| No voucher: [Large] [Zoom] upl_232422.jpg [148856] Approved=Yes Submission by: Vitule, Jean Ricardo Simões on 2008-02-08 Photographed by: Umbria, S.C. Clarias gariepinus Standard Length: 790 mm Locality: During the 1990s, C. gariepinus started to be cultivated in fish farms throughout Europe, Asian and Latin America including Brazil. It was cultivated in fish farms in Paraná state (south region of Brazil), even though Brazil has one of the most diverse catfish faunas in the world and the Environmental Federal Brazilian Legislation, prohibits the introduction, transfer, cultivation and commercialization of C. gariepinus in the Amazon and Paraguay hydrographic basins. However, it was not popular in the local markets, therefore fish farmers began using this species in sport fish ponds (in Brazil named as pesque-pague = âfish-and-payâ) stimulating an increase in the number of such ponds. Unfortunately, the catfish ponds do not have any protective apparatus to avoid the escape of species, resulting in the invasion of this species into rivers and lakes. Guaraguaçu river, Atlantic Rain Forest BR. The Guaraguaçu River is the largest river east of sub-basin of Paranaguá Bay, Paraná coast, Brazil.We record here the invasion of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus into the Guaraguaçu River basin in Paraná State, Brazil, an area with an extremely rich endemic fish fauna, including many catfishes. C. gariepinus was introduced as escapees from ponds built for recreational angling . The catfish is a very large, hardy, and predatory species so there is serious potential for impact on the native fish fauna. The impact of C. gariepinus needs study with emphasis on finding means for controlling its spread.(This is an abstract of the article: Vitule, JRS et al. 2006. Introduction of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus (BURCHELL, 1822) into Southern Brazil. Biological Invasions (2006) 8: 677â681 Copyright©S.C. Umbria, All Rights Reserved. |