The one thing that may save the amazon from the wels is it womt be the only large catfish in the river system. All the way through the food chain, fish have had to adapt living with rtc and piraiba and such. May be horrible for the eco system or it may not change much but it is a potential tragedy.
Those and other predatory fish. Still they adapt quickly, and the Amazon is a big river. It amazes me that anyone would want to introduce them in the first place. There are more fish sp. in the Amazon than the Atlantic Ocean. Wels are known eating machines and could wipe out as much food or more than they would provide.
Those and other predatory fish. Still they adapt quickly, and the Amazon is a big river. It amazes me that anyone would want to introduce them in the first place. There are more fish sp. in the Amazon than the Atlantic Ocean. Wels are known eating machines and could wipe out as much food or more than they would provide.
I think it would be impressive in the first place for a species to be introduced successfully anywhere in that entire area of the amazon. There are soo many predatory fish. Lets think for a moment too that the piraiba, RTC and arapima are eating machines aswell. There are members here that have them. In a natural state, I'd say these predators eat close to their weight in a week, even in aquariums they eat a LOT. Wels I can't believe to be any different. The difference is that they are not established. So in that aspect that apex predator of a catfish would have to compete to an entity that I think is near incapable to do serious damage to the ecosystem with so many other competitors.
To overcome a species and hurt a vast, vast ecosystem such as that would take starving out those fish that are just as capable as the wels. Starving them, while still hoping to have enough food for its species. If it establishes a reproducing population it could be to the same of lake victoria and perch introduction, 60+ years to where we are now. But that's a hard think that it's a possibility. How many predators were in lake victoria to begin with? Tilapia? All of the cichlids? Nothing like introducing the perch.
With the heavy fishing it makes smaller food more abundant, but a wels still limiting food sources for others as well as it self? Without being caught like they are already, and obviously eaten?
