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Freshwater fish biodiversity in the River Ganga (India): changing pattern, threats and conservation perspectives

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Abstract

The river Ganges is the largest river in India and the fifth longest in the world. Although, many studies on fish ecology and systematic have been conducted largely to improve fisheries but fish diversity and their distribution pattern from conservation point of view have never been adequately addressed in the Ganges. In this connection, current distribution and abundance of freshwater fishes of river Ganges was studied and assessed from April 2007 to March 2009. We documented and described 143 freshwater fish species in the all stretches of the river which is higher than what was reported earlier. Some species were observed with shift in their distribution ranges. First time, a total of 10 exotic fishes, including Pterygoplichthys anisitsi, which has never been reported from India found in the Ganges. Alterations of the hydrological pattern due to various types of hydro projects was seems to be the largest threat to fishes of Ganges. Indiscriminate and illegal fishing, pollution, water abstraction, siltation and invasion of exotic species are also threatening the fish diversity in the Ganges and as many as 29 species are listed under threatened category. The study advocates a need to identify critical fish habitats in the Ganga basin to declare them as conservation reserves to mitigate the loss of fish diversity from this mighty large river.

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Notes

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), New Delhi for financial support and Director, NBFGR, Lucknow, Director and Dean, Wildlife Institute of India for guidance and encouragement. We are also thankful to the anonymous reviewer for his valuable suggestions to improve this paper.

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Author notes

  1. W. S. Lakra

    Present address: Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Canal Ring Road, Dilkusha P.O., Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226002, India

    U. K. Sarkar, A. K. Pathak, A. K. Pandian, A. Pandey, V. K. Dubey & W. S. Lakra

  2. Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna, Bihar, India

    R. K. Sinha

  3. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    K. Sivakumar

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  1. U. K. Sarkar
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Correspondence to U. K. Sarkar.

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Table 5 List of freshwater fishes of river Ganga
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Sarkar, U.K., Pathak, A.K., Sinha, R.K. et al. Freshwater fish biodiversity in the River Ganga (India): changing pattern, threats and conservation perspectives. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 22, 251–272 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-011-9218-6

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