Kirk O. Winemiller, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor and Interim Department Head in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Leslie C. Kelso Winemiller, Ph.D., Instructional Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology and Carmen Montaña, Ph.D., assistant professor at Stephen F. Austin State University and former Texas A&M University doctoral student coauthored and published “Peacock Bass: Diversity, Ecology and Conservation.”
The book describes the diversity and natural history of the various peacock bass species, including their geographic distributions, evolutionary relationships, ecology, and economic importance.
According to Kirk Winemiller, Ph.D., peacock bass are the most popular sportfish pursued by anglers in tropical freshwaters, and they support important subsistence and commercial fisheries in rivers and lakes in their native South America. However, peacock bass are more than just sportfish. Like other species of the Cichlidae, a large and diverse family of tropical freshwater fishes, peacock bass (species of the genus Cichla) have fascinating reproductive biology that includes aggressive defense of eggs and fry by both parents.
“Research has revealed that peacock bass in rivers and lakes can exert strong control over prey-fish stocks and thereby have the potential to function as keystone predators affecting aquatic community dynamics,” Kirk Winemiller, PhD, said. “When people introduce peacock bass into waters outside their natural range, they can have a negative impact on fish diversity and ecological processes.”
Peacock bass are also of high value in fish markets, which oftentimes results in overfishing. Ecotourism for peacock bass fishing has emerged as a significant economic component in South America.
This book summarizes all that is currently known about the peacock bass and is essential reading for biologists, fisheries managers, anglers, naturalists, and aquarists interested in these remarkable fish and the diverse tropical rivers they inhabit.
The book can be purchased at most online bookstores, including Amazon, for $106.