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Freshwater
Fishes of Southeast Asia
Potential for the Aquarium Fish Trade and Conservation Issues
Southeast Asia is a very rich area in biodiversity
with a high degree of endemism in both flora and fauna. Many
freshwater fish species have been exploited for the ornamental
fish trade. As the population in Southeast Asia increases,
vast tracts of forests are cleared for agricultural, industrial
and urbanization purposes. In order to conserve and sustainably
exploit the wild fish population, measures should be adopted
to protect this natural resource. Already, several ornamental
species have been severely overexploited, e.g. Bala
Shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus), Pygmy Loach
(Botia sidthimunki) and Arowana (Scleropages formosus).
The reasons for the extirpation of local populations are manifold
and not due just to fishing for the trade, among which is
deforestation. There are also still many species which have
great ornamental fish potential. Wild fish species have also
been successfully bred in captivity and conserved, e.g. Tiger
Barb (Puntius tetrazona), Bala Shark (Balantiocheilos
melanopterus), Pygmy Loach (Botia sidthimunki)
and Arowana (Scleropages formosus). Other methods of
conservation include public education, leaving pristine forests
intact and reforestation. The aquarium trade of the Clown Loach (Botia macracanthus)
in Sumatra and Borneo is discussed.
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