Mosquitofish

Context: 

In Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Punjab, various government and non-governmental organizations have released mosquitofish into water bodies to handle mosquito menace. 

Mosquito Menace: Accelerating Disease Spread Amid Climate Change

• Mosquitoes are spreading diseases faster than ever due to climate change. 
  • The climate is getting warmer and wetter, creating perfect conditions for mosquitoes to thrive. 
• Over 500 million people worldwide get sick from mosquito bites each year.
  • In India alone, 40 million people fall ill every year. 

What is Mosquitofish?

• Mosquitofish is a freshwater fish. It is named mosquitofish as it eats mosquito larvae.
• The Mosquito fish species originally from the U.S., have become global inhabitants. 
• It is small in comparison to many other freshwater fish.
• There are two species of mosquitofish,  Gambusia affinis and Gambusia holbrooki.

Mosquitofish in India

Mosquitofish were first brought to India by the British in 1928. Later, various government and private organizations started using this method as a malaria control measure.

• Gambusia, a species of mosquitofish, is well known in India. 
• The strategy of using mosquitofish was well-intentioned but backfired and caused severe ecological and environmental problems.

Effects of Mosquitofish on Ecosystem

• Harmful Invasive Species: Mosquitofish are considered a highly harmful invasive species. 
  • It is because of their aggressive feeding habits. 
    • Their feeding disrupts local food webs, causing native fish, amphibians, and communities to disappear.
• For example, In Australia, the use of mosquitofish caused the extinction of the red-finned blue eye and endemic fish species. 
  • A study in New Zealand shows mosquitofish pose a serious threat to local aquatic life.

• • In India, reports suggest populations of native Microhyla tadpoles have declined after mosquitofish introduction.
  • In 1982, the WHO stopped recommending Gambusia as a mosquito control agent.
• Harmful to Human Health: If these species accumulate toxins in their tissue, it can impact human health too. 

Way Forward to Control of  Mosquitofish

• Stronger measures must be introduced to ban further introductions of mosquitofish into freshwater ecosystems.
• NCVBDC should remove the recommendation to use Gambusia and Poecilia (guppy) fishes to manage mosquitoes. 
  • There is a need to find alternatives to Gambusia to control mosquitoes. 
• Fostering collaboration is also necessary among mosquito biologists, entomologists, invasion ecologists, and fish taxonomists to focus on specific river basins to Identify native predators in each basin

News Source: The Hindu