Dominance of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Priyadarshini Jurala Project (PJP) Reservoir, Telangana, India

Laxmappa Boini; Ravinder Rao Bakshi

doi:10.21077/

Authors

Laxmappa Boini State Fisheries Department
Ravinder Rao Bakshi

https://doi.org/10.21077/

Keywords:

Nile tilapia, Carp, Catfishes, Priyadarshini Jurala Project, Telangana.

Abstract

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a successful aquatic invader with adaptable life-history traits and has become dominant in irrigation tanks, reservoirs and rivers in Telangana. Monthly surveys were conducted in Priyadarshini Jurala Project (PJP) Reservoir, in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar District, Telangana, for three years (2023-2025) to assess the contribution of Nile tilapia and other major fish groups to the catch. Monthly catches were estimated using standard methods, and annual catches were calculated by summing monthly observations. The results indicated the dominance of Nile tilapia over commercial carp species. The share of Nile tilapia in the annual catch increased from 57.60% in 2023 to 63.63% in 2025, whereas the share of carps declined from 28.58% to 24.91% during the same period. These trends indicate the potential negative impact of Nile tilapia on the abundance of other commercially important fish fauna in PJP. The study shows a marked reduction in carp catches after the establishment of tilapia in the reservoir and confirms the high abundance of Nile tilapia throughout the water body.

Keywords: Abundance index (AI), Carps, Catfish, Cichlid, Exotic species, Invasive fish

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bakshi Ravinder Rao and Dharmapuri Raghunatha Rao. 2023. Impact of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus and O. mossambicus) on the abundance of Indian major carps and other cultivable fishes in Guddemdoddi Balancing Reservoir and Ramanpad Balancing Reservoir in Telangana State, India. Biochem. Cell. Arch. 23(2): 767-773.

Jayaram, K. C. 2013. The Freshwater Fishes of the Indian region, Revised 2nd Edition. Narendra Publishing House, New Delhi.

Joshi, K. D., Basheer, V.S., Kumar, A., Srivastava, S.M., Sahu, V and Lal, K.K., 2021. Alien fish species in open waters of India: Appearance, establishment and impacts. The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences 91(3): 167-173.

Joshi, K. D, Jha, D.N, Alam, M.A, Das, S.C.S, Srivastava, S.K and Kumar, V. 2014. Massive invasion of resilient exotic fishes in the river Ganga: A case study at Allahabad Stretch. Journal of Inland Fisheries Society, 46(1): 92–95.

Kottelat, M. and Whitten, T. 1996. Freshwater fishes of Western Indonesia and Sulawesi: additions and corrections. Hong Kong, Periplus Editions.

Lakra, W. S., Singh, A. K., Ayyappan, S. 2008. Fish Introductions in India: Status, Potential and Challenges. Narendra Publishers, New Delhi.

Lakra, W. S., Singh, A.K., Mahanta, P. C. 2009. Fish Genetic Resources. Narendra Publishers, New Delhi, India.

Laxmappa, B., Vamshi, S., Sunitha, P. and Jithender Kumar Naik, S. 2015. Studies on invasion and impact of feral population of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Krishna River of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana, India. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 2(5): 273-276.

Mahender, J., Laxmappa, B., Ravinder Rao Bakshi and Rajashekhar, A.V. 2015. Impact study of the feral population of alien fish species on growth of Indian major carp species in Chenugonipally Peddacheruvu tank of Mahabubnagar District, Telangana, India. International Journal of Research in Fisheries and Aquaculture, 5(3): 98-103.

Shetty, H. P. C., Nandeesha, M. C. and Jhingran, A. G. 1989. Impact of exotic aquatic species in Indian waters. In: Exotic Aquatic Organisms in Asia. Proceedings of a Workshop on Introduction of Exotic Aquatic Organisms in Asia. Asian Fisheries Society Special Publication, Manila, Philippines 3:45-55.

Shuai, F., and Li, J. 2022. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus 1758) invasion caused trophic structure disruptions of fish communities in the South China river- Pearl river. Biology 11, 1665. doi: 10.3390/biology11111665

Singh, A. K, Lakra, W. S. 2006. Alien fish species in India: Impact and emerging scenario. Journal of Ecophysiology and Occupational Health; 6(3-4): 165-174.

Singh, A.K, Lakra, W.S. 2011. Risk and benefit assessment of alien fish species of the aquaculture and aquarium trade into India. Reviews in Aquaculture; 3(1): 3-18. doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-5131.2010.01039.x

Singh, A. K., Verma, P., Srivastava, S. C. and Tripathi, M. 2014. Invasion, biology and impact of a feral population of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1757) in the Ganga River (India). Asia Pacific Journal of Research, I (14): 151-162.

Stauffer, J. R. Jr., Chirwa, E. R., Jere, W., Konings, A. F., Tweddle, D., and Weyl, O. 2022. Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Teleostei: Cichlidae): A threat to native fishes of Lake Malawi? Biol. Invasions 24, 1585–1597. doi: 10.1007/s10530-022-02756-z

Sugunan, V.V. 1995. Exotic Fishes and their role in Reservoir Fisheries in India. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 345. FAO, Rome.

Talwar, P.K., and Jhingran, A.G. 1991. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol I & II. Oxford and IBH Co., Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi

Tripathi, S., Gopesh, A. and Dwivedi A. C. 2017. Fish and fisheries in the Ganga River: current assessment of the fish community, threats and restoration. Journal of Experimental Zoology, 20 (2): 907-912.