Imminent threat of the predator fish invasion Salminus brasiliensis in a Neotropical ecoregion: eco-vandalism masked as an environmental project

Sport fishing is an activity responsible for moving millions of dollars around the world. However, this activity is also considered to cause habitat degradation and promoting several negative effects on the ichthyofauna. The “Iguaçu Dourado” project, presented here, seeks to intensify the potential of sport fishing in the Iguaç u River Basin. Although not explicit, the project intends to introduce Dourado (Salminus brasiliensis), as well as to encourage sport fishing of the species in the Iguaç u River Basin. Twenty specimens were captured in the Salto Santiago and Salto Osório reservoirs from 2003 to 2016, thus indicating that the invasion of S. brasiliensis can be successful and extremely harmful to the endemic fauna of the basin. We believe that the so-called project is characterized by an attitude of eco-vandalism, promoting the illegal release of species outside its area of occurrence. Awareness-raising measures as well as educational programs should be addressed so that the population can be informed about the issue of invasion of non-native species. © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Ciência Ecológica e Conservação. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/). Sport fishing, introduction of non-native species, biological invasions and their consequences for aquatic ecosystems Recreational sport fishing is practiced worldwide (Peixer and Petrere Jr., 2009), with resultant important economic and social values in many countries (Pimentel et al., 2001; Britton and Orsi, 2012; Ellender and Weyl, 2014). This fishing modality is responsible for a considerable exchange of income and services related to fishing activities (Sipponen and Gréboval, 2001; Peixer and Petrere Jr., 2009). Despite the positive aspects of sport fishing, related primarily to the economy and to tourism, sport fishing is also considered to be the cause of severe habitat degradation and the decline of fish stocks around the world (e.g. Britton and Orsi, 2012; Ellender and Weyl, 2014), especially by promoting the negative effects of commercial fishing (Cooke and Cowx, 2006). Presently, sport fishing is one of the main vectors of non-native fish introductions worldwide (Pimentel et al., 2001; Vitule, 2009; ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: viniribeiro [email protected] (V.R. Ribeiro). Britton and Orsi, 2012; Daga et al., 2016). In Brazil, on the grounds that few native fish species are suitable for sport fishing, the introduction of non-native species, such as the peacock-bass (Cichla spp.) and the dourado Salminus brasiliensis (Cuvier, 1816), has been encouraged and even carried out by government agencies, as well as illegally by fishermen, with the aim of developing this fishing modality in the country (Vitule, 2009; Vitule et al., 2014). The introduction of such species as the dourado and peacockbass, considered non-native top-predators, can cause significant deleterious effects on native fish populations (Pelicice & Agostinho, 2009; Vitule et al., 2014). Introductions of non-native piscivorous fish can be especially harmful because of their extremely aggressive predatory behavior (Pelicice & Agostinho, 2009; Gubiani et al., 2010; Vitule et al., 2014), and their greater potential for competition when compared with native predators (Pereira et al., 2015). The introduction of dourado and prospects for the Iguaç u