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Nile Perch

Scientific Name

Lates niloticus (ITIS)

Common Name

Nile Perch

Native To

Africa (NAS Database)

Date of U.S. Introduction
Means of Introduction

Intentionally introduced to Texas for sport fishing (Rutledge and Lyons 1976)

Impact

Was introduced to Lake Victoria (Africa) in 1954, where it destroyed 200 native species of fish through predation and competition for food (Kaufman 1992); no negative impact in Texas so far as the species is still controlled (NAS Database)

Current U.S. Distribution

Not currently established

Nile perch
Image use policy

Nile perch

Credit

Pam Schofield - DOI, U.S. Geological Survey

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Federally Regulated

  • Injurious Wildlife Listings - Keeping Risky Wildlife Species Out of the United States

    • DOI. FWS. Fish and Aquatic Conservation.

    • Includes species listed as injurious wildlife under the Federal Lacey Act (18 USC 42), which makes it illegal to import injurious wildlife into the U.S. or transport between the listed jurisdictions in the shipment clause (the continental U.S., the District of Columbia, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any possession of the U.S.) without a permit. An injurious wildlife listing would not prohibit intrastate transport or possession of that species within a State where those activities are not prohibited by the State. Preventing the introduction of new harmful species is the only way to fully avoid impacts of injurious species on local, regional, and national economies and infrastructure, and on the natural resources of the U.S.

      Injurious wildlife are wild mammals, wild birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and their offspring or eggs that are injurious to the interests of human beings, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife or wildlife resources of the U.S. Plants and organisms other than those stated above cannot be listed as injurious wildlife. For more information, see What Are Injurious Wildlife: A Summary of the Injurious Provisions of the Lacey Act and Summary of Species Currently Listed as Injurious Wildlife.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Partnership
Federal Government
Citations