Species that are considered high risk have a well-documented history of invasiveness in at least one location globally, and a high or medium climate match to the contiguous United States.
Yellow-belly Bream, Serranochromis robustus, is a cichlid fish from south-central Africa. It is found in most of the major rivers from Angola to Mozambique. It is used as a food source, supporting a commercial fishery, and it is also sought as a game fish. The history of invasiveness is high. Many records of introductions for aquaculture and sport fishing that resulted in established populations were found. Introductions of Serranochromis robustus have resulted in significantly lowered abundances of native fish species, both in conjunction with another invasive fish species and when S. robustus was the only introduced species. The climate match with the contiguous United States is medium. However, there was an area of high match in southern Texas. The certainty of assessment is high due to the quality of the information available. The overall risk assessment category is high.
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High Risk
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