Resumen: One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Mediterranean region and subtropical America is a high human consumption of water resources and, paradoxically, their relative scarcity. The Mediterranean and subtropical American climatic areas comprise the south of the United States, north and central Mexico, the south of Brazil, Paraguay and the north of Chile and Argentina. This geographical area is characterized by a range of climates that go from a very humid subtropical climate to some extreme climate changes with prolonged drought periods. For this reason, countries in subtropical America present interesting specialized endemic fishes, including the entire family of goodeids or many species of characids and cichlids. Additionally, the rivers and streams of this area are becoming increasingly degraded due to an uncontrolled exploitation of their water resources. While freshwater fisheries in the Mediterranean region and subtropical North America exist mainly as commercial and local food resources, in South America, recreational angling fisheries have more relevance. The use of non-native species in both aquaculture and angling activities is having serious consequences on the conservation of freshwater fishery resources.
