Predatory Fish Like Arapaima, Red Belly Piranha And Alligator Gar Spotted After Kerala Floods

Raising some serious concerns over the balance of life in the freshwater rivers of Kerala, a number of predatory non-native fish breeds have been spotted in the waters ever since the recent floods.

A couple of photos and videos making rounds on social media for the past few days suggest that an arapaima was caught by some locals from the Chalakudy river in Thrissur District.

The photos showed a couple of men holding the fish, which is bigger than an average man.

Arapaima is a large fish which is native to the Amazon River in Brazil. Arapaima which is one of the rare fishes species that can breathe air from the atmosphere. It is also known to be a vicious predator.

There are no previous records of Arapaima being spotted in a waterbody anywhere in India. But there are fish enthusiasts who have kept them in ponds and aquariums for years. It is highly likely that one of them slipped through during the floods and reached the Chalakudy River.

Even though one of them was caught, it is not sure how many more are still in the water. The freshwater rivers of Kerala will be an ideal 'home' for the giant fish to live and breed without any natural predators.

While Arapaima is not a direct threat to humans the reports of large number of people hooking red belly piranhas from the Vembanad Lake is a matter of concern. Ever since the flooding, a number of people have hooked or netted the red belly piranhas, know to be one of the deadliest freshwater fishes.

A native of South America, piranhas are known hunters and has a fierce reputation of their love for meat and in the past, there are many recorded cases packs of piranhas attacking humans.

Growing piranhas are officially banned in Kerala, but many fish farms and aqua life dealers have kept them illegally.

Another non-native species of fish which was recently spotted in Vembanad Lake is Alligator Gar. The Gar which resembles an alligator is among the largest freshwater fishes in North America. It can grow upto 80-100 kgs. They are said to be relatively passive, seemingly sluggish solitary fish, but voracious ambush predators.

Though not a stranger to the water bodies in Kerala, another rampantly spotted non-native species is the African Catfish. Officially banned for cultivation in Kerala, the fish is illegally farmed at various parts of Kerala, especially in Alappuzha, Idukki and Ernakulam districts.

Known to a ferocious hunter and an extreme survivor, the air-breathing fish is found throughout Africa and the Middle East. Introduced to Kerala some years in fish farms, it got out to the rivers and lakes during the rains and instantly proved disastrous for the ecosystem.

With no natural predators, the African Catfish which can grow over 50 kgs literally feasted on native fish species, driving many of them into extinction.

A few years ago the African Catfish which slipped away from the cardamom plantations in Idukki wreaked havoc in the Periyar Lake which was home to some 34 native species.

With the flood of the century, it is likely that more deadly non-native fishes have entered the waters, but the ecological impact they will have is something that only time can tell.