Officials host competition to battle fish species capable of wiping out ecosystems: 'Get rid of them as quickly as possible'

Invasive fish species can wreak havoc on an entire ecosystem, so officials in many areas have begun hosting fishing tournaments to make eradicating them as fun as possible for regular people.

In San Marcos, Texas, Texas Monthly reported, the group Atlas Environmental recently hosted its semiannual tournament for spearfishers to go up against a foe with a worthy-sounding name: the suckermouth armored catfish.

These catfish, which were almost certainly introduced to the San Marcos River by pet owners who didn't realize how large the fish would grow, gobble up everything they can find on the river bed. That includes, among other things, the eggs of endangered native fish species, which are now threatened by the catfish's presence.

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The extent of the damage already done by the catfish is unknown, but significant.

"There's enough of an impact that we should skip that part [where we assess the damage] and go right to how do we get rid of them as quickly as possible," said Christopher Riggins, a wildlife and fisheries biologist at Texas State University's Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, who participated in the tournament.

Over the course of the 16-day competition, spearfishers removed 443 armored catfish and 29 tilapia from the river.

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Although that is a reprieve for some of the threatened native species, the officials said that the number that could be removed by fishing alone is actually not enough to keep up with the catfish reproduction rates. Researchers are therefore exploring the option of genetically manipulating the fish so that all of their offspring are males, eventually causing the species to die out.

Whether or not the invasive species was completely eradicated, however, contests like this one are good examples of how protecting our environment can be a fun and joyful experience, as well as an opportunity to connect with our local community.

Similar invasive species hunting and fishing competitions have included the 2024 Florida Python Challenge, in which Florida residents could win big bucks for catching invasive pythons, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's annual lionfish hunting competition.