what did my daughter catch??

[m_allison71]

. Any idea what it is. I have an idea, just not sure.

 

[Planking]

Tilapia

 

[m_allison71]

That's what I was thinking. She said she caught two. I told her she should have kept them.

 

[RUGER]

 

[rukiddin]

Private pond or lake/reservoir?? If it's a TVA lake or reservoir, you need to contact TWRA and let them know location.

 

[bowriter]

Yep-good to eat, too. But you have to report it if out of a TVA piece of water.

 

[Setterman]

Yummy, hope it's dead

 

[catman529]

tilapia

 

[catman529]

since when do you have to report them coming from TVA water?

 

[walker]

since when do you have to report them coming from TVA water?

my guess is because they are non native.

 

[catman529]

since when do you have to report them coming from TVA water?

my guess is because they are non native.

so are carp, most trout, striped bass, shad, skipjack, etc.

 

[scn]

since when do you have to report them coming from TVA water?

my guess is because they are non native.

so are carp, most trout, striped bass, shad, skipjack, etc.

There is no legal requirement to report it, but it would be helpful to our Fisheries Div. to know aboout if if it came from a Corp or TVA Reservoir.

 

[catman529]

since when do you have to report them coming from TVA water?

my guess is because they are non native.

so are carp, most trout, striped bass, shad, skipjack, etc.

There is no legal requirement to report it, but it would be helpful to our Fisheries Div. to know aboout if if it came from a Corp or TVA Reservoir.

that's what I was guessing. Thanks scn.

 

[gobblegrunt]

Never seen a fish like that before

 

[RUGER]

Hers had better color than mine.
I know one thing, they FIGHT !

 

[THEdonkey0515]

Awesome

 

[dmonty]

Turd fish

 

[Diehard Hunter]

Go back and catch as many as you can. They will all be floating when the water temps hit 50 degrees. May as well catch and eat them now.

 

[rukiddin]

since when do you have to report them coming from TVA water?

my guess is because they are non native.

so are carp, most trout, striped bass, shad, skipjack, etc.

Nothing requiring you to do so. But the difference in these fish vs other non-natives is there reproduction rates. These fish reproduce at a phenomenal rate. They will make large beds similar to bluegills and even take over bluegill nest and run them off. Luckily in TN the waters get cold enough in the winter to kill'em out. BUT if you have a lake used for cooling, they will survive our winters. I know gallatin now has a population.

 

[4onaside]

If there is a population in a "cooling" lake, so what. They will forever be confined to that body of water. They can't survive if they migrate. And, they do eat about as good as any of our natives.
I believe that the TWRA has stocked them in select lakes, maybe Glen Springs?, as a seasonal vegetation control mechanism.

 

[catman529]

If there is a population in a "cooling" lake, so what. They will forever be confined to that body of water. They can't survive if they migrate. And, they do eat about as good as any of our natives.
I believe that the TWRA has stocked them in select lakes, maybe Glen Springs?, as a seasonal vegetation control mechanism.

x2 now way they could ever be invasive. As for stocking I know a lot of neighborhood ponds stock then around here. Tough to find a pond that seems clean enough to eat from. I really want to catch and eat a couple cause I hear they taste much better than farmed china tilapia.

 

[MidTennFisher]

Farmed China tilapia are not only not as good tasting, but hazardous to eat. Over there they have no standards and those fish are raised in the equivalent of a giant septic tank. Look it up, sewage contaminated waters. Never, ever, ever buy any farmed fish from Asian countries.

On to the Tilapia in Tennessee, they're great tasting and there are several thoughts as to how they wound up in our rivers. Many think it was due to flooding. If you want to load up on them in big numbers fish the Gallatin Steam Plant in the cooler months. That warm discharge is the only area of the lake they can survive when the water temps drop so they're stacked in abundance there.

 

[4onaside]

I'm up to my nose in Black Crappie to eat anyway, giving them away to my neighbors, etc. But I would like to catch some just for the variety. My son and I talked about going over to Glyn Springs to try to catch some a couple of years ago, but its 60 plus miles over there, and we just hate to pass up our great fishing much closer than that, just for the variety! lol

 

[rukiddin]

If there is a population in a "cooling" lake, so what. They will forever be confined to that body of water. They can't survive if they migrate. And, they do eat about as good as any of our natives.
I believe that the TWRA has stocked them in select lakes, maybe Glen Springs?, as a seasonal vegetation control mechanism.

x2 now way they could ever be invasive. As for stocking I know a lot of neighborhood ponds stock then around here. Tough to find a pond that seems clean enough to eat from. I really want to catch and eat a couple cause I hear they taste much better than farmed china tilapia.

In lakes where they die out I guess it wouldn't be that big a deal. But if you appreciate good bluegill (NATIVES) fishing, tilapia will wreck that fishery. I can take you to a pond I stocked 27 tilapia in the middle of May. Now keep in mind there were no fish in this pond other than whatever birds dropped in there. Now I can take you over there and there are thousands in it. Most are <3" but the adults are always guarding nests. The rate the fish reproduce is astonishing. You never want a non-native fish with reproductive tendencies like that getting loose in lake or river system. Blue herons, green herons and king fishers are loving it though. Hahaha

 

[catman529]

If there is a population in a "cooling" lake, so what. They will forever be confined to that body of water. They can't survive if they migrate. And, they do eat about as good as any of our natives.
I believe that the TWRA has stocked them in select lakes, maybe Glen Springs?, as a seasonal vegetation control mechanism.

x2 now way they could ever be invasive. As for stocking I know a lot of neighborhood ponds stock then around here. Tough to find a pond that seems clean enough to eat from. I really want to catch and eat a couple cause I hear they taste much better than farmed china tilapia.

In lakes where they die out I guess it wouldn't be that big a deal. But if you appreciate good bluegill (NATIVES) fishing, tilapia will wreck that fishery. I can take you to a pond I stocked 27 tilapia in the middle of May. Now keep in mind there were no fish in this pond other than whatever birds dropped in there. Now I can take you over there and there are thousands in it. Most are <3" but the adults are always guarding nests. The rate the fish reproduce is astonishing. You never want a non-native fish with reproductive tendencies like that getting loose in lake or river system. Blue herons, green herons and king fishers are loving it though. Hahaha

what about old hickory, they survive the winter through the steam plant. Are they hurting the fishery on that lake?

 

[4onaside]

No debate here, except that the pond that has "thousands" in it now, will have zilch in it Jan 1st. Since they cannot live in cold water, those that venture out of the steam plant area will die over the winter. If the TWRA biologists who stock them in their family lakes don't consider them a threat to native fishes, then neither do I.

 

[catman529]

No debate here, except that the pond that has "thousands" in it now, will have zilch in it Jan 1st. Since they cannot live in cold water, those that venture out of the steam plant area will die over the winter. If the TWRA biologists who stock them in their family lakes don't consider them a threat to native fishes, then neither do I.

x2 I have seen them in plenty of ponds that have plenty of bluegills. I don't think they are that harmful to native fish and they die off every year.

 

[rukiddin]

If there is a population in a "cooling" lake, so what. They will forever be confined to that body of water. They can't survive if they migrate. And, they do eat about as good as any of our natives.
I believe that the TWRA has stocked them in select lakes, maybe Glen Springs?, as a seasonal vegetation control mechanism.

x2 now way they could ever be invasive. As for stocking I know a lot of neighborhood ponds stock then around here. Tough to find a pond that seems clean enough to eat from. I really want to catch and eat a couple cause I hear they taste much better than farmed china tilapia.

In lakes where they die out I guess it wouldn't be that big a deal. But if you appreciate good bluegill (NATIVES) fishing, tilapia will wreck that fishery. I can take you to a pond I stocked 27 tilapia in the middle of May. Now keep in mind there were no fish in this pond other than whatever birds dropped in there. Now I can take you over there and there are thousands in it. Most are <3" but the adults are always guarding nests. The rate the fish reproduce is astonishing. You never want a non-native fish with reproductive tendencies like that getting loose in lake or river system. Blue herons, green herons and king fishers are loving it though. Hahaha

what about old hickory, they survive the winter through the steam plant. Are they hurting the fishery on that lake?

Not familiar enough with OH to give a definitive answer. I work mainly on east side. But I can assure you they are not helping any native species. If given the choice they are primarily herbivores, but they will not turn down a easy meal such as insects and other forage that is beneficial to panfish. I do know these fish were not stocked intentionally and it is thought they got in there through flooding about 3 years ago.

 

[rukiddin]

No debate here, except that the pond that has "thousands" in it now, will have zilch in it Jan 1st.

They'll die out too. It don't matter if there are two or two million, they cannot survive cold water.

 

[rukiddin]

I don't think they are that harmful to native fish and they die off every year.

That's the difference between you and I. You don't "think" they are harmful to native fish and I "know" they can be harmful to native fish.

Ponds are not that big of a deal. They die off every year. If I have ponds with vegetation problems that do not drain into a tributary of a lake or river, then I'll be the first to recommend them to the landowner. They are awesome at removing vegetation. Personally, for short term results, I think they're way more efficient than grass carp with certain types of vegetation.

You will not see detrimental effects on a pond where there dying out every year. Over time, year after year, you will. As far as lakes go, with non-natives/invasives rarely do you see immediate implications. Sometimes it takes years. Seems to me like you guys have already drawn your own conclusions so I'm probably just wasting space, but I work with these fish in ponds and also do some aquaculture with them. I know what they are capable of.