Serious New Threat to Brazilian Freshwater Ecosystems: The Naturalization of Nonnative Fish by Decree

As Brazil undergoes rapid economic growth, short‐sighted political decisions can threaten biological diversity and ecosystem services. Recently, the Brazilian Congress proposed a law to allow the rearing of nonnative fish in aquaculture cages in any hydroelectric reservoir of the country. This initi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation letters 2014, Vol.7 (1), p.55-60
Main Authors: Pelicice, Fernando Mayer, Vitule, Jean Ricardo Simões, Lima Junior, Dilermando Pereira, Orsi, Mário Luis, Agostinho, Angelo Antonio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
alien fish
Aquaculture
Aquaculture development
Aquaculture facilities
Aquatic ecosystems
Basins
Biodiversity
biological invasion
cages
carp
Commercial fishing
Developing countries
Dispersal
Economic development
Economic growth
Ecosystem services
Environmental economics
Environmental impact
Environmental quality
Eutrophication
Fish
fish culture
Fish production
Fisheries
Fishing
Freshwater
Freshwater ecosystems
Freshwater fish
Freshwater organisms
Homogenization
Introduced species
Invasive fish
Invasive species
Invasiveness
LDCs
management
Nonnative species
Parasites
politics
rearing
risk
River ecology
South America
Tilapia
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Summary:As Brazil undergoes rapid economic growth, short‐sighted political decisions can threaten biological diversity and ecosystem services. Recently, the Brazilian Congress proposed a law to allow the rearing of nonnative fish in aquaculture cages in any hydroelectric reservoir of the country. This initiative may “naturalize by decree” some of the worst invasive species in the world (e.g., carps and tilapias) as a means of developing inland aquaculture and economy. The spread of aquaculture facilities will create opportunities for fish invasions to occur throughout the country, with the risk of damaging native biodiversity, ecosystem services, and environmental quality on a continental scale. The proposal ignores ecological theory, historical and/or empirical data concerning fish invasion, including dispersal, establishment, propagule pressure, invasiveness and invasibility, and all the negative consequences that may follow the invasion and establishment of nonnative organisms. This situation inspires reflection about the future of tropical biodiversity worldwide, particularly because Brazil, like many other developing countries, possesses a remarkable diversity of fish and other freshwater organisms yet has taken some political measures that are in conflict with important conservation issues.
ISSN:1755-263X
1755-263X
DOI:10.1111/conl.12029