Tilapia farming threatens Brazil's waters
Patrícia Charvet, Thiago Vinicius Occhi, Larissa Faria, Bárbara Maichak de Carvalho, Clemerson Richard Pedroso, Laís Carneiro, Matheus Oliveira Freitas, Miguel Petrere-Junior, Jean Ricardo Simões Vitule
Abstract
Once again, the Brazilian government is threatening native biodiversity by facilitating invasive alien species farming (1). The Brazilian Aquaculture and Fisheries Secretary recently announced a Federal Decree (10576/2020) to boost aquaculture by implementing farming of Nile tilapia in 60 of Brazil's 73 reservoirs (2). The Decree also transfers responsibilities, such as permits, licensing, and enforcement—which until now have rightly been the domain of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA)—to the Brazilian Aquaculture and Fisheries Secretary. The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), a cichlid fish native to Africa, is an invasive species that has spread worldwide (3). The ecological impacts associated with its farming are extensive (3, 4), and these policy changes should be halted before they cause further environmental damage to Brazil's fragile aquatic ecosystems.