Marine or freshwater: the role of ornamental fish keeper's preferences in the conservation of aquatic organisms in Brazil

Anna Karolina Martins Borges; Tacyana Pereira Ribeiro Oliveira; Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves

doi:10.7717/peerj.14387

Marine or freshwater: the role of ornamental fish keeper's preferences in the conservation of aquatic organisms in Brazil

PeerJ. 2022 Nov 11:10:e14387. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14387. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Anna Karolina Martins Borges¹, Tacyana Pereira Ribeiro Oliveira², Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves³

Affiliations

¹ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
² Centro de Ciências Biológicas e Sociais Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil.
³ Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Brazil.

Abstract

Background: The use of ornamental fish as pets has important implications for the conservation of the species used in fish keeping, particularly in relation to overexploitation. Understanding ornamental fish keepers' relationship with the hobby can provide important information for assessing the potential impacts of the activity. Here, we analyzed the profile of Brazilian ornamental fish keepers and evaluated their preferences and the implications of their choices.

Methods: Information was obtained by applying questionnaires to 906 ornamental fish keepers participating in fish keeping groups in a social network. The questionnaire contained questions about the species of fish kept (freshwater and marine), techniques used, socio-economic aspects, and associated conservation perspectives.

Results: Most ornamental fish keepers were young men (20-40 years old), with higher education and monthly income above US$ 530.00. Participants predominantly kept freshwater fish (86%), but marine fish only (5%) or both marine and freshwater hobbyists (9%) were also recorded. A total of 523 species of ornamental fish were kept, most of which comprised freshwater (76% of the total) and exotic species (73%). About a third of the fish species recorded were under national trade restrictions. In addition, about a third of ornamental fish keepers declared that they also had invertebrates. Marine aquariums require a greater financial investment, especially at the beginning, than freshwater aquariums and are also almost entirely based on exotic species. The aesthetic factor is the main motivation associated with practicing this hobby, being color and behavior key factors in choosing fish. A total of 10% of hobbyists have already released fish into the wild, highlighting concerns about potential biological invasions. There is an urgent need to enforce regulations towards restricting ornamental fish keepers' access to threatened native species and potentially invasive species, as well as measures aimed at informing and raising hobbyists' awareness of conservation measures related to the hobby.

Keywords: Freshwater fish; Invasive species; Marine fish; Social media; Trade regulations.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Aquatic Organisms*
Brazil
Fishes*
Fresh Water
Invertebrates

Grants and funding

The Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development granted a MSc scholarship to Anna Karolina Martins Borges (CNPq, 130751/2018-9) and a productivity research grant to Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves. This study was also supported by CNPq (grant 422041/2018-1) and FAPESQ-PB. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.