APP203795 Staff Assessment Report.Pdf
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EPA Staff Assessment Report APP203795: To determine the new organism status of Colossoma bidens May 2019 EPA advice Application APP203795 Executive Summary Application APP203795, submitted by the Ministry for Primary Industries, seeks a determination on the new organism status of Colossoma bidens. After reviewing all of the available information and completing a literature search concerning the organism, EPA staff recommend that Colossoma bidens is not a new organism for the purpose of the HSNO Act based on the evidence that this organism has been identified as present in New Zealand since before 29 July 1998 when the HSNO Act came into effect. 2 EPA advice Application APP203795 Table of contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 2 Table of contents ................................................................................................................................... 3 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 4 2 Organism description ................................................................................................................. 4 3 Taxonomy and evidence regarding its presence in New Zealand ......................................... 7 4 Comments from agencies .......................................................................................................... 7 5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 7 6 Recommendation ........................................................................................................................ 7 7 References ................................................................................................................................... 9 8 Appendix 1: Decision path for section 26 determination...................................................... 10 3 EPA advice Application APP203795 1 Introduction Application summary 1.1 On 20 December 2018, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) applied to the EPA under section 26 of the HSNO Act seeking a determination on the new organism status of Colossoma bidens. 1.2 The applicant considers this organism as not new and provided evidence to support this claim. The evidence consisted of a letter by the National Aquarium of New Zealand to MPI which confirmed the presence of C. bidens in the aquarium in 1994. In addition, two individuals of this species were donated to the aquarium in the late 1990s. The National Aquarium of New Zealand acknowledged in the letter that there are currently six individuals of C. bidens on display. 1.3 Section 2A(1) of the HSNO Act prescribes that a new organism is, in part, an organism belonging to a species that was not present in New Zealand immediately before 29 July 1998. It is against that criterion that we evaluated the evidence available for the organism in the application. 1.4 The application was formally received for consideration on 15 May 2019. 2 Organism description Colossoma bidens Taxonomic Unit Classification Order Characiformes Family Serrasalmidae Genus Piaractus Species Brachypomus (Cuvier 1818) (Fishbase, 2019) Synonyms Colossoma bidens (Spix and Agassiz, 1829) (Catalogue of Life, 2019) Colossoma brachypomum (Cuvier, 1818) (Catalogue of Life, 2019) Myletes brachypomus (Cuvier, 1818) (Catalogue of Life, 2019) Myletes paco (Humboldt, 1821) (Catalogue of Life, 2019) Common names Tambaqui (Bolivia), caranha and pirapitinga (Brazil), paco and cachama-blanco (Colombia), paco (Peru) and red-bellied pacu (Amazon Waters, 2019), pacu (Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina)(Mulca 2003) 2.1 Colossoma bidens, more commonly known as the red-bellied pacu or pacu, is a scaled fish in the family of Serrasalmidae and was first described by Cuvier in 1818. This species is widely 4 EPA advice Application APP203795 distributed across whitewater1, blackwater2 and clearwater3 rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco River basins in South America but specifically in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil (Fishbase, 2019). 2.2 Colossoma bidens is a medium-size fish with an average length of 40 – 100cm (Amazon Waters, 2019) and a maximum weight of 25kg. The oldest recorded specimen was 28 years old (Fishbase, 2019). 2.3 Mature C. bidens are solitary and inhabit main river channels and flood plains. During the rainy season, they migrate to flooded forests where they stay in shallow, slow-moving waters with overhanging or floating vegetation. Juveniles stay in groups, inhabiting flood plains in the first few months of their life where food is abundant and predation is less likely (Seriously Fish, 2019). 2.4 Sexual dimorphism occurs within the species as mature females are rounder-bellied than males (Seriously Fish, 2019). 2.5 Colossoma bidens is often mistaken for piranha as juvenile fish resemble the closely related red-bellied piranha (Serrasalmus nattereri) as a form of defence to deter predators (Fishbase, 2019; Seriously Fish, 2019). Unlike the carnivorous piranha, C. bidens is one of the largest fruit and seed eating fish in the Amazon. Its diet includes zooplankton, insects, decaying plant material and small fish. It is believed that C. bidens plays a crucial role in the transportation and dispersal of these seeds across South American waterways. 2.6 Colossoma bidens is well-known and identified for its striking dentition (Figure 1) as the teeth are cusped and resemble human molars. The powerful jaws complement the dentition of C. bidens which allows this species to crush fruit, nuts and seeds (Seriously Fish, 2019). Figure 1: Dentition of red-bellied pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) which strongly resembles human dentition. Sourced from Nisamanee Wanmoon, Wikipedia, 18 September 2014. Distribution, consumption and exploitation 2.7 In native waters, C. bidens suffers from gross overfishing. The depletion of C. bidens stock is forecast to cause potential implications for 1 Whitewater: fast shallow stretches of water in a river. 2 Blackwater: waste water and sewage from toilets. 3 Clearwater: solid-free wastewater. 5 EPA advice Application APP203795 ecosystems. C. bidens was heavily exploited in the 1960s and 1970s and consequently large individuals are now rare (Amazon Waters, 2019) in central Amazon region, with the majority of larval fish most likely migrating from the western Amazon. Young C. bidens are often exploited in floodplain lakes of the central and lower Amazon regions. The potential yield from C. bidens was estimated to be approximately 2,150 tons, with 73% of the catch coming from the central Amazon region followed by 10% from the Peruvian Amazon (Amazon Waters, 2019). Figure 2: Regional percentage of total C. bidens Amazon catch (Amazon Waters, 2019). 2.8 Introduced populations of C. bidens are thriving in parts of the world such as Taiwan and China where it is locally farmed for consumption and to support aquaculture industries in countries such as Paraguay (International Cooperation and Development Fund, 2019; Soy Aqua, 2002; Seriously Fish, 2019). In addition, C. bidens have been introduced in other Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand for commercial use as a sport fish. 2.9 Colossoma bidens was also introduced in rivers of Papua New Guinea (Australian National Geographic, 2015), the Canadian province of Ontario (Froese & Pauly, 2002) and 16 states of the United States of America (Nico, 2001), as well as in various provinces of India, where C. bidens is bred and eaten (The Hindu, 2018). Colossoma bidens in aquariums 2.10 Colossoma bidens is a popular breed for aquarists and aquaculture projects in South America due to its tolerance to a wide range of water chemistry and ability to survive in oxygen- depleted conditions. C. bidens is adaptable and can tolerate a pH range of 4.8 to 7.5 with temperatures between 23 to 28oC. 2.11 In general, C. bidens is non-aggressive and peaceful with larger fish species, however, this species can consume smaller fish if stressed or malnourished. It may also disturb sedentary or shy fish species in aquariums with its constant activity. Intentional releases by aquarists / owners 2.12 Due to the popularity of C. bidens as an aquarium fish species, it has made global headlines by being found in unusual areas far beyond its natural habitat. While C. bidens is considered a migratory fish in the Amazon, it has been caught by fishermen or seen by swimmers across Europe in Russia (New Zealand Herald, 2016), Sweden (The Local, 2013a), France (The 6 EPA advice Application APP203795 Local, 2013b), Denmark (Science Daily, 2013) and the Zelena Voda reservoir of Slovakia (Hensel, 2004). 2.13 Similarly, C. bidens is now a widespread fish species in the United States of America (Bass Fishing Gurus, 2019). All of these examples could only be explained by the intentional release of these fish by owners who could not sustain them in aquariums. However, in many cases, C. bidens has not been able to establish in Europe due to the cold winters. 3 Evidence regarding the presence of Colossoma bidens in New Zealand Evidence for the presence of Colossoma bidens in New Zealand 3.1 Mr Kerry Hewitt, a manager at the National Aquarium of New Zealand confirmed in a letter to MPI (Appendix 2) that two individuals of C. bidens were donated by a fish keeper to the aquarium in 1994. In addition, two individuals of this species were donated