Paulo Petry er foredragsholder under hovedtemaet "
Arts- og naturvern", og skal snakke om:
The Ornamental Fish Industry in South America:
History, Current Status and Future Perspectives of an Extractive Activity
Biography: Paulo Petry, Ph.D.
Born and raised in Southern Brazil. Received a bachelor’s degree in Biological Oceanography from FURG, Brazil. MSc. in Aquatic Biology and Inland Fisheries from Univ. of Amazonas/INPA, Brazil; PhD in fisheries sciences from Oregon State University, USA.
Worked for the National Institute on Amazon Research (INPA) in Manaus, Brazil for 15 years as a researcher at the Dept. of Aquatic Biology, and was an associate curator of the fish collection. Held a research associate appointment with the fish division at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Currently is an Associate in Ichthyology with the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, and the coordinator for The Nature Conservancy/World Wildlife Fund Freshwater Ecoregions of South America project.
Research interests include: effects of flood pulses on fish communities structure and organization with focus on tropical large rivers, taxonomy and systematics of neotropical fishes and conservation of freshwater ecosystems. Worked for many years on issues related to the ornamental fish industry in the Amazon.
Current member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Gilbert Ichthyological Society, Neotropical Ichthyological Association, Brazilian Ichthyological Society and Society for Conservation Biology.
The Ornamental Fish Industry in South America:
History, Current Status and Future Perspectives of an Extractive Activity
Paulo Petry, Ph.D.
The exploitation of wild freshwater fishes for the ornamental industry has a long history in South America and goes back to the early mid 1950’s. With a freshwater fish fauna that exceeds 4000 species, South America continues to be an important source of new species for the ornamental trade. Several of the iconic species of ornamental fishes such as the neon tetras and discus come originally from river in South America.
Although several species are produced in captivity, the bulk of the fish from South America continues to be wild caught. Brazil, Colombia and Peru are the three main exporters, with most of the activity centered around Amazonian species. Over the years the industry has become an important economic activity for the riverine communities and a source of employment for thousands of people.
During the last years the industry has been the focus of controversy. Some say it is a non-sustainable predatory activity, while other argue that it could be a powerful tool for aquatic conservation. New regulations on exports, access to genetic resources and attempts to implement some of clauses of the biodiversity treaty have had significant impact on the industry.
The economic and ecological impact of the possible directions in which the industry will develop in the next decades will be discussed.
