Fisheries in the Malili ancient lake complex: From endemic to introduced species

Freshwater fish communities are threatened by multiple factors, including alien species and fishing pressure. The Malili complex of ancient lakes in Sulawesi, Indonesia is recognised as a biodiversity hotspot with endemic species radiations. This study focused on temporal changes in fisheries catch composition and species reported from these lakes. There has been a major shift in the species caught by local fishers from predominantly native fish, including many endemic species, to introduced fish, including invasive species. Weaknesses in fisheries data collection and management promote the shifting baseline syndrome, highlighting the importance of preserving and publishing historical data and establishing systematic and reliable long-term data collection programs and data curation systems.