Freshwater fish introductions in Spain: facts and figures at the beginning of the 21st century

By Benigno Elvira, A. Almodóvar. 2001

312 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Twenty-five introduced fish species are established in Spanish fresh waters. Most of the introductions took place after 1900, with a significant exponential increase during the second half of the 20th century (15 species introduced from 1949). Major stocking efforts in Spanish waters have been suspended, but recently some species have been released by anglers or are suspected to be escapes from fish farms. Stream regulation is considered to be one of the main negative factors affecting river ecosystems in Spain, but many of the aliens adapt well to these altered habitats. Competition between native and exotic fishes is certain to occur to some degree, but there is little quantitative information. Fish conservation and fishery management must not be based on the ‘introduce anything’ sentiment that has developed over more than a century. Information, education and public awareness are critical components of any effort to prevent the spread of introduced fish species.

Subfields: Aquatic Science, Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/103887b1af99d15d77f0965d5ea4bd75f51fae45

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Citations in the corpus

A global assessment of freshwater fish introductions in mediterranean-climate regions (2013, background): “Although governmentsanctioned fish introductions have ceased in many countries, the illegal release of non-native species by anglers and aquarists, including accidental releases from aquaculture facilities, has continued (Elvira & Almodóvar, 2001; Rahel, 2004).”
Life-history traits of non-native fishes in Iberian watersheds across several invasion stages: a first approach (2007, methodology): “We used basic information on freshwater fish species inhabiting Iberian drainages in Doadrio (2001), but information on new and failed invaders came from Elvira (2001), Elvira and Almodóvar (2001), Caiola and de Sostoa (2002), and unpublished data from personal experience (Table 1).”
To be, or not to be, a non‐native freshwater fish? (2005, background): “In Spain, and despite recent legislation, non-native fish species continue to be introduced, such as Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baeri, channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, silver bream, Blicca bjoerkna in 1995 as well as Mediterranean toothcarp Aphanius fasciatus, first reported in 1997, and guppy”
Life-history traits of invasive fish in small Mediterranean streams (2005, methodology): “In general, data about ecological variables were obtained from Doadrio (2001) and Oberdorff et al. (2002), date of introduction from Elvira and Almodóvar (2001), and distribution and occurrence of fish species from Aparicio et al. (2000) (Table 1).”
Alien Invertebrates and Fish in European Inland Waters (2009, background): “Since those times, several fish species have been illegally introduced to increase the diversity of the target species for anglers (e.g., large fish species, such as Silurus glanis) and others have been released as bait and forage fishes (e.g., the bleak Alburnus alburnus in the Iberian Peninsula; E”
Profiling invasive fish species: the importance of phylogeny and human use (2005, background): “The impacts of invasive freshwater fish are variable and poorly understood but include some of the most dramatic cases (Drake et al ., 1989; Moyle & Light, 1996a) and the Iberian Peninsula is no exception to this (García-Berthou & Moreno-Amich, 2000; Elvira & Almodóvar, 2001).”
Introgression variability among Iberian brown trout Evolutionary Significant Units: the influence of local management and environmental features (2006, background): “…by introgression of foreign genes because of artiﬁcial stocking with hatchery-reared ﬁsh of central and northern European origin (Elvira, 1995a,b; Machor-dom et al. , 1999; Almodo´var et al. , 2001; Elvira & Almodo´var, 2001; Almodo´var, Nicola & Sua´rez, 2002; Almodo´var & Nicola, 2004).”
Reservoirs promote the taxonomic homogenization of fish communities within river basins (2010, background): “…of fish introductions recorded in the Iberian Peninsula are related to sport fishing, implying both species of fishing interest and bait fish (Elvira and Almodóvar 2001; Ribeiro et al. 2008), and sport fishing activities in the Iberian Peninsula tend to be concentrated in reservoirs (Marta…”
Null model of biotic homogenization: a test with the European freshwater fish fauna (2007, background): “However, in southern Europe, several studies reported declines and extirpations of native and endemic fish species at local scales (i.e. in localities within a river basin) due to the spread of non-native species (Bianco, 1995; Elvira & Almodóvar, 2001).”
Impacts of non-native fishes on Iberian freshwater ichthyofauna: current knowledge and gaps (2010, background): “The spread of nonnative fishes has often been pointed out as a leading cause of the decline of Iberian native fishes, both in their ranges and abundances (Almaça 1995b; Elvira 1998; Elvira and Almodóvar 2001).”