PlanetCatfish.com

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted in several years because I got into saltwater, had twins, and generally had life take over fish interests. Recently, I've been considering getting one or two breeding tanks going for xingu fish, ever since seeing some l82's on aquabid and 174's on Facebook. I'm really out of the loop on the xingu dam, so I don't know if there's any urgency to pick up the fish or if I have some time to save up. Are these two species in imminent/immediate danger from the dam or are they from an area that will survive? Are there other species that will be totally eradicated?

Thanks!

Andy

If I am understanding the situation correctly, the dam is basically done. However, the actual startup whereby the system becomes operational and which means the flow through the Big bend and below will be greatly reduced year round has not begun. This is due to lawsuits and court rulings. As far as I know the recent rainy season is going close to normally. Once they begin filling the reservoir behind the dam and diverting the flow of water, there is a good chance species will start to decline and even be lost.

The other side of this is despite the wholesale breaking of regulations and agreements, this dam will become operational. There is simply too much money involved for environmental concerns or the disrupted lives of a few 10s of thousands of native peoples who were there before Brazil even existed to matter at all. The courts will eventually give the go ahead.

My position has always been that, despite the laws in effect in Brazil, any fish removed from the Xingu in contravention of those laws would increase the odds that species would not disappear from the planet even when it becomes extinct in the wild. I do not think it is possible to collect the Xingu species into extinction if the dam is not the threat I believe. Populations may be reduced but not likely eliminated. On the other hand, if I am correct then every fish removed will increase the chances for the survival of species in tanks as they will be gone in nature. On which side of the issue should we be erring?

I'm on the side of collecting to preserve the species. Maybe that's outside of biological ethics, but it makes sense to me. I suppose there's a financial benefit to breeding something extinct in the wild, but that's not my motivation. L082 has just always been a bucket list fish for me, and I miss my little colony of 174's. Seems like zebras are being bred in pretty good numbers, so Id rather work with something else if I'm going to start up again.