exotic fish species in aquaculture and aquatic … · fish species in several natural aquatic...

1Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries

© Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, University of KeralaJournal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries | Vol. 4 | 2016 | pp. 1-7

ISSN 2321–340X

EXOTIC FISH SPECIES IN AQUACULTURE AND AQUATICECOSYSTEM IN TELANGANA STATE, INDIALaxmappa, B.Department of Fisheries, Mahabubnagar, Telangana, 509001, IndiaE-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: A number of invasions of freshwater exotic f ishes have taken place into India over the past decade,adversely affecting the indigenous f ish biodiversity. The collected information on alien f ish species revealedthe presence of 31 f ish species introduced in India for aquaculture purpose, of which eight exotic f ish specieshave been introduced in Telangana state. Many of them were illegally introduced and their historicalinformation was not available. Telangana is abundant in water sources such as rivers, reservoirs, canals andirrigational tanks and exotic f ish species escaped from confinement may pose challenges to ecology of thewater bodies. The paper presents data on over-all scenario of various exotic f ish species in the state, theirdistribution, dispersal and invasiveness and their impacts on the riverine f ish diversity and ecosystem. Presenceof exotic f ish species such as Oreochromis niloticus, O. mossambicus, Clarias gariepinus etc. have impactedthe populations of indigenous species and contributed towards the decline in the f ishery of native cyprinidfish species in several natural aquatic bodies of the Telangana state. The mitigation of the negative impacts ofexotic f ish species will require continued co-operation of government, academia and private sectororganizations.

Key words: Alien f ish, Fish biodiversity, Invasion, Aquatic ecosystem, environmental impact

INTRODUCTIONOver the past two decades, many alien f ishspecies have been clandestinely brought intoIndia by private aqua-culturists, entrepreneursand aqua-industrialists for immediate gains. Suchunauthorized activities are causingindiscriminate spreading of alien species, withpotentially adverse ecological consequences (BijuKumar, 2000; Singh and Lakra, 2006; Lakra etal., 2008). In spite of an already rich and diversef ish genetic resource of India, more than 300 alien/ exotic species have been introduced into thecountry so far. While a vast majority of them areornamental f ishes, which remain, more or less,conf ined to the aquaria, some others have beenintroduced in aquaculture and open watersystems with varying degrees of success.However, unauthorized culture of alien speciesand their unintentional or deliberate spread isemerging as one of the greatest threats to thebiodiversity of aquatic ecosystems. The impactsare typically greater in systems already affectedby human activity (Vaughn, 2010). Increased

appearance of alien species particularly indegraded aquatic environments has furthersignif icantly aggravated threats to biodiversity(Lakra et al., 2008).Telangana is situated on the Deccan Plateau, inthe central stretch of the eastern seaboard of theIndian Peninsula and covers 114,840 squarekilometres. Two major rivers of South India. viz.,the Godavari and the Krishna River with theirseveral tributaries form the chief perennial riversystems of this state. There are a large number ofmedium and small sized rivers in addition toseveral man-made reservoirs, backwaters andtanks in this state.AQUACULTURE OF EXOTIC FISHWhile there are about 31 alien f ish speciesrecorded from aquaculture systems in India(Singh and Lakra, 2011), culture of some f ishspecies such as Pangasianodon hypoththalmus,Oreochromis niloticus, Piaractus brachypomus,Aristichtys nobilis and Clarias gariepinus pickedup during recent years (Table 1).

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Exotic f ish species in aquaculture and aquatic ecosystem in Telangana

Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries

Table 1. Exotic f ish species in aquaculture & its status in Telangana

1 Common carp Cyprinus carpio Aquaculture2 Grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella Aquaculture3 Silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix Limited culture4 Pangas Pangasianodon hypophthalmus Aquaculture5 Big head carp Aristichthys nobilis Limited culture6 African catf ish Clarius gariepinus Limited culture7 Red-bellied Pacu Piaractus brachiopomus Limited culture8 GIFT tilapia Oreochromis niloticus Limited culture

Sl. No. Common name Scientific name Present status

Bangkok strain of the common carp was broughtinto the country with the objectives of broadeningthe species spectrum in aquaculture andincreasing yields through better utilization ofvacant trophic niches. Of the alien carps, thecommon carp (C. carpio) is now widely culturedall over the country including Telangana in pondsand tanks.Both silver carp (H. molitrix) and grass carp (C.idella) were introduced in 1959 for a specif icpurpose and have led to the development of ahigh yielding technology, ‘Composite FishCulture’, after several years of experimentation.The grass carp (C. idella) was introduced mainlyto control weeds in natural water bodies. It is animportant species used in ‘composite f ish culture’and is widely cultured throughout India,including Telangana. Indian neighbors, Bangladesh and Nepal, culturea number of alien species (Barua et al., 2001;Gurung, 2005). Many alien species, such asClarias gariepinus, Pangasianodonhypophthalmus, Aistichthys nobilis, and Piaractusbrachypomus , have been surreptitiouslysmuggled into India from there to other statesincluding telugu states of Andhra Pradesh,Telangana and are being cultivated (Table 1).These unauthorized introductions have achievedpopularity in aquaculture.Andhra Pradesh is one of the states in the countryfor clandestine culture of alien f ish species.Andhra farmers took ponds near reservoir orcanal water available areas in Telangana state andstarted these alien f ish species culture byimporting seed from the coastal districts. Amongthe catf ishes, the African catf ish Clariasgariepinus was also clandestinely introduced into

the state of Andhra Pradesh (A.P) in early 1990sf rom Bangladesh through West Bengal(Ramakrishna et al., 2012), later in Telangana areacreated severe environmental problems includingpollution of water and air in the vicinity of farmponds. Although its culture is unauthorized,these f ishes have become popular among aqua-culturists in the country including Telangana andAndhra Pradesh states (Laxmappa and Srinivas,2016).Among the poplar alien f ish species, pangascatf ish (P. hypophthalmus) introduced in 2004from West Bengal illegally. The Government ofIndia permitted this species for aquaculture in2009. Now its culture is common in ponds,yielding maximum production by using pelletfeed. In some areas chicken waste is used as feedfor these f ishes. Red-bellied pacu (P.brachypomus) is also illegally introduced in 2012for aquaculture in A.P and later in Telangana byAndhra farmers. In some areas of the state P.brachypomus culture is mixing with pangasspecies and in some other areas culturingseparately. Due to low yield problems its culturearea is very limited in the state of Telangana.GIFT tilapia and pangas f ish species culturestarted in cages on piolet basis of selected 5reservoirs viz., Koilsagar, Ashoksagar, LowerManer Dam (LMD), Kadam and Palair inTelangana state in 2015 and culture was successful.

OCCURRENCE OF EXOTIC FISH IN OPENWATERSIn recent years, there has been an alarmingincrease in the number of alien f ish species beingdetected in the rivers, lakes and reservoirs of India(Lakra et al., 2008; Raghavan et al., 2008). Most


escapee alien species were from unauthorizedculture species and moved into open watersinadvertently or because farmers were unawareand/or lacked knowledge of the potential adverseeffects.Tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, was f irstintroduced into pond ecosystems in 1952 andthereafter stocked in several reservoirs of southIndia for production enhancement (Sugunan,1995). Oreochromis niloticus was introduced intoIndia during 1987 for aquaculture purpose andnow it contributes more than 7.17% in total inlandf ish production (Singh and Lakra, 2006). Boththis species are now found abundantly in almostevery environment particularly in almost allreservoirs, lakes and reservoir fed tanks/pondsin Telangana. In Krishna river ecosystem O.niloticus population was found to represent48.82% of the f ishery (Laxmappa et al 2015a) andin natural irrigational tanks its population found13.38% to 84.47% (Laxmappa et al, 2015b; 2015c;Mahender et al, 2016). The indigenous f ishspecies like carps, catf ish, murrel etc.,populations were declined signif icantly.However, there has been intensive aquaculturediversif ication using alien f ish species. Many ofthe cultured alien species have been deliberatelyor inadvertently released and are now appearingin natural aquatic bodies (Singh, 2014). Theinvasion of alien f ishes in aquatic systems suchas rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands have beenrecorded and is found to differ in variouslocations and f ishery.

The Impact assessment studies of invasives werecarried-out in the Yamuna, Ganga, Periyar rivers,back waters of Kerala, Jaiselmer lake (Rajasthan),Ramgarhlake (Uttar Pradesh) Kolleru lake(Andhra Pradesh) and Krishna river & tanks(Telangana). Ecological impact assessment ofOreochromis mossambicus , O. niloticus ,Pangasianodon hypophthalamus , Clariasgariepinus, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthysmolitrix, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Aristichthysnobilis and Piaractus brachypomus commonlyoccurring in aquaculture and breeding wasattempted.

The collected information on alien f ish speciesreveals the presence of twelve species introducedfor aquaculture in the country. Many of them areillegally introduced and their historicalinformation such as the source, place and periodof their introduction is unknown. Some of theseintroduced f ishes are now found in differentinland water bodies. During the study few livespecimens of African catf ish Clarias gariepinusand pacu Pygocentrus brachypomus werecollected from Krishna and Godavary riversrespectively. Recently invasive f ish speciesPterygoplichthys pardalis were also caught inlarge number in tanks of Nalgonda district in thestate. The detailed information on the presentdistribution of exotic f ish species in naturalwaters of Telangana state is presented in Table2.

Table 2. Existence of Exotic f ish species status in open water ecosystem in Telangana

1 Common carp Cyprinus carpio Limited2 Grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella Limited3 African catf ish Clarius gariepinus Limited4 Pangas Pangasianodon hypophthalmus Rare5 Red-bellied Pacu Piaractus brachiopomus Rare6 Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus Abundant7 Mosombique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus Common8 Mosquito f ish Gambusia aff inis common9 Guppy Lebistes reticulatus Limited10 Giant gouramy Osphronemus goray Rare11 Sail-f in catf ish Pterygoplichthys pardalis Limited

Sl.No. Common name Scientific name In open water status

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Fig. 1. Oreochromis mosambicus caught fromopen waters

Fig. 2. Oreochromis niloticus caught fromopen waters

Fig. 3. Clarius gariepinus caught from open waters Fig. 4. Piaractus brachiopomus f ish caught fromopen waters

Fig. 5. Grass carp caught from open waters Fig. 6. Cultured GIFT tilapia


Fig. 7. Cultured pangas catfish from the pond Fig. 8. Harvest of cultured Pangas catf ish andPacu f ish

Fig. 9. Mosombique tilapia caught from open waters Fig. 10. Nile tilapia caught from open waters

Fig. 11. Sail-f in catfish caught from open waters Fig. 12. Cultured grass carp

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IMPACT OF EXOTIC FISH SPECIESThe use of exotic species for f isheries andaquaculture diversif ication has been practicedsince the middle of the 19th century. Althoughmany such introductions have been successful,others have resulted in highly publicized failure,generating controversy over protection of nativebiodiversity, spread of pathogens and disease.However, the introduction and transfer of exoticspecies and breeds for aquaculture of exoticspecies and breeds for aquaculture purposes maybe done with extreme caution as it can change orimpoverish the biodiversity and genetic resourcesthrough interbreeding, competition for food,habitat destruction and through transmission ofdiseases.The little or no management measures taken byfarmers especially in preventing escape of pondreared individuals has now resulted in the speciesbeing distributed in many natural water bodiesof the state. C. gariepinus is now beingincreasingly caught from Srisailam backwatersand PJP canal fed irrigational tanks in the state(Laxmappa et al, 2015b; Mahender et al., 2015).African catf ish escaped from rearing ponds inthe area and got established in the larger villagetanks also subsequently wiping out theindigenous species like snakeheads (murrels),local catf ishes, etc.Since last decade, the State Departmentaloff icials have been conducting raids, destroyingthe African catf ish stocks and f iling the casesagainst culturists. But still some of the farmers

Fig. 13. Cultured common carp Fig. 14. Pangas catfish harvesting from Cage culture

doing this illegal activity secretly and exportingthis produce to neighboring states in the country.Carps culturists are also getting these African catf ish species in their tanks at the time ofharvesting. However, formers are unaware of theadverse implications of this catf ish on theecology.

CONCLUSIONSAlthough aquaculture of C. gariepinus is bannedin Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, vide GO. Ms.No: 54, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Developmentand Fisheries (Fish-II) Dept. dated 04.10.2005,some aqua-culturists have taken littleconsideration for such bans and continue rearingthis catf ish. It is widely believed that thepopularity for African catf ish aquaculture is dueto the simplicity in their rearing, fast growth andacceptability of cheap feed, such asslaughterhouse and chicken waste. The lowoperational costs and high prof its derived fromAfrican catf ish farming have led tointensif ication of production.Low culture management practice, tolerance ofa harsh environment, acceptability of a varietyof feed, including slaughterhouse wastes, and fastgrowth mean that farmers have begun to cultureit in small pits and cement cisterns as well as inlarge ponds in India. Considering the threatsposed by African catf ish, the Ministry ofAgriculture, Government of India, ordered killingof this alien catf ish en masse and has imposed aban on its culture. However, it is still bred and


cultured even today in different parts of thecountry.In view of the adverse environmental,socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts, there isan urgent need to regulate the illegal entry ofalien species into the states including India.There is a pressing need to follow scientif icallysound methods and approaches in the f ield ofrisk assessment for alien species so as to pick onlysafe and prof itable species of aquaculture.

REFERENCESBarua, S.P., Khan, M.M.H. and Ali Reza, A.H.M. 2001:

The status of alien invasive species in Bangladeshand their impact on the ecosystems. In:Balakrishna P (ed.) Report of Workshop on AlienInvasive species, pp. 1–8. GBF-SSEA, IUCNRegional Biodiversity Programme, Asia, Colombo.

Biju Kumar, A. 2000. Exotic f ishes and freshwaterfish diversity. Zoos’ Print Journal, 15(11): 363-367.

Gurung, T.B. 2005: Responsible introduction of alienfish and biodiversity in Nepal. Aquaculture Asia2005: 13–16.

Lakra, W,S,, Singh, A.K. and Ayyappan, S.(eds). 2008:Fish Introduction in India: Status, Potential andChallenges. Narendra Publishers, New Delhi.

Laxmappa, B., Vamshi, S., Sunitha, P. and JithenderKumar Naik, S. 2015a: Studies on invasion andimpact of feral population of Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus) in Krishna River ofMahabubnagar district in Telangana, India.International Journal of Fisheries and AquaticStudies, 2(5): 273-276.

Laxmappa, B., Ravinder Rao, B. and Mohd. Vazeer.2015b: Invasion and impact of feral population ofTilapia (Oreochromis sp) and African catf ish(Clarias gariepinus) in irrigational tanks ofMahabubnagar District, Telangana, India.International Journal of Research in Fisheries andAquaculture, 5(2): 48-53.

Laxmappa, B., Nagaraju, C. and Sreedhar Sharma, M.2015c. Impact study of the feral population ofTilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) on growth ofIndian Major Carp in Veeranna tank of TatikondaV illage in Mahabubnagar District, Telangana,India. International Journal of F isheries andAquatic Studies, 3(1): 93-96.

Laxmappa, B. and Srinivas, D. 2016: Status of alien f ishspecies farming and its implications in Telanganaand Andhra Pradesh, India. Aqua Tech, 15 (3): 75-78.

Mahender, J., Laxmappa, B., Ravinder Rao Bakshi andRajashekhar, A.V. 2015: Impact study of the feralpopulation of alien f ish species on growth ofIndian major carp species in ChenugonipallyPeddacheruvu tank of Mahabubnagar District,Telangana, India. International Journal of Researchin Fisheries and Aquaculture, 5(3): 98-103.

Raghavan, R., Prasad, G., Anvar-Ali, P.H. and Pereira,B. 2008: Exotic f ish species in a global biodiversityhotspot: observations from River Chalakudy, partof Western Ghats, Kerala, India. BiologicalInvasions, 10 (1): 37–40.

Ramakrishna, R., Munichandra Reddy, D. and VaraPrasad, K. 2012: Carp culture in Andhra Pradesh.Aqua Tech, 11 (5): 79-83.

Singh, A.K. and Lakra, W.S. 2006: Alien f ish speciesin India: impact and emerging scenario. Journalof Ecophysiology and Occupational Health, 6: 165–174.

Singh, A.K. 2014: Emerging alien species in Indianaquaculture: prospects and threats. Journal ofAquatic Biology & Fisheries, 2(1): 32-41.

Sugunan, V.V. 1995: Exotic Fishes and Their Role inReservoir F isheries in India. FAO FisheriesTechnical Paper 345. FAO, Rome.

Vaughn, C.C. 2010: Biodiversity losses and ecosystemfunction in freshwaters: Emerging conclusions andresearch directions. Bioscience, 60 (1): 25–35.

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