Abstract

In this study, ornamental fish available for purchase at pet stores in Taiwan were compared to those documented as having invaded the island’s ecosystems. In total, 293 pet fish species belonging to 48 families were recorded. The top five families that included the most pet fish species were the Cichilidae (79 species), Callichthyidae (38), Characidae (37), Cyprinidae (20), and Loricariidae (16). Among the 48 families, five families, documented as having invasion records, are the Cichilidae, Cyprinidae, Loricariidae, Belontiidae, and Poeciliidae. Except for the Cichilidae, the proportion of invasive species to total species of other four families were at least equal to or greater than 10%, with the Belontiidae displaying the highest proportion at 66.6%. The Belontiidae also demonstrated a significantly higher rate of documented invasive species than did the other families. Families with a greater number of recorded pet fish species also presented a significant positive correlation with their documented invasive species if the 20 families with only a single surveyed species were excluded. Forcing retailers to foster home program, urging aquariums to display how to eliminate fish escaping from captivity, and instituting a higher custom duty or higher purchasing tax were proposed to eliminate future introductions of pet fish species.

中文摘要

為了瞭解臺灣地區寵物販售物種與外來魚種入侵之相關程度，於94 年6 月至10 月 在台北、台中及高雄等三處都會區進行觀賞魚類販售物種調查，結果共發現48 科293種外來魚類，多數為淡水魚類，其中包含魚種最多的前五科依次為Cichilidae (79 種)、Callichthyidae (38 種)、Characidae (37 種)、Cyprinidae (20 種)和Loricariidae (16 種)。48科魚種中，已有五科具有入侵魚類紀錄，各科入侵魚種數量比例多數等於或大於10%。在有入侵魚種紀錄之科別中成功比例最高為Belontiidae (66.6%)。若科內引入魚種數量增加，則野外入侵紀錄之數量也有顯著提高之統計關係存在。依據調查結果，本研究提出可以請販售商設立回收中心與提供降低寵物逸逃資訊以減少外來魚種入侵。政府單位則應研究以提高進口關稅與營業稅額之方式，予以控制。總之，減少與抑止外來寵物魚種之入侵，需要產、學、政、商等各單位之共同合作，方能有所成效。

Keyword: Pet trade, Fish invasion, Taiwan, Island.