Indigenous ornamental freshwater ichthyofauna of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, India: status and prospects

Abstract

Ornamental fishes are the most popular pet throughout the world and high demand for these fishes has made them an important component of the world fish trade. India contributes a very meager percentage to the world ornamental fish trade; but considering the high ichthyofaunal diversity it has the potential to compete with the world’s leading ornamental fish producers in the near future. Sundarban Biosphere Reserve has abundant waterbodies with rich fish diversity. Although some research has been carried out on ichthyofaunal resources of the Sundarban; detailed documentation on freshwater indigenous ornamental ichthyofaunal resources of this region is still not available. To fill this knowledge gap, the present study has been conducted to list the indigenous ornamental ichthyofaunal resources of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve along with their conservation status and their prospective utilization for improved livelihood of local communities. Eighty four species belonging to 11 orders, 28 families and 59 genera were collected from the study area with species representing the order Cypriniformes dominating the ichthyofauna. Nine species have been listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Indigenous fish species of the Sundarban having great potential to support domestic as well as the international ornamental fish trade from India in near future. The ornamental fish species would also be able to generate alternate livelihood options for the impecunious communities of the Sundarban. However, serious concern must also be paid to the conservation of these fish species as some of them are under near threatened categories of IUCN Red list.

First report on population dynamics and stock status of Badis badis in a wetland ecosystem (NW Bangladesh): Insights from new recorded maximum length

“…Badis badis (Hamilton,1822) (Actinopterygii: Perciformes) also known as Badis, is a small tropical benthopelagic fish from the Badidae family [ 1 , 2 ]. This fish species is used as for decorative purposes and exploited for the aquarium business because of its appealing and colorful pattern [ 3 , 4 ]. This species inhabits freshwater and is mostly found in rivers, ponds, channels, and swamps [ 5 , 6 ], available in waters with aquatic vegetation [ 7 ] and also widespread in South Asia's streams, especially in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal [ 8 ].…”

“…Most studies on this species tend to focus on its taxonomy, behavior, and ecology rather than its economic significance in fisheries. Some available studies ( Table 1 ) have been conducted on this species, including intra-population diversity [ 17 ], genetic diversity [ 18 ], population and hierarchical genetic structure [ 19 ], genetic diversity and population differentiation analysis [ 20 ], analyses of genetic diversity [ 21 ], new record of Blue Perch [ 22 ], effects of carotenoid supplementation [ 23 ], feeding and reproductive biology [ 1 ], mosquito control [ 24 ], indigenous ornamental freshwater [ 25 ], biological parameters [ 26 ], length-weight relationships [ 27 , 28 ], and morphological characterization [ 29 ]. There are no previous studies on population dynamics and stock status of B. badis that have been carried out in our studied ecosystem of Bangladesh.…”

Antiparasitic effect of Nootkatone against Argulus japonicus infestation on Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

“…The ornamental sh trade is a pro table alternative wealth generating business in the aquaculture sector (Gupta et al 2016). Despite having a large production through intensi ed culture practices, culturists struggle to meet market demand due to the presence of various infectious diseases, leading to huge sh mortality thereby substantial nancial losses (Chanda et al 2011).…”

New distribution record of fish Clupisoma garua (Hamilton, 1822) (Siluriformes: Ailiidae) from the Sarpang District in southern central part of Bhutan

“…The studies of Bhuiyan (1964) and Memon et al (2010) also reported that C. garua is mostly consumed by various group of people including the marginalized people due to high level of protein (18.40%) and fat (5.2%) content, followed by most abundant in some of the river system (Galib et al 2009). Besides these, the species also has ornamental values that promotes livelihood of the coastal communities (Gupta et al 2016).…”