Use of the wolf cichlid Parachromis dovii (Günther 1869) as biocontrol of the overpopulation of blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner 1864) and its economic impact

Authors

José Antonio Valverde Moya Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje

Keywords:

Predator, population control, biocontrol, tilapia, Costa Rica

Abstract

In the control of the overpopulation of blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus in ponds, a species of piscivorous fish such as the wolf cichlid Parachromis dovii can be used, which is also highly desired as food. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of the wolf cichlid as a biological predator of tilapia fry and as an additional economic income. The blue tilapia juveniles (3.0 ± 3.7 g) and guapotes (5.0 ± 3.4g) were stocked in three ponds divided into 3 sections of 24 m². 3 replicates were used in polyculture at densities of 1.75 ind./m² with a ratio of 5:1 tilapia: guapote in treatment A and 1.38 ind./m² with a ratio of 10:1 tilapia: guapote in treatment B. A monoculture of tilapia at a density of 1.42 ind./m² was used as a control in triplicate. A significantly higher final average weight was recorded in blue tilapia specimens in treatment A (158 g) compared to control (116 g), with no significant differences between treatments A and B. A significantly higher total (314 g) and net (13 g/m²) biomass of blue tilapia was harvested in treatment A compared to the control (121 g and 5 g/m², respectively) due to the higher growth rate. The lack of guapotes in the monoculture led to the appearance of a greater number of fry (<50 g) and fewer commercial-sized fish (>200 g) compared to the two treatments with guapotes. Guapotes biomass was also significantly higher in the 5:1 ratio compared to 10:1, contributing to a higher total biomass. The possibility of selling guapotes allowed obtaining greater profitability and surpluses, exceeding the break-even point with a greater margin in the 5:1 ratio with respect to monoculture and the 10:1 tilapia: guapote ratio.

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