Tilapia

[Gigantor]

Recently while fishing up at Wivenhoe Dam, the ark Ranger suggested that Tilapia were as good to eat as Barra. Personally I've never heard of anyone tucking into these noxious pests.

What's your thoughts? Every eaten them? If so, were they any good?

[cHiCo]

Know a bloke that speared em and used to cook em of a fire and eat em fresh. Must of been alright if he kept doing it.

[Paul_C]

A few years back when Wivanhoe filled to overflowing my son and I scored half a sugar bag of the buggers from the bank at Kipper Creek, originally I was tossing them up the bank for the crows, until one of the guys there suggested that I fillet them and take them home to eat as he claimed they were good chewing, I must admit my first reaction was to throw up, but I decided to take them home. I filleted them up and distributed them to the neighbours who all enjoyed it and some even asked for more. All and all if they have any saving graces, they fight OK and they eat OK.

Regards
Paul Cade

[DRJ]

Hi Guys - text below off the fishweb site. Although not too sure how you freeze a fish to kill it humanely without having it your possession.
Don't get caught cooking them up!!!!!!

Regards
Darren

What do I do if I catch noxious or non-indigenous fish?
Kill the fish as quickly and humanely as possible. Methods include freezing the fish, cutting through the gills with a sharp knife or applying a quick, hard blow to the head. Under the legislation, it is an offence to have these types of fish in your possession, dead or alive (except dead Nile perch). You must therefore dispose of the fish as soon as practicable after killing. It is recommended that you do this by burying it a suitable distance from the waterway where it was caught or disposing it in a rubbish bin.

[Fitzy]

Yes I've eaten them & yep there ok on the plate.

The way the legislation is written, you're breaking the law as soon as you hook one. Cant have them is possesion & cant keep them. Do they want folks to throw them up in the air & hope they dont come down again. While they cant openly say it, officials know ppl target & catch tilapia for a feed.
I know at Somerset/Big W they provide bins for tilapia & I recon most tilapia have had the fillets ripped off them before they go in the bin.
Main reason for not allowing the body to be taken is that being a mouth brooder, they can still have eggs in their mouths. These eggs, even if frozen, are capable of coming back to life once they hit water. If a tilapia frame were used as crab bait for example, we could well be introducing them to yet another waterway.

Tilapia are noxious, not poisonous. Noxious means "Harmful to living things; injurious to health". Basically they're harmful to the fishery by competing with native fish for food & space.

Fitzy..
http://www.ausfish.com.au/fitzy/tilapia.htm

[Remo]

I'm with paul cade.
They put up a good fight and eat okay.