zebra pleco

[aquaticclarity]

So, does it mean that the zebra originally may not be really an endangered species, but the dam project will actually kill them out?

Yes, that is the rumor circulating around the zebra pleco groups. And thanks Mike for adding the biggest part I left out the hydroelectric dam issue!

Jeff

 

[Mike Wise]

Just a little more on the Zebra Pleco problem. I was told by several collectors, both Brazilian & American, that you could see bags of dead Zebra Plecos littering the shoreline of the Xingu during the first few years that they were collected. It seems that the collectors needed training about how the ship them properly. Once they learned, there were less losses, but it appears that the Brazilian government has used this as an excuse to close down the fisheries in the upper Xingu for the most part.

 

[blueblue]

Just a little more on the Zebra Pleco problem. I was told by several collectors, both Brazilian & American, that you could see bags of dead Zebra Plecos littering the shoreline of the Xingu during the first few years that they were collected. It seems that the collectors needed training about how the ship them properly. Once they learned, there were less losses, but it appears that the Brazilian government has used this as an excuse to close down the fisheries in the upper Xingu for the most part.

that's a pity... and how about their number in the wild?

 

[Mike Wise]

I do not know if anyone is interested in doing a systematic survey. I'm sure the government is happy to leave everything as it is right now. Their numbers right now should be improving since no one is allowed to collect them & their habitat is not being destroyed - yet.

 

[jose_vogel]

The L46 arrived to Argentina 15 days ago (this is the second time they arrived to my country, the previous one was 7 years ago).

Fortunately, I could buy one at 100 us dollars.

Really nice fish.

 

[Chaos engine]

I´m brazilian, and sorry, but there´s a lot of mistakes here...

In 2004, the brazilian enviroment ministery publish a Normative Instruction with a oficial list of fishes and aquatic invertebrates in threatened of extinction. The species presents on the list just can be caught for cientific propouses, and just for brazilian cientists!
The list was build by sujestion of researchers and a Non governamental agency (ONG) calls "Renctas".

In fact, the biotope of Hypancistrus zebra is restricted to few km of the Xingú river, and the resilience of the specie is low (see fishbase). In fact, i think the specie can´t suport the fishery for comercial propourses for a long time...

The Dan project, calls "Belo monte" really can kill then all, and all the other plecos e riverine fishes in the Xingú river; but the project is now stoped, with various problems in the social-enviromental studies. The hope, now, is that the H. zebra is protected by a federal list, and it can stop the Dan construction for a long time, or even broke the project. The H. zebra can sabe the river.

Other ornamental fishes that are now proibited for colect: Hyphessobrycon flammeus, Elacantinus figaro e Gramma brasiliensis.

sorry my english, i´m trying to learn better...

 

[Mike Wise]

I certainly hope it is true & major parts of the Xingu can be saved. I remember H. flammeus - the Flame or Von Rio Tetra - as the first egglayer that I spawned. It may be endangered in the its natural habitat, but not in the aquarium hobby. It is just like the Cherry Barb, endangered in the wild due to habitat destruction, but not in the hobby.

 

[Nick S.]

Stop

Can these projects not be stopped if it is proven that they will whipe out any threatened or endangered animals of any type? Or if it is a microspecies population indigeneous to that location only.

 

[Mike Wise]

In developing countries, industrial development often takes prescedence over environmental concerns. Brazil has a population with an increasing demand for electrical power, including a big new bauxite/aluminum smelter that needs a lot of electrical power. Since Brazil has few fossil fuel resources they have to turn to their highly abundant hydroelectrical potential.