Armored catfish and other invasive species are wreaking havoc in the San Antonio River
SAN ANTONIO (KABB) — There’s nothing like going for a relaxing stroll or going for a run right by the San Antonio River. But what you may not know is right below the surface non-native species are wreaking havoc on the river’s ecosystem. One of the top invasive species are armored catfish.
"Armored catfish have been around for, I would say, a long period of time, it's hard to determine exactly when there's records from decades ago of them being in the river, they likely were introduced through aquarium dumping, a lot of people will call them algae eaters and their tanks at home." -Shaun Donovan, Environmental Science Department Manager at the San Antonio River Authority
Donovan says armored catfish and other invasive species cause many problems for the native fish in the river.
"The issues that they end up causing for us are depends on the species and some of them can out compete the natives, they'll outcompete other sunfish people a lot of times we'll know of bluegill is a really common sport fish for people. They'll get out competed by the tilapia. The armored catfish can also cause issues with bank stability that can cause erosion." -Donovan says
Instead of aquarium dumping, Donavan recommends other human ways of getting rid of these fish
"If you're no longer able to or willing to maintain a pet at home is returning to the pet store, most of those locations would be happy to get a pet back in their store. Some of those really big algae eater fish can be sold to people with larger tanks or an outdoor pond system." says Donovan
While eradication of these non-native species is virtually impossible, you can do your part in keeping our river as clean and healthy as possible.
