State Tilapia Regulations

[urbanfarmer]

Great thread badflash! Keep up the good work buddy

[badflash]

Hawaii
Permits are required.
List of restricted animals:
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/admin-rules/subt ... R-71RB.pdf

I have been unable to find specific permits required, but for Nile and Mossambicus, the process seems to have some available assistance available.

See the State Aquaculture Development Program (ADP).
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/adp/aquaculture-in-hawaii

Did I mention that O. mossambicus fingerlings to adults can live in full sea water with little acclimation?

[AZdesertFarmer]

Arizona requires an Aquatic Wildlife Stocking Permit (no fee) for any and all species. The G&F Dept. will then decide what fish they will allow. I was told that Tilapia are only permitted in Maricopa County (even though Blue Tilapia are already in Lake Mead in Mohave County) and that they may do a site inspection for access to waterways, flood control channels, etc. The way around this would be to file for a commercial aquaculture license through the Dept of Agriculture. This is very expensive and probably not worth all the goverment interference. I'm going with bluegill which will handle the winters here better anyway.

[bcotton]

Your texas state post appears to be out of date. Mossies are allowed in private pond or facility without a permit assuming you dont plan on selling them.

You are supposed to keep your receipt of purchase for as long as you have the fish. The following is the information i received from texas parks and wildlife department upon query.

Raising Tilapia in Texas


• TPWD only allows the following 3 species of tilapia with an Exotic Species Permit:
1. Nile tilapia – Tilapia nilotica
2. Mozambique tilapia – Tilapia mossambica
3. Blue tilapia – Tilapia aurea- Tilapia aurea
4. Hybrids between the above listed species are allowed with a permit

You may possess Mozambique tilapia in a private pond or facility for personal use. They You must retain a copy of the Exotic Species Transport Invoice from the licensed fish farmer you purchased the tilapia from for 1 year after the purchase date or as long as the live tilapia are in your possession, whichever is longer.

If you plan on selling the tilapia, you must obtain an Exotic Species Permit from the department. You will need to obtain an Aquaculture License from the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and a Wastewater Permit or Exemption from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) before you can obtain an Exotic Species Permit. The contacts for TDA and TCEQ are:

TDA – Kerry Cowlishaw – 512-463-7400

TCEQ – Melinda Luxemburg – 512-239-4541

For additional information please refer to our rules regarding Harmful or Potentially Harmful Exotic Fish, Shellfish and Aquatic Plants. A copy is attached or you may access them at the Texas Administrative Code, Title 31, Part 2, Chapter 57, Subchapter A.

[Shas]

Montana
NO PERMIT REQUIRED for closed recirculating systems or fish tanks.

Please delete this if it's redundant
(my internet is too slow to read all of the pages, sorry)
but I ran into this:
"Montana Laws Concerning the Raising of Tilapia

Monday, 22 Jun, 09 - I have just had a conversation with a State Game Warden who has informed me that there will be no licenses or pond permits issued for pond raising of any type of Tilapia in the State of Montana. From my conversation with the Game Warden, it is still legal to raise them inside a shop, greenhouse, basement or garage in stock tanks or aquariums, without interference or licensing from the state.

It is illegal to have any outdoors fish tanks without approval from the State of Montana.

We do not knowingly sell any Tilapia for pond raising to Montana residents or for planting in any type of outdoors tank, trough, barrel, tub or pond located within the borders of Montana.

Anyone wishing to order pure strain Blue Tilapia for pond raising, must live outside of the State of Montana. If you live in Montana, and your pond is outdoors you will not get approval for raising Pure Strain Blue Tilapia, Nile Tilapia, or Mozambique Tilapia from the Montana State Dept. of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

ANY tropical fish that is being used for an office or residence and is considered a pet does not come under the administrative regulations of FWP, according to their website. In Montana, our Tilapia are sold only as pets, we do not sell pond fish in Montana."

Excerpted from
http://jimsfish.webs.com, a commercial tilapia fingerling distributer.

[sweet earth farm]

Wisconsin does not have restrictions if it is in a closed loop greenhouse system.

[sweet earth farm]

I am new to the field but went to "Growing Power" in Milwaukee to see how they do it and was so impressed that I have been wanting to get started in it since then. I will put up pictures when I get to use my regular computer. (my kid is monopolizing the computer right now) but my husband and I put up a 10' x 20' x 7'high greenhouse and are currently digging a trench down the middle about 3' deep x 3' wide x 14' long for the fish tank. I have many questions and you all are probably just the ones to help me answer them. First off - Growing Power only stocks one gender of fish in any tank. Probably eliminates a lot of problems but how do you tell fish apart? Especially if they are young fingerlings which is what they start with. Secondly- How do we keep the water cool in the summer if we grow perch? What kind of heater should I use in the winter to heat the water if we grow Tilapia? I looked at the link off of this site for a solar water heater but could not interpret it well enough to think I could replicate it. Third- where do you get watercress seeds or seedlings at this time of year? In a greenhouse that is only 7 feet high, are there any limitations as to what height the shelf for the plants should be? Where do you buy Tilapia fingerlings from and how do we transport them? How much do they cost? What kind of testing should be done for bacteria levels and pH and how often should that be done and where do I get those testing kits? I appreciate any advice you can give us!! thank you!

[Shas]

I have many questions and you all are probably just the ones to help me answer them

Hey there, sweet earth farm.
I'm a relative newcomer myself
and you're right, the folks here have the answers you are looking for.
If you were to go to the index page
General Information and News
and post all of this on the
"A PLACE TO SAY HELLO" forum
they will find you, greet you,
and tell you all you want to know.

I'm familiar with raising fish,
but aquaponics is a new field to me.
I have learned TONS,
and in a rationally organized way,
from Oliver's little college course
"Aquaponics 101" right here:
Aquaponics 101-Part One: The Process

Welcome to the forum!

[bbikebbs]

Georgia
No permit required
http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/724

Above link was gone when I went to it. Found this and wanted to update this info:

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/728

Bottom line is that it looks like you need a permit to raise Tilapia under most conditions.

edit: This link may be of interest as well:
http://www.georgiawildlife.com/AquacultureRegulations

[keith_r]

i'm raising perch and tilapia in my basement,, our recent cooler weather has my tank down to about 58f, my blue and nile tilapia are still doing well
in the summer the tank may get up to the mid 70's or so, which is fine for yp... once the water hit's the mid 80's, perch will not do well.. bluegill and or catfish are a great "starter" fish for ap, they handle a wide range of temps, adults are ok with lower protein food and are generally pretty tough..
keep your system going for a year to see what kind of temps you have, and go from there