Occurrence of Ornamental Fishes:A Looming Danger for Inland Fish Diversity of India

Abstract

India is known for its immense aquatic wealth, in particular freshwater fish resource. But, the ongoing ornamental fish trade and introduction of exotic fishes in the wild pose a serious threat to India's native aquatic diversity. Recent studies from several parts of India have revealed the presence of several ornamental fishes in inland water bodies, including the biologically sensitive areas such as Chalakudy River in the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot which harbours 16 endangered and 4 critically endangered species. So far, 27 ornamental species have been reported in the inland wetlands of India. Among them, 15 have already established a good breeding population and have emerged as a threat to the native species. Awareness among the public, policy makers and researchers about the impacts of ornamental fishes in inland water is the need of the hour. Stringent measures should be taken to monitor the aquarium fish trade and accidental release of exotic species into inland waters. If not, the invasion of ornamental fishes may demolish the inland aquatic diversity of native Indian breeds.

Distribution of alien invasive species in aquatic ecosystems of the southern Western Ghats, India

“…Major pathways for the establishment of alien species in SWG are aquarium trade and aquaculture, similar to those in other parts of India where major identified pathways for aquatic alien species include aquaculture, sport fishing, and mosquito control (Biju Kumar, 2000;Knight, 2010;Singh and Lakra, 2011;Raghavan et al, 2008Raghavan et al, , 2013Sandilyan, 2016). Among these, aquarium fish trade has been identified as the major global vector for freshwater fish invasions (Chan et al, 2019).…”

Risk analysis of non‐native three‐spot cichlid, Amphilophus trimaculatus, in the River Cauvery (India)

“…Other South American ornamental fishes (e.g. guppy Poecilia reticulate Peters, Amazon or vermiculated sailfin catfish Pterygoplichthys spp., red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, green swordtail Xiphophorus helleri Heckel and southern platyfish Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther)), A. trimaculatus is believed to have entered India through the aquarium trade (Knight, 2010; Sandilyan, 2016). Also, because the aquarium trade is the vector by which India receives ornamental fishes (including species of genera Cichlasoma and Amphilophus ) primarily from Southeast Asian countries, it is likely that consignments of A. trimaculatus arrived in India from Southeast Asia for sale as an ornamental fish in Bhavani, where the species most likely gained entry into the river by way of accidental escape.…”

Physiological Adaptations and Behavioral Responses of Janitor Fish (Ancistrus sp. orange) to Warming Temperature

“…Moreover, it arose that warming temperature can cause heat stress to water organisms like fishes and are projected to undergo physiological impairment and behavioral changes relative to their growth, survival, and environmental disturbance [31]. Their limited environment will become harmful in a warming temperature scenario since their environment is so limited and they have no capacity for possible migrations in order to reproduce their species [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40].…”