Fisherman checks net, finds invasive species in first-of-its-kind catch in Mexico
A fisherman in southeastern Mexico pulled his nets out of a lagoon and started sifting through his catch. A 1-foot-long “armored” creature caught his attention — and for good reason.
It turned out to be an invasive species and a first-of-its-kind record.
A team of scientists visited Campeche in 2024 as part of a project focused “on the diversity of fish in the different bodies of water in the Yucatan Peninsula,” according to a study published Aug. 5 in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria.
During their surveys, researchers learned about an armored catfish caught by a fisherman on Chan Laguna, the study said.
“Armored catfish are species naturally distributed in southern Central America and South America” but are considered an invasive species or “devil fish” in Mexico, the study said.
Researchers identified the fish from Chan Laguna as an Amazon sailfin catfish and the “first time” the species had been found “in the Noh, Chama, and Chan Laguna hydrological system.”
A photo shows the Amazon sailfin catfish, or Pterygoplichthys pardalis. It measured just over 1 foot long and weighed about 10 ounces, the study said. Its belly had “the characteristic pattern of leopard-like spots.”
“The presence of this species seems to be recent in the area” and “could have occurred in 2023,” researchers said. Noh, Chama and Chan Laguna are often connected during the rainy season and, occasionally during flooding events, also connect to other rivers known to have armored catfish.
This “could be the route of introduction of the armed catfish” to Chan Laguna, the study said.
“The effects caused by the presence of armored catfish in (Chan Laguna) have not been evaluated, but based on previous evidence, it is believed that it will cause serious ecological damage,” the study said. The negative impacts could include a “decrease in other native fish species,” erosion, decline in aquatic plant life and “changes in nutrient cycles.”
Invasive armed catfish can also have “socioeconomic effects” such as causing “damage to fishing gear” or “damage to fishermen due to the process of removing fish from the nets,” researchers said. In some areas of Mexico, “armored catfish have caused fishing activity to be abandoned due to the decrease in catches of commercial species and the increase in costs.”
Researchers suggested further studies to monitor the spread of armored catfish in Mexico and a process to “implement early warnings that help control and/or prevent new areas of Mexico from being invaded.”
A YouTube video shared April 2025 by Rodrigo Mendez shows Noh Laguna, also known as Laguna Silvituc.
Chan Laguna is in Campeche, a state of southeastern Mexico that is part of the Yucatan Peninsula and borders Guatemala.
The research team included Armando Wakida-Kusunoki, Luis Fernando Del Moral-Flores, Eduardo García-Mercado and Joshep Heredy Galindo-Hernández.
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Fisherman checks net, finds invasive species in first-of-its-kind catch in Mexico."
