Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.
Punagas (Pangasius pangasius) is a species of catfish native to river drainages of India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal in southern Asia. P. pangasius is used widely as a food fish both in its native range and in other areas of southeastern Asia. The history of invasiveness is no known nonnative population. Records of introduction to countries outside the native range for use in aquaculture were found. The sources were not clear if this also resulted in release of this species into the wild in these new countries. No information on impacts of introduction were found. The climate match is low. There were some areas of medium match in the far southern contiguous United States. However, all States had low individual climate scores. The certainty of assessment is low. There are gaps in information and uncertainty in the range of the species and introductions. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.