Meeting Abstract
Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America. To encourage economic growth and trade, in 2013 the Nicaraguan government joined with the Hong Kong Nicaragua Development Corporation (HKND) to build an interoceanic canal. The Nicaraguan canal’s proposed path connects the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea, passing through Lake Nicaragua close to Isla de Ometepe. While the canal project could mean construction and maintenance jobs for Nicaraguans, the project requires dynamite blasting and dredging through the lake, as well as water pollution from increased traffic and equipment. Many local communities depend on Lake Nicaragua as a primary source of food, drinking water, sanitation, transportation, and tourism. Despite the risks to the lake’s ecosystems, the HKND has been moving forward with little or no reported environmental assessment to date. Our study attempts to characterize the diversity of shoreline fishes in Lake Nicaragua along the Ometepe coast prior to canal construction, particularly around the city of San Ramon. Fishes were caught from six locations on seven different days using seine nets and hand lines, counted, photographed, and identified down to genus. Catch data suggests a low observed species richness (n=10) and disproportionate species evenness. Estimates of actual species richness also indicated relatively low fish diversity along the Ometepe shoreline. We hypothesize that Ometepe shoreline fish populations could be vulnerable to disturbance and unlikely to recover after the canal’s construction. While our current data implies ecological threats to Nicaraguan shoreline fishes, further fish surveys need to occur as well as extensive assessment of surrounding aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems to fully measure the biological impact of the canal’s construction.
