Nile perch (live)
Lates niloticus
Officers of DPI&F
On this page:
- Description
- Distribution
- Habitat
- Diet
- Environmental impacts
- Suggested further reading
- Additional fisheries information
Adult Nile perch
Juvenile Nile perch
(Note: pictures not to scale)
Description
Nile perch can reach approximately 195cm in lenght and live for up to 16 years. Juvenile Nile perch have several dark to black markings radiating from the eyes. They also have irregular broad dark markings on the body which fade with age. Adult Nile perch are silver in colour with a blue tinge. They have a distinctive black eye, with a bright yellow outer ring. They are similar to barramundi, however Nile perch are capable of breeding in fresh water, whereas barramundi are not.
Distribution
Nile perch are native to the Ethiopian region of Africa and have been introduced to many other lakes in Africa, including Lake Victoria, where they are fished commercially. They are not present in the wild in Australia.
Habitat
Nile perch prefer warm, tropical waters where they grow to large sizes and can occur in high densities. Adult Nile perch occupy all habitats of a lake with sufficient oxygen concentrations, while juveniles are restricted to shallow and/or nearshore environments.
Diet
Adult Nile perch feed on fish, larger crustaceans and insects. Juveniles of the species are planktivorous.
Reproduction
Nile perch are sexually mature at 3 years of age and spawn most of the year. They can produce around 16 million eggs at a time. Females mature at 50 to 80cm, dependant on locality and environmental conditions. After laying the eggs, they provide no parental care.
Environmental impacts
Nile perch were introduced to Lake Victoria and several other lakes in Africa where they have caused severe devastation leading to the loss of many native species. The introduction of Nile perch into Australia was considered after a reduction in Queensland barramundi stocks, but this was decided against due to the devestation they caused in several African lakes. Nile perch are a valuable food fish and fillets are imported to Queensland for sale.
If these fish are found live in the wild or kept in an aquarium, they should be destroyed immediately and reported to the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
Suggested further reading
Eschmeyer, W.N., (1998). Catalog of fishes . California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.
FishBase - A Global Information System on Fishes (website).
Fisheries Act 1994 and Fisheries Regulation 2008. Copies of legislation can be downloaded directly at the Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel website
Further information
Contact the DPI&F Business information centre
Note: Some information in this publication may change from time to time (especially size and in-possession limits). You should contact your nearest Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol or the DPI&F Call Centre (13 25 23) for latest fisheries regulations and information.
Information contained in this publication is provided as general advice only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information in this publication is accurate at the time of publication. Readers should ensure that they make appropriate inquiries to determine whether new information is available on the particular subject matter.
File No: f00121
Last updated 1 April 2008
