On the significance and role of accidental introduction of the invader species Northern snakehead (Channa argus Cantor, 1842) in the ichthyofauna composition of the Balkhash-Ili Basin
An alien species Nothern snakehead (Channa argus Cantor, 1842) from the water bodies of the People's Republic of China and Republic of Korea was accidentally introduced, along with the larvae of herbivorous fish species, into the basins of the Syr Darya River and the Aral Sea in the 1960s; afterwards it spread to numerous water bodies in South Kazakhstan. Subsequently, in 2003, a certain number of the Northern snakehead juveniles was brought into one of the ponds near Almaty, and from there, through the canal network and the Kaskelenka River, it entered the Qapshaghay Reservoir of the Balkhash-Ili Basin. This article discusses the issues of adaptation and the propagation process of the invader in its new living conditions, as well as its biological characteristics and nutrition. Due to the differences in habitat stations and methods of obtaining food, there is a lack of food competition between the new invader and other predatory fish. Following the results of the analysis, the Northern snakehead is found to play a positive role in utilization of the food supply of carnivorous species, which comprises abundant non-commercial fish species of the Chinese complex that compete with juveniles of all commercial fish species in the water bodies for food. Based on the above differences in the habitat and nutrition stations, it is predicted that with the completion of naturalization process, the abundance and fishing stocks of the Northern snakehead will be significantly lower than these of three predatory fish species (zander, asp and catfish) previously acclimatized in the investigated water bodies. The volumes of commercial snakehead catch in the recent years, which range from 4.9 to 5.3 % of the total fish catch, are shown.
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Contribution biblioteca |
| Language: | Russian |
| Published: |
2020
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| Subjects: | Channa argus, Northern snakehead, Acclimatization, Juveniles, Habitats, Adaptations, Food preferences, Abundance, Stock assessment, Zander, Asp, Catfish, Змееголов, Сом, Жерех, Судак, Пищевая конкуренция, Ареал, Акклиматизация, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/17346 |
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