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SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS |
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Introduced species, such as these Nile tilapia in China, can provide socio-economic benefits to rural areas.
The introduction of species is an established means to increase
productivity and generate income in aquaculture and capture fisheries.
The production of African tilapia in Asia is more than 1 500 000
metric tonnes; much of this is used by rural and poor communities.
Introduced salmonids in Chile provide over US$2.4 billion
to the aquaculture industry and provide about 40 000 jobs for local
people.
However, alien species may also cause socio-economic disruption.
The introduction of alien species may change access to aquatic resources.
In Bangladesh, high value Indian major carps were stocked
into oxbow lakes; former users of the lakes were excluded in order
to protect the new and more valuable resource.
A change in the nature of the fisheries may result from the introduction
of an alien species.
The introduction of Nile perch into
Lake Victoria, Africa, changed a primarily small-scale artisanal
fisheries into a multimillion dollar commercial fishery that supports
industrial processing and foreign export. The effects of an introduction
can take a long time to develop and might not be sustainable. The
Nile perch fishery took 20 years to develop and may now be collapsing.
The re-introduction of European flat oyster from North America
to Europe destroyed the European oyster industry. A bloodparasite,
carried along with this re-introduction, rendered European flat
oyster production economically unfeasible in affected areas. Now
oyster production in Europe is based on the introduced Pacific oyster.
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Introduced
species in fisheries and aquaculture