The Silent Threat of Non-native Fish in the Amazon: ANNF Database and Review

Abstract

Non-native fish (NNF) can threaten megadiverse aquatic ecosystems throughout the planet, but limited information is available for the Amazon Region. In this study we review NNF data in the Amazonian macroregion using spatiotemporal records on the occurrence and the richness of NNF from a collaborative network of 35 regional experts, establishing the Amazon NNF database (ANNF). The NNF species richness was analyzed by river basin and by country, as well as the policies for each geopolitical division for the Amazon. The analysis included six countries (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia), together comprising more than 80% of the Amazon Region. A total of 1314 NNF occurrence records were gathered. The first record of NNF in this region was in 1939 and there has been a marked increase in the last 20 years (2000–2020), during which 75% of the records were observed. The highest number of localities with NNF occurrence records was observed for Colombia, followed by Brazil and Bolivia. The NNF records include 9 orders, 17 families and 41 species. Most of the NNF species are also used in aquaculture (12 species) and in the aquarium trade (12 species). The most frequent NNF detected were Arapaima gigas, Poecilia reticulata and Oreochromis niloticus. The current data highlight that there are few documented cases on NNF in the Amazon, their negative impacts and management strategies adopted. The occurrence of NNF in the Amazon Region represents a threat to native biodiversity that has been increasing “silently” due to the difficulties of large-scale sampling and low number of NNF species reported when compared to other South American regions. The adoption of effective management measures by decision-makers is urgently needed and their enforcement needed to change this alarming trend and help protect the Amazon’s native fish diversity.

Non‐native species drive biotic homogenization, but it depends on the realm, beta diversity facet and study design: a meta‐analytic systematic review

“…regions where species richness is higher (in particular Africa, Indomalayan and South America) were underrepresented. These regions with high biodiversity are increasingly threatened by different anthropogenic pressures including biological invasions (Doria et al 2021). We believe that the development of studies with adequate control (including space‐for‐time and time sequence approach together), along with more studies in the tropics, is necessary to fill these gaps and improve our comprehension of the effects of non‐native species on different aspects of native diversity, including community's homogenization.…”

Capítulo 20: Impulsores e impactos de los cambios en los ecosistemas acuáticos

“…(Miranda-Chumacero et al 2012). A recent review revealed 1,314 records of non-native fish species (in 9 orders and 17 families), in the Amazon Basin since the first record in 1939, with a sharp increase in the last 20 years (75% of occurrences) (Doria et al 2021). Non-native species were mainly introduced by the ornamental trade, or for aquaculture and sport-fishing.…”

Estrutura Populacional de Espécies do Gênero Cichla (Osteichthyes: Cichliformes) Introduzidas em Diferentes Regiões Brasileiras – uma Revisão Bibliográfica

“…Uma revisão da literatura identificou a ocorrência de 192 espécies não nativas em ecossistemas aquáticos continentais neotropicais; entre estas espécies, 12% eram pertencentes à família Cichlidae (Gubiani et al, 2018). Em outra revisão mais atual compreendendo seis países da América do Sul, que cobrem mais de 80% da região Amazônica, foi determinado um aumento temporal na ocorrência de espécies de peixes não nativos, com 41 espécies de peixes registradas, incluindo Cichla monoculus e Cichla piquiti (Doria et al, 2021).…”

“…O interesse econômico pelo aspecto ornamental, a criação de reservatórios, e o fomento da pesca esportiva e da aquicultura extensiva e semiextensiva culminaram na ampla introdução de espécies de tucunarés, a partir da década de 1960, em diversas regiões do Brasil (Gubiani et al, 2018;Doria et al, 2021) e do mundo (Sastraprawira et al, 2020). No entanto, a introdução de espécies não nativas pode resultar em consequências ecológicas severas, evaluating the structure of tucunaré populations themselves.…”