Suckermouth catfish is an invasive species native to South America that has spread globally and become established in Bangladesh. It was likely introduced in the 1980s as an ornamental fish. Suckermouth catfish adhere to surfaces using their mouths and eat aquatic insects, algae, small fish and fish eggs, competing with and threatening native fish. They have been reported in freshwater across Bangladesh and are spreading. Their introduction poses unprecedented threats like disrupting food chains, impacting native species, causing bank erosion and changing plant communities. Effective control requires research, innovative barriers and management techniques, and public awareness programs.

1. An Assignment On Suckermouth Catfish

2. Introduction:
Suckermouth catfish is a tropical fish belonging to the armored
catfish family, named for the armor-like longitudinal rows of scutes
that cover the upper parts of the head and body.
Native to South America, the fish’s invasive characteristic is globally
recognised, especially after it invaded North America, the Caribbean
and South Asia, causing aquatic degradation and replacing some of
their native fishes.
It is exotic in our country, as it is not commonly found in our
country.

3. Researchers believe that the armoured catfish which belong to the
Loricariidae family was imported in the 1980s as ornamental fish
in Bangladesh and then it somehow got released or escaped into the
wild in the 1990s.
Sucker fish species that found in Bangladesh are up to 16-17 inches
long. The fish can live up to 24 hours without water.

4. Food And Habitat:
 Suckermouth catfishes are benthic, adhering to streambeds and rocks with their
mouths.
 Sucker fish eat aquatic insects and algae as well as small fish and fish fry.
 Apart from that, the fins of Sucker fish are very sharp. While fighting with fish,
sharp fins can easily injure other fish and cause them to rot and die.
 Although Sucker fish is not a giant species, it eats a lot of food. This creates
intense competition with other fish for food. Most of the time, the native
species of fish gradually became extinct from the water body as it could not
survive in competition with the fish.

5. Present Status Of Sucker Fish In Bangladesh:
At least three types of catfish known by their scientific names have been
reported in Bangladesh. They are Pterygoplichthys anisitsi, Pterygoplichthys
pardalis and Hypostomus plecostomus.
Pterygoplichthys anisitsi, also known as parana sailfin catfish, is found in
freshwater countrywide from Kaptai lake to Chalan Beel.
Hypostomus plecostomus is spreading locally in wetlands such as haors and
beels.
A 2018 research by scientists from Bangladesh, USA and UK revealed the
invasion of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers by the third species
Pterygoplichthys pardalis, also known as the Amazon sailfin catfish.

6. Environmental Effects:
The distinctive feeding and reproductive behaviors of suckermouth catfishes,
coupled with large size and high population densities, constitute significant threats to
native fish communities and to aquatic habitats of Bangladesh. Potential and
documented impacts of suckermouth catfishes include:
 Disruption of aquatic food chains.
 Impacts to native species.
 Mortality of endangered shore birds.
 Changes in aquatic plant communities.
 Bank erosion.

7. Unprecedented Levels of Threat In Bangladesh:
Suckermouth catfishes present a cumulative series of threats to aquatic ecosystems
unprecedented in recent history.
Once the Sucker fish enters a body of water, it is very difficult to stop its spread.
When this fish enters the farming pond, it starts competing with other fish for food
and shelter. Even if adequate food is provided, the desired production of fish is not
available. On the other hand, farmed fish cannot survive in competition with food
and habitat. Thus the fish farmers are at a loss.
It is a great concern for us that now it has been found in almost all the waterbodies
in our country.
Due to the presence of this alien fish, our native fish have been threatened with
extinction.

8. Recommendation:
 There has been no research on the spread of Sucker Mouth Catfish in
Bangladesh yet. Due to its rapid reproduction, the native fish in the reservoir
is now under threat. So scientific research should be necessary to mitigate the
potential threats.
 To effectively control these species, innovative barriers, management
techniques, and public awareness programs are required.