The “Tilapia Law” encouraging non-native fish threatens Amazonian River basins

Excerpt

Freshwater ecosystems in Brazil, arguably the most diverse on the planet, have been disturbed by several threats in the past years, particularly competition for water and subsequent water abstraction, urbanization, severe drought, dam construction/water diversion, pollution from different sources, commercial exploitation, and the introduction of non-native species (Agostinho et al. 2005; Vitule et al. 2015; Lima et al. 2015; Winemiller et al. 2016). A worrying example is the federal law 5989/2009 that intends to naturalize non-native fish species by decree in Brazil, some of which have a high invasion potential, such as the carps Aristichthys nobilis, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and tilapias Oreochromis spp. (Lima et al. 2012; Vitule et al. 2012; Pelicice et al. 2014). After naturalized, such species could be used without legal restrictions in aquaculture, for instance. Although aquaculture has been raising non-native species in the Amazon for at least 7 years (Gama 2008; Portal dos Convênios 2016), the Amazon system is the last in the country where non-native species are still scant or absent (Pelicice et al. 2014). It is also the least studied considering non-native species (Frehse et al. 2016). However, this situation is about to change. Without consulting environmental institutions or the public, José Melo, the Governor of the State of Amazonas, sanctioned another worrying law: the state law 79/2016 on 30 May 2016, which allows aquaculture with non-native species in Amazonian River basin, the most diverse area for freshwater fish in the world with about 2500 described species (Winemiller et al. 2016). The law, already referred to amongst academics as “Tilapia Law”, relied on proposals from the National Agriculture Confederation to allow the damming of Amazonian streams (“igarapés”), for fish culture and the construction of fish farms inside Permanent Preservation Areas (i.e. riparian zones). The Confederation also supported initiatives for the culture of non-native species in other states in western Amazon, notably Acre and Rondônia States. …