Hyderabad: Rise in invasive fish species a threat to biodiversity - Times of India

Hyderabad: Rise in invasive fish species a threat to biodiversity - Times of India

Hyderabad: Rise in invasive fish species a threat to biodiversity - Times of India

Posted: 14 Apr 2021 03:41 PM PDT

By: Pushpita Dhar
HYDERABAD: A freshwater fish from northern South America was recently let into Neknampur lake and the result was havoc with the fish eating up eggs of native species and destroying the balance of the city's already fragile aquatic ecosystem.

A suckermouth catfish, an invasive species banned in Telangana by the fisheries department, was released into Neknampur lake on Sunday morning by unknown persons. "This however, is not an isolated incident," said Madhulika Choudhary, founder of Dhruvansh, an NGO, adding the past six months have seen a number of exotic fish species released into the city's lakes.
In March, crocodile fish introduced in Neknampur lake were later found dead. Instances of invasive species being dumped in lakes by aquarists and increasing in numbers have also surfaced in Bengaluru, Kolkata and elsewhere in the country.
"These fish eat the eggs of other fish and pose a threat to biodiversity if there is no other predator in the lake. They end up killing indigenous species. Nor do these species hold value for fisherfolk," Choudhary said. The unauthorised release of exotic species into the city's lakes also extends to red-eared terrapins that are bred in aquariums till they grow too large and are let into natural water bodies.
"Similar to the catfish that is initially kept as a pet, these terrapins are aggressive and alter the biodiversity of an ecosystem," Choudhary said.
In 2016, the government issued a GO imposing restrictions on the culture of exotic fish such as tilapia to conserve aquatic biodiversity.
In the same year, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) passed an order prohibiting the cultivation of African catfish in Telangana. But in spite of such efforts, species diversity in water bodies in and around the city is falling.
"Ameenpur lake has only tilapia despite farmers cultivating other species," said Shilpi Sharma, regional director, Telangana State Biodiversity Board. "Exotic fish species are not only hardy, they are bottom-dwellers and there are no suitable nets to selectively harvest them."
But the biggest hurdle may still be low levels of awareness among aquarists. "We plan to ask the government to create awareness so that pet shop owners don't stock certain species. As much as 99% of exotic fish species in India ends up in aquariums," Sharma said.

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