The Pet Trade as a Source of Invasive Fish in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Shih-Hisung Liang, Ling-Chuan Chuang, Ming-Hsiung Chang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Taiwan University 2006-06-01
• Series: Taiwania
• Subjects: Pet trade; Fish invasion; Taiwan; Island
• Online Access: http://tai2.ntu.edu.tw/taiwania/abstract.php?type=abstract&id=489

In this study, ornamental fish available for purchase at pet stores in Taiwan were compared to those documented as having invaded the island’s ecosystems. In total, 293 pet fish species belonging to 48 families were recorded. The top five families that included the most pet fish species were the Cichilidae (79 species), Callichthyidae (38), Characidae (37), Cyprinidae (20), and Loricariidae (16). Among the 48 families, five families, documented as having invasion records, are the Cichilidae, Cyprinidae, Loricariidae, Belontiidae, and Poeciliidae. Except for the Cichilidae, the proportion of invasive species to total species of other four families were at least equal to or greater than 10%, with the Belontiidae displaying the highest proportion at 66.6%. The Belontiidae also demonstrated a significantly higher rate of documented invasive species than did the other families. Families with a greater number of recorded pet fish species also presented a significant positive correlation with their documented invasive species if the 20 families with only a single surveyed species were excluded. Forcing retailers to foster home program, urging aquariums to display how to eliminate fish escaping from captivity, and instituting a higher custom duty or higher purchasing tax were proposed to eliminate future introductions of pet fish species.