It is believed that the tilapia fish was introduced into the mangrove system by escaping from fisheries and aquariums by accident, but this species is also used to control the population of mosquitos to prevent outbreaks of malaria and other invasive species on which they feed. The tilapia are highly tolerant and easily adaptable to different conditions in the mangrove ecosystem and they are highly efficient predators. This often makes them more successful in the environments where they are introduced than the indigenous species, which results in disruption of the food chain. The negative human impact on mangroves disrupts the balance in the mangrove ecosystems, weakening the populations of different species that originate from mangrove forests. This leaves more space and resources to be exploited by the tilapia. The strategies to control tilapia in mangrove ecosystems focus on restoring the habitat and strengthening the populations of indigenous species while decreasing the numbers of tilapia. The species can be eradicated by selective overfishing of the species or by introducing another species into the habitat which is a natural enemy of the tilapia.
