Species that are considered low risk present a minimal risk of invasiveness because the climate where they are established is sufficiently different from the United States climate AND there is no evidence of invasiveness globally.
Tinfoil Barb (Barbonymus schwanefeldii) is a small fish native to rivers in Southeastern Asia. It is used in subsistence fisheries and is popular in the aquarium trade. The history of invasiveness for Barbonymus schwanefeldii is low. There are records of introduction with only two resulting in an established population. The established population in Singapore was once thought to be native. The other established population is in Taiwan. There are no reports of any impacts from either population. In addition to little evidence of establishment and no reported impacts, there has been substantial trade in B. schwanefeldii. B. schwanefeldii was imported to the United States at a rate of 24,400 in October 1992 and is still in the aquarium trade. If the rate of import continued since 1992, that would be over 7 million individuals in trade over a 25 year period. This meets the substantial trade requirement for a low history of invasiveness. The climate match is low for the contiguous United States. There were very few areas of medium match, all along the Gulf Coast. All other areas had low matches. The certainty of assessment is medium. The overall risk assessment category is low.
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Low Risk
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