Coimbatore: Unlike the other fish displayed by fishmongers at the Ukkadam market in the city, eel-like African catfish that are kept in trays often jump out and crawl like snakes on the floor. Running behind them, a seller hits them with a stick and put them back in the tray, much to the amusement of buyers African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) are found in abundance in all city lakes, including Periyakulam and Valankulam, the sellers said. A kilogram is sold for Rs 80 to Rs 100.But, the central government had banned breeding, transportation and sale of the invasive species in 2000. In 1997, a committee constituted to regulate the introduction of exotic aquatic organisms in India had directed the state governments and Union territories to initiate steps to destroy catfish, also called exotic magur, that were introduced without permission. After three years, following a high court order, the ban was implemented across the country as the carnivorous fish was posing a threat to indigenous fish varieties.“Catfish survive for days when wrapped with wet sacks. As they are alive at the time of sale and taste good, buyers prefer them. They also cost less than rohu and jalebi,” fish seller Nagaraj told TOI. “We purchase them from fishermen, who catch them from Periyakulam, just opposite to the Ukkadam market.”Compared to native fish species, catfish can survive in any water, even in sludge, an environmentalist said. “Local fishermen leave catfish hatchlings into lakes as they have a high growth, survival and breeding rate. As they grow faster, the fishers could earn almost double or triple the amount than breeding and selling native varieties. The hatchlings are sourced from Andhra Pradesh,” he said.The species disrupts the ecosystem in the lakes and destroys biodiversity, said V Senthil Kumar, assistant professor and head of the Thanjavur Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture. “They eat all kinds of native fish. Over a period of time, they will become the dominant variety proliferating in water bodies and native fish would have reached the stage of extinction.”Biosafety measures like installing filters on the inlets should be taken to prevent the fish from moving from one lake to another, Kumar said. ““Fishermen are selling them only because there is a good demand and the input cost is minimum. If people refuse to purchase it, there will be no need for them to breed it. It could be achieved only by creating awareness.”However, president of the Covai Fishermen’s Co-operative Society M Balamurugan refuted the allegation. “We did not leave African catfish hatchlings in lakes. They entered the lakes from rivers years ago. In fact, we are affected by them because they eat most of the hatchlings of other fish varieties we leave in the lakes. We bore a huge loss because of them. We want the officials concerned to take steps to destroy them,” he said.A fisheries department official said that the department has not received any complaint about the fishermen leaving the banned species in city lakes. “If we receive a complaint, we will make sure that the fishermen leave the hatchlings only in the presence of the owner of the lakes, that is, the city corporation.”A food safety official in charge of preventing banned species from entering markers promised to investigate.

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