Freshwater fishes of Patagonia: Conservation and fisheries

VÍCTOR E. CUSSAC ; EVELYN HABIT ; JAVIER CIANCIO ; MIGUEL A. BATTINI ; CARLA RIVA ROSSI ; JUAN P. BARRIGA ; CLAUDIO BAIGÚN ; SONIA CRICHIGNO

Recife

Simposio; XXI Encontro Brasileiro de Ictiología. Simposio: Fish and Aquatic habitats conservation in South America.; 2015

Sociedad Brasileira de Ictiología

Up until recently, the poor diversity of Patagonian fish fauna has been one of the reasons for its frequent absence in the literature in comparison with the exuberant Neotropical diversity. However, the systematization of knowledge regarding fishes in Patagonia rose sharply at the beginning of the present century. Probably, a major update that needs to be considered is that several threats to biodiversity conservation, such as the introduction of exotic species, damming, global change, and adaptation approaches geared to safeguard economic interests, seem to articulate in a synergistic way, representing nowadays a renewed threat to fish biodiversity in Patagonia. A great amount of new information is now available and the aim of the present review is to articulate this knowledge in a comprehensive way in order to aid in the development of tools to face the increasing challenges that environmental change and human actions present. Knowledge about fishes of Patagonia has grown at the same time as human actions, and presence. Like Tantalus, just as we are within grasp of an appreciable comprehension of the ecological status of its populations, the climate changes, the rivers are dammed and new exotic fishes are dispersed. Just as Midas, we cannot avoid to change all we touch.