A INTRODUÇÃO E DISTRIBUIÇÃO DO TUCUNARÉ-AZUL E DO TAMBAQUI NO PANTANAL CORUMBAENSE

Abstract

The Pantanal has unique characteristics, but similar to the Amazon Basin, especially with regard to flood cycles in both regions. Such similarities allowed introduced fish species such as the blue peacock bass (Cichla piquiti) and the tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) to develop in the Pantanal region after escaping from excavated tanks in the 1980s. In this sense, the investigation of the occurrence of such species was carried out in the main fishing spots, on the Paraguay River, starting from the city of Corumbá, in the Pantanal plain. At the analyzed points, specimen fishing was carried out, using fishing equipment allowed by the current legislation for amateur fishing, considering the fishing effort of eight hours per day of field work, totaling seven field works between 2018 and 2019. The results point out that the peacock bass is already widely spread on the Pantanal plain, while the tambaqui is still restricted to some bays. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the species and conduct behavioral studies to understand and mitigate the impacts of their introduction on such an important plain.