Aquarium fish exploitation in western Amazonia: conservation issues in Peru

Abstract

The Amazon basin is a key supplier of wild freshwater fishes to the multi-billion US$ global aquarium market, yet limited information exists on the organization of the regional trade, its importance to local economies or conservation impacts. Through field interviews and review of government statistics, this paper describes the state of the industry in Peru, reporting on the scale and value of the trade, the nature of the fishery and the characteristics and roles of key actors in regional supply networks. An economically important industry is revealed, with 28 firms officially exporting over nine million fishes worth US$ 2.5 million to 24 countries in 2001, and involving fish species from 36 families transported from rainforest catchments up to 1100 km distant from the export centre of Iquitos. Most fish are however collected close to the city, with 10 species representing >70% of trade volume. Some 10 000 people earn income from the trade, among them many rural poor who depend on aquarium fish collection as a primary or supplementary source of cash income. The industry is currently undergoing an important transition towards supplying new Asian and European markets, increasing exports of species biologically unsuited to heavy exploitation as a result, and highlighting the conservation need for improved knowledge and management of the trade in Amazonia.

Parasitic infections in ornamental cichlid fish in the Peruvian Amazon

“…In Peru, this activity generates around US$ 3.5 million/year, exporting about 6.7 million fish (MOREAU & COOMES, 2007). Nearly all Amazon fish exported from the natural environment are obtained by local fishermen, who transfer the fish to agents who, later on, transfer them to exporters so as to reach aquarium stores worldwide.…”

Uncovering an obscure trade: Threatened freshwater fishes and the aquarium pet markets

“…For example, 40% of freshwater fishes imported in the US were sourced from wild populations, with these numbers considered an underestimate (Smith et al, 2008). It is known that 9-36 million fishes are collected and exported annually from the Amazon (Anjos et al, 2009;Gerstner et al, 2006;Moreau and Coomes, 2007). At one point in time, over 30 million individuals of a single species, the cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi was exported from the Rio-Negro floodplains of the Amazon (Chao et al, 2001).…”

“…While some authors consider them an important contributor to local economies that can provide incentives for environmental conservation if well managed (Tlusty et al, 2008; see also Rhyne et al, 2012b for a marine example), others question its sustainability vis-à-vis the unmanaged nature and population decline of important species (FAO, 2003;Gerstner et al, 2006;Moreau and Coomes, 2007;Rowley et al, 2008). For example, in Malawi, South Eastern Africa, collection of aquarium fish has been known to support the employment of at least 1500 people (SM.…”

“…But on the other hand, it has been demonstrated that profitable aquarium trade cannot be sustained on the basis of wild caught freshwater fish in Cameroon (Brummet et al, 2010), and that around 82 species of African freshwater fishes seen in the aquarium trade are threatened (UNEP-WCMC, 2008). Moreau and Coomes (2007) while acknowledging that 10,000 people in the Iquitos region of Peru earned at least some income from collecting aquarium fishes, also cautions that the trade presents new conservation concerns. Similarly, Gerstner et al (2006) estimated that 3000 families made a living from the trade and that 100,000 people benefited economically in Peruvian villages, where few other economic opportunities were available.…”

ESTUDIO COMPARATIVO DE LA VARIABILIDAD GENÉTICA DEL ZÚNGARO TIGRINUS - Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (Britski, 1981) Y DOS ESPECIES RELACIONADAS DE LA FAMILIA PIMELODIDAE

“…En tanto que en el ámbito ornamental, el zúngaro tigrinus Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (antes denominado Merodontotus tigrinus, Lundberg & Akama, 2005) destaca por su alto valor comercial. El Perú exporta el 30% de peces ornamentales de América del Sur (Prang, 2007) y B. tigrinum se encuentra dentro de las 12 especies de peces ornamentales con mayor demanda de exportación, siendo comercializada solo hasta su etapa juvenil (Moreau & Coomes, 2007;Ortiz & Iannacone, 2008). En el año 2001 esta especie generó un ingreso de más de 65000 dólares para el Perú, y en los mercados de Europa y Asia, alcanzó precios entre 300 a 600 euros por espécimen (Ralph, 2006;Moreau & Coomes, 2007).…”