Gambusia Fish : To Combat Mosquito-Borne Diseases
The Andhra Pradesh government has released approximately 10 million Gambusia fish into the state’s water bodies to combat mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria and Dengue.
- The release of these invasive alien fish species has raised concerns about the potential harm that will be sustained by native species that abound in the state’s freshwater bodies.
- Gambusia Fish is also known as mosquito fish, is widely used as a biological agent for controlling mosquito larvae.
- It is native to the waters of the south-eastern United States.
- It has been a part of mosquito-control strategies for over a century in various parts of the world, including India.
- A single full-grown fish eats about 100 to 300 mosquito larvae per day.
- Also, it has been part of various malaria control strategies in India since 1928, including the Urban Malaria Scheme.
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature declare Gambusia one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world.
