"+ tilapia from "can" to "can't easily" and more clarification...
Last edited by Rainman; 02/02/13 12:34 PM.
