I'm on something of a grail quest--A few years back, the ichthyology department at the Harvard Museum of Natural History got a couple reliable reports of people catching tilapia (invasive African cichlid species/food fish), around the more developed parts of the Charles--hanging around warm water outflows and the like.
If I could get my hands on one of those for the museum collection, it would be an extremely cool data point.
And, perhaps more importantly, I would get bragging rights for the voucher specimen....
We haven't heard of any catches in the past year or so, though.
Have any of you seen or heard of tilapia in the Charles River? I'd be really grateful for any information. As far as identifying them, two key features of the group are:
1) a single pair of nares, instead of two pairs
2) a split lateral line -- the anterior portion is dorsal to the posterior portion.
Let me know!
If I could get my hands on one of those for the museum collection, it would be an extremely cool data point.
And, perhaps more importantly, I would get bragging rights for the voucher specimen....
We haven't heard of any catches in the past year or so, though.
Have any of you seen or heard of tilapia in the Charles River? I'd be really grateful for any information. As far as identifying them, two key features of the group are:
1) a single pair of nares, instead of two pairs
2) a split lateral line -- the anterior portion is dorsal to the posterior portion.
Let me know!
Yeah, Tilapia is easily to catch on fly-fishing or using bread as bait on inside of charles esplanade during summer. Good luck!
Only source that I was aware from is Roy Leyva. Look him up. He was famous for catch them in there. As only guy that I know that is catching them. He caught Pacu out of there too. I think. Couldnt recall where he caught it.
Only source that I was aware from is Roy Leyva. Look him up. He was famous for catch them in there. As only guy that I know that is catching them. He caught Pacu out of there too. I think. Couldnt recall where he caught it.
I have caught some big tilapia in Florida and Mexico. They are pretty easy to spot. From there huge crater like beds to them schooling on the surface. They are just not in the Charles River. They can't make it through the winter.
Me and a handful of guys fish the warm water discharge all winter and I never heard of tilapia. This winter for example the river was frozen for 2 months straight and couldn't be fished. No way a population survives.
However, you may be looking for the wrong type of cichlid. People release their pets all the time. I caught a giant albino Oscar in the Esplanade about 5 years ago, and released it back. This may be more of what you need to look for.
Me and a handful of guys fish the warm water discharge all winter and I never heard of tilapia. This winter for example the river was frozen for 2 months straight and couldn't be fished. No way a population survives.
However, you may be looking for the wrong type of cichlid. People release their pets all the time. I caught a giant albino Oscar in the Esplanade about 5 years ago, and released it back. This may be more of what you need to look for.
Thanks guys! I have doubts about a sustained population of tilapia in the Charles, too, but given their rampant invasion prowess, and easy farming in water quite different from their native homes, I'd still like to give it a shot.
I'll let you all know if I find anything.
I think if I found a Pacu in the Charles I might just explode.
And I totally agree about the Oscars and irritation about folks releasing their exotic pets in general. There are some cichlids native to Mexico that have crept up into the Southern US (of the Cichlasoma clan), but some of them (oscars from SA, or any African species) really don't belong here). Thankfully, most of the species in the cichlid pet trade are not as robust as the tilapia species complex.
I'll let you all know if I find anything.
I think if I found a Pacu in the Charles I might just explode.
And I totally agree about the Oscars and irritation about folks releasing their exotic pets in general. There are some cichlids native to Mexico that have crept up into the Southern US (of the Cichlasoma clan), but some of them (oscars from SA, or any African species) really don't belong here). Thankfully, most of the species in the cichlid pet trade are not as robust as the tilapia species complex.
