Devil Fish Research Paper

Devil fish, also known as suckermouths, have invaded the waters of the Mexican state of Tabasco. This armored catfish is cherished among aquarium owners because they eat the algea that grow in the tanks, but out in the wild, this behavior harms underwater plant life and erodes shorelines. Along with this, the introduction of these fish has resulted in a decrease in numbers of Robalo, or snook, in these impacted waters. It’s unclear as to how these devil fish became a problem, but it’s thought to be a combination of aquaculture facilities accidentally releasing them, and the “Nemo effect, where the fish grew too large for their tanks and were then released into the wild by. After the initial release, the populations exploded due to their abilities to mature quickly, lay 500 eggs at a time, and their long life spans (7 to 15 years). In an effort to try and reduce the number of devil fish, Acari was born, a company that has attempted to catch and sell these invaders as food. Although this fish isn’t poisonous, marketing it for human consumption has proven to be difficult. In addition to selling fillets to restaurants, Acari hopes to help migrants and refugees through the donation of fish.
Most of the conservation efforts concerning invasive species usually involves removing the organism for the impacted area, but if these species can be used to feed an ever growing population, removing them to be used for a purpose would be ideal. I find it especially wonderful that they’re using the opportunity to feed people who are in need. On another note, it was interesting to read how the fish is so stigmatized, to a point where people refuse to go the restaurants that serve