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Rivers networks represent hierarchical dendritic habitats within terrestrial landscapes and differences in connectivity and land use influence dispersal, and consequently biodiversity patterns. We, therefore, measured variation in water chemistry and fish abundance and related these to a number of landscape characteristics (e.g., wetland, urban, wooded, and agricultural) in the River Klaralven and its 30 permanently flowing tributaries. We hypothesized that these environmental attributes would differ between tributary and main stem habitat and that these differences would be driven by landscape attributes including land use. We found considerable intertributary variation in temperature and nutrient levels, and between the tributaries and the main stem. Generally, water temperature was lower in the tributaries, whereas nutrient levels were higher in the tributaries. The lower water temperature has implications for coldwater fishes, and we found two fishes, burbot and lamprey, associated with coldwater tributaries. We also found an inverse relationship between water quality and anthropogenic land use. Protecting tributaries with low anthropogenic impact will likely become increasingly important with ongoing global warming as they can function as thermal refugia for coldwater fishes. Hence, this study underscores the need to evaluate water courses at regional scales to identify spatial refuges and ensure connectivity.

Fish richness and diversity serve as important indicators of a healthy stream ecosystem, which are influenced by a complex web of ecological factors, including regional climate, watershed characteristics, riparian zone quality, and water quality. Investigating how these factors interconnect and impact fish community is crucial for developing effective management strategies to safeguard freshwater ecosystems. In this study, we used partial least squares regression to develop a causal understanding of how watershed development and climate factors affect fish richness and diversity by altering water temperature, pH, conductivity, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous (TP) in 277 watersheds in the Great Lakesurrounding areas. After identifying TP as a potential threat to fish biodiversity, we examined how watershed land use, slope, and soil interacted to drive changes in TP concentration with multiple linear regression. Results suggested that moderate watershed development (average 5% developed percentage in the study site) can enhance fish diversity by increasing pH, temperature, and conductivity. However, watershed development and riparian degradation diminished fish diversity by increasing nutrient concentrations. We also found that landcover-slope interaction was an important factor affecting TP concentration, while landcover-soil interaction was not significant. Future ecosystem management in the study area should therefore emphasize a dual focus on watershed management approaches and riparian zone preservation to improve fish diversity and stream ecosystem health.

As human activities cause water eutrophication and overfishing, which had a serious impact on fish resources, fish diversity showed a downward trend. In order to understand the changes of fish assemblage structure in the process of ecological stocking and effectively, the existing fish community in Daye Lake which was divided into 9 sites was evaluated in the summer of 2019 and 2020, and fish resources were investigated by traditional fishing and eDNA metabarcoding technology. The results showed that 33 species belonging to 18 genera, 6 families and 4 orders of fish were investigated in Daye Lake based on traditional fishing methods. Among them, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis were the dominant species in Daye Lake all year round, and the dominant group was omnivorous, middle-lower fish. And the fish communities at the same point at different times were similar, the separation degree of fish communities was relatively high among different locations. Based on eDNA metabarcoding technology, the mitochondrial COI (cytochrome oxidase I) and 12S rRNA gene regions of eDNA were amplified respectively. A total of 10 species of freshwater lake fish were detected, of which 7 were detected together with traditional methods. Alpha and Beta diversity analysis showed that GJQ had the lowest species diversity, DW and LJH had the highest species diversity, and the biodiversity of adjacent sites was relatively similar. This study proved that ecological stocking will not have a great impact on the diversity of fish populations in lakes. At the same time, it proved the effectiveness of eDNA metabarcoding technology in fish diversity investigation.

Despite the cultural and economic importance of fisheries to communities in the region, the Mfimi is one of the least well-documented river systems in the central Congo basin. Here we present a preliminary listing of species collected during two surveys sampling 35 sites along the main channel, in major tributaries, and in some marginal habitats. A total of 2195 specimens representing 141 species were collected and archived at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and in the teaching collections of the University of Kinshasa. Five species are considered as potentially new to science, and range extensions of numerous species into the Mfimi are recorded. Based on the data presented we conclude that the fish communities in the Mfimi share affinities with those of the Cuvette Centrale to the north, rather than the Kasai basin with which the river is currently connected via an inflow at the Kwa-Kasai junction.

Aim: Greenland is one of the places on Earth where the effects of climate change are most evident. The retreat of sea ice has made East Greenland more accessible for longer periods during the year. East Greenland fjords have been notoriously difficult to study due to their remoteness, dense sea ice conditions and lack of infrastructure. As a result, biological monitoring across latitudinal gradients is scarce in East Greenland and relies on sporadic research cruises and trawl data from commercial vessels. We here aim to investigate the transition in fish and marine mammal communities from South to Northeast Greenland using environmental DNA (eDNA). Location: South to Northeast Greenland. Methods: We investigated the transition in fish and marine mammal communities from South to Northeast Greenland using eDNA metabarcoding of seawater samples. We included both surface and mesopelagic samples, collected over approximately 2400 km waterway distance, by sampling from Cape Farewell to Ella Island in August 2021. Results: We demonstrate a clear transition in biological communities from south to northeast, with detected fish and mammal species matching known distributions. Samples from the southern areas were dominated by capelin (Mallotus villosus) and redfish (Sebastes), whereas northeastern samples were dominated by polar cod (Boreogadus saida), sculpins (Myoxocephalus) and ringed seal (Pusa hispida). We provide newly generated 12S rRNA barcodes from 87 fish species, bringing the public DNA database closer to full taxonomic coverage for Greenlandic fish species for this locus. Main Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that eDNA sampling can detect latitudinal shifts in marine biological communities of the Arctic region, which can supplement traditional fish surveys in understanding species distributions and community compositions of marine vertebrates. Importantly, sampling of eDNA can be a feasible approach for detecting northward range expansions in remote areas as climate change progresses.

The construction of a reservoir dam alters the environment within its basin, including composition of the fish community, fish biodiversity, and the river ecosystem itself. This study was conducted in the Sanbanxi Reservoir and used eDNA metabarcoding technology comprising eDNA capture and extraction, PCR amplification, sequencing and database comparison analysis, and other environmental DNA metabarcoding standardized analysis processes to characterize the composition and diversity of fish communities and assess their current status. A total of 48 species of fish were detected. Previously, 68 species of fish were screened and identified in this reservoir based on the reports of Dai and Gu. The results for fish community composition showed that species of the order Cypriniformes are still the most dominant in the Reservoir with 38 species of cyprinids, accounting for 90.81% of all OTUs. Carp were no longer the dominant species, and Spinibarbus denticulatus, Homalopteridae, Cobitidae, and Sisoridae were not detected, with the exception of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cobitidae). These families have the common characteristic of being adapted to survive in fast-water, sandstone substrate habitats. The results also show that two of the sampling sites, sbx03 and sbx10, significantly differed from other sampling sites due to their geographical environment. The impact of the construction of reservoirs on freshwater fish communities is extreme, since the transformation from a lotic to a lentic habitat contributes to habitat destruction and constrains fish in movement. The change in the aquatic environment before and after the storage of water in the Sanbanxi Reservoir has reduced the number of fish species found in the reservoir, and species characteristically found in fast moving, rapids habitats are virtually absent. The profound change in the aquatic environment from that of a lotic to a lentic habitat leads to changes in the composition of fish populations in the reservoir and to a certain extent a reduction in the ecological stability and species diversity within the reservoir. Therefore, the protection of fish diversity in the reservoir is of great significance to the stability of the ecosystem.

A checklist of the native fishes of the Dhanu River and adjacent waters at Mithamain Upazila under the Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh is prepared with details on their availability, conservation status, habitat preferences, population trends, and threats. Data were collected monthly by field survey, focus group discussions, and personal interviews by using a semi-structured questionnaire and a pictorial check list of fish species. A total of 91 indigenous fish species of 59 genera belonging to 29 families under 11 orders were documented where 17.6%, 27.5%, 31.9%, and 23.1% species were abundantly available, commonly available, moderately available, and rarely available, respectively. Among those, 24 fish species (26.4%) were under the threatened category (3 critically endangered, 11 endangered, and 10 vulnerable) according to the IUCN Bangladesh. Notably, the globally threatened Cirrhinus cirrhosus, Channa orientalis, and Wallago attu were available in the study area. Fish population trends of 24.2% and 59.3% of the entire fish species were found in decreasing trends at the global and national level, respectively. The leading threats to the fish diversity were indiscriminate overfishing followed by fishing by dewatering of wetlands, the katha fishing method, the use of deprecated fishing gears, etc. Minimizing anthropogenic impacts, enacting fishing laws, installing and managing fish sanctuaries, and raising public awareness can be effective for the conservation of existing fisheries resources.

Fish diversity in Kampar District is one of natural resources which is potentially developed as a contextual learning resource for student. This Research and Development (R&D) study aimed at developing biology enrichment book of fish diversity in Kampar District as learning resource for X graders. The R&D model employed was ADDIE which was limited to the third phase (i.e development). The validity and practicality tests on the product developed were conducted by material and media experts as well as 20 biology teachers. The instrument used was questionnaire with five Likert scale. It comprised of 18 items in which the 10 items related to content eligibility and material presentation, meanwhile, the other eight items related to language and graphics. The results showed that the product developed was categorized as very valid with several minor revisions. The overall practicality test resulted the score value with high practicality category (83.8). In addition, the results of development stage depicted that the biology enrichment book of fish diversity in Kampar District was categorized as strongly valid. Thus, it can be continued to the next stage in term of implementation and evaluation in order to get the usable product for student as a contextual learning resource.

Information on the benefits of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the condition of fish stocks is not well documented in Tanzania. Fish landing sites located in Tanga and Mtwara regions were surveyed to assess patterns of fish community structure; particularly fish abundance, species diversity, growth patterns, and maturity stages, based on catches landed at sites with different protection status. Fish abundance in the catch from protected areas was significantly lower than in non-protected areas (p=0.002). Species diversity was relatively higher in catches from non-protected (H=2.742) compared to protected areas (H=2.232). A high percentage of species (63.24 %) exhibiting negative allometric growth was observed in catches from non-protected areas. Further, a large number of mature fish was observed in catches from protected areas compared to non-protected areas (p

The Saya de Malha (SMB) and Nazareth Banks (NB) are the main offshore locations where fishing activities are carried out by the Republic of Mauritius, targeting mainly shallow water Lethrinids, deep-water snappers and groupers. A multi-disciplinary survey was carried out on the two banks in May 2018 on-board the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen with the objective of studying the diversity of fish on both banks using pelagic trawls, bottom trawls, basket traps and video using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Analysis of data showed that the main fish family recorded in the pelagic waters of SMB, using pelagic trawl, was Myctophidae while the bottom trawls on NB showed the presence of fishes from the families Gobiidae, Triglidae and Synodontidae, mainly at depths between 200 and 300 m. The ROV video analysis highlighted principally the presence of demersal fishes of the family Lethrinidae and other reef-associated and commercial families recorded between 20 and 50 m. The main catch from the basket traps set at the SMB was Lethrinus mahsena, caught at a depth of 21 m. While previous studies focussed mainly on commercial fishes, this study brings forth new information on other fish families, contributing to the knowledge of the fish community that exists at these two banks.

Variation in salinity is one of the major environmental factors influencing the species diversity of fish in an estuary. Therefore, evaluating the relationship between salinity and species diversity is important. In this study, fish diversity was assessed by fish sampling and visiting local fish markets from February to November 2021. Mean salinity was 10.59 psu (Practical Salinity Unit) and 0.46 psu during the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Harpadon nehereus, Odontamblyopus rubicundus and Pseudapocryptes elongatus species were found as polyhaline (0.06~18.1 psu) species. Anguilla japonica and Arius gagora were abundant in brackish water conditions (0.35~14.2 psu). However, Acanthopagrus latus and Setipinna phasa were found in freshwater conditions (0.06~0.11 psu). The suitability index indicates that commercially important fish species such as Liza parsia, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Mugil cephalus, Penaeus monodon and Scylla serrata can be used for mariculture during the dry season, and Acanthopagrus latus, Pethia canius and Setipinna phasa during the wet season. Overall, these findings suggest that salinity, water temperature, and chlorophyll-a had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the fish distribution and assemblage composition in the study area. This finding will be helpful in developing policies for the conservation and management of the aquatic resources in the coastal zone to enrich the blue economy.

Sungai Merbok Mangrove Forest Reserve, encompassing the Merbok river estuary, was established as a permanent forest reserve in 1951 and is the second-largest intact mangrove forest patch in Peninsular Malaysia. Despite its importance, few studies have been conducted to assess its aquatic biodiversity. In this study, we surveyed the fish diversity of the Merbok river estuary, and its adjacent marine waters. We recorded 138 fish species belonging to two classes, 18 orders, 47 families, and 94 genera. The richest order is Perciformes, with 32 recorded species, represents 23% of the alpha diversity, followed by Carangiformes with 21 recorded species or 14% of the diversity. Low taxonomic diversity overlaps with previous inventories and indicates that the inventory is still incomplete. All specimens examined are catalogued and deposited in a local museum collection. The fish checklist presented here represents a step forward in the conservation of fish diversity in the Merbok river estuary.

Resumen Introducción: La naturaleza tropical está experimentando una amenaza sin precedentes que incluye comunidades de peces costeros que requieren un constante seguimiento de la presencia de especies. El uso simultáneo de varios métodos de monitoreo debería reducir el sesgo causado por la selectividad de cada método. Objetivo: Este estudio uso cuatro diferentes métodos de muestreo a lo largo de dos años para evaluar y comparar los ensamblajes de peces en el Área Marina de Manejo Bahía Santa Elena, Pacífico de Costa Rica. Métodos: Examinamos los cambios en la riqueza y composición de especies entre épocas de afloramiento y no afloramiento entre julio de 2019 y febrero de 2020. Aplicamos censos visuales, cámaras remotas submarinas; líneas de fondo; y pesca deportiva. Resultados: Identificamos 140 especies de peces (54 familias); las cámaras submarinas remotas detectaron el 83 %, seguido por los censos visuales submarinos (65 %), la pesca deportiva (16 %) y las líneas de fondo (14 %). Solo el método de pesca deportiva detectó diferencias en la riqueza y composición de especies entre temporadas. Conclusión: Las cámaras remotas parecen ser el mejor método para el conteo de especies y la pesca deportiva para detectar diferencias estacionales en las costas tropicales similares a la aquí estudiada. Abstract Introduction: Tropical nature is experiencing an unprecedented threat that includes coastal fish communities that requires a close monitoring of species presence. The simultaneous use of several monitoring methods should reduce the bias caused by the selectivity of each method. Objective: This study used four different sampling methods over two years to assess and compare fish assemblages in the Santa Elena Bay Marine Management Area (AMM-BSE), North Pacific of Costa Rica. Methods: We examined changes in species richness and composition between upwelling and non-upwelling seasons from July 2019 and February 2020. We applied visual censuses, underwater remote cameras; bottom lines; and sport fishing. Results: We identified 140 species of fish (54 families); remote underwater cameras detected 83 %, followed by underwater visual censuses (65 %), sport-fishing (16 %) and bottom lines (14 %). Only the sport-fishing method detected differences in species richness and composition between seasons. Conclusion: Remote cameras appear to be the best method for species counts, and sport-fishing to detect seasonal differences in tropical coasts similar to the one studied here.

Aquatic freshwater fish diversity immensely declines from several native places in West Bengal. Lots of freshwater fish have been extricated and some become endangered or vulnerable in condition as well as in Keleghai river. Aquatic ecosystem meltdown or crisis due to anthropogenic intervention resulted disappearance of eco-sensitive species. Such, appearance of Boal (Wallago attu) fish in this river was very common but now it’s very amazing to see or to catch it. The number of this species decreased radically before some decades. The present study conducts an empirical investigation to find out the reasons are behind it. Lacking of printed information, the work concentrated on knowledge and perception of experienced fisherman for understanding the fact by interviewing method. After qualitative investigation, the study recommends that simplification of food web in this aquatic ecosystem is the major cause of abandonment of Attu fish in this river. Other important causes are advance unethical fishing techniques, habitat loss, and enormous use of chemical pesticide and fertilizer in wetlands.

Danau Bangkau Peatland is one of the peatlands in which local community do fishing activities. In the dry season, agricultural farming activities are performed, while this area is also a residential area. Some of these anthropogenic activities also indicate eutrophication in this peatland. The purpose of this study was to determine the eutrophication of Danau Bangkau Peatland based on the nitrate-phosphate content and fish diversity. The parameters included analysis of nitrate and phosphate using spectrophotometric methods and on-site analysis of DO and pH to evaluate the level of eutrophication. In addition, the Shanon-Wiener method was used to determine fish diversity. The results showed the nitrate content was found low at center station and Peatland outlet (i.e. within 0.4-10 ppm). Inversely proportional to the phosphate parameter which was rather higher than Water Quality Standard (BMA) between 0.19 - 3.34 ppm, eutrophication occurred in the Danau Bangkau Peatland. DO parameter was very low (1.1 - 4 ppm), which is far from the Water Quality Standard. Surprisingly, the pH parameter was actually quite good at between 5.99 - 6.9. Fish diversity was low as only 6 species were found, namely Snakehead Fish (Chana striata), Giant Snakehead Fish (Chana micropeltes), Climbing Perch Fish (Anabas testudineus), Kissing Gourami (Helostoma temminckii), Snakeskin Gourami (Trichogaster pectoralis) and Three-spot Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus). The high phosphate content in old peat Peatlands formed eutrophic conditions, in which only certain fish species were able to adapt. This condition made the fish diversity in Danau Bangkau Peatland very low.

The fragmentation and homogenization of habitats have seriously affected the fishery resources of the Pearl River. To protect the fishery resources, a novel artificial habitat, constructed using bamboo and palm slices, was deployed in the Youjiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River in China. The results of field and laboratory experiments showed that fish abundance, species richness and Shannon–Wiener diversity index were higher in the artificial habitats than at the control sites. There was no significant impact on fish biomass, as the artificial habitats attracted more Cultrinae and Gobioninae fish that are of a smaller size. Artificial habitats can serve as spawning grounds for fish that produce sticky eggs and refuges that improve the survival rates of juvenile fishes. This study revealed that this novel artificial habitat created suitable habitats and suitable spawning substrate for fish, improved fish richness and diversity in the structureless freshwater ecosystem like the Youjiang River., The fragmentation and homogenization of habitats have seriously affected the fishery resources of the Pearl River. To protect the fishery resources, a new type of artificial habitat, consisting of bamboo and palm slices, was deployed in the Youjiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, China. This study revealed that the new type of artificial habitat can form new habitats for fish in the Youjiang River.

With the increase in fishing intensity and the intensification of marine pollution, the fishery resources in the Zhoushan Sea are seriously degraded, and the difficulty of censusing fish diversity hampers effective management in marine fishes. Environmental DNA metabarcoding and bottom trawl methods were used to determine the ability of the methods to distinguish fish assemblages in the Zhoushan Sea. The species composition and diversity of the Zhoushan Sea were assessed via high-throughput sequencing analysis of eDNA coupled with bottom trawl fishery survey data, after which the two methods were compared. eDNA screening identified 38.2% more fish species than bottom trawls. Combining these two methods, 33 orders, 65 families, and 130 species of fishes were identified. Perciformes and Clupeiformes, the most abundant orders in the catch, represented 31.5 and 10.0% of the total fish abundance, respectively. The results of ANOSIM and redundancy analyses indicated that the fish community structure varied significantly between summer and winter, however depth and temperature being the main environmental factors influencing fish distribution. The biodiversity index was higher in summer than in winter. Thus, our work provides more detailed seasonal data on biodiversity in the Zhoushan Sea, which is essential for the long-term management and conservation of coastal biodiversity. Compared with traditional survey methods, eDNA determination is highly sensitive, accurate, cost-efficient, and suitable for fish diversity studies in relevant sea areas. Although this approach cannot completely replace traditional methods, our findings demonstrate that it provides a reliable complementary method for assessing fish diversity in marine ecosystems.

An annotated list of the freshwater fishes of the Río Alvarado drainage, Upper Río Magdalena Basin is presented. Fishes were captured from nine localities, quarterly sampled between September 2012 and July 2013. A total of 36 species belonging to 14 families, distributed in five orders were collected. The most abundant species was Trichomycterus banneaui (Eigenmann, 1912) (19.4%), followed by Creagrutus affinis Steindachner, 1880 (13%), Chaetostoma thomsoni Regan, 1904 (9.1%), Trichomycterus mogotensis Ardila-Rodríguez, 2017 (7.7%), Astroblepus homodon (Regan, 1904) (6.6%), Creagrutus dulima Albornoz-Garzón, Conde-Saldaña, García-Melo, Taphorn & Villa-Navarro, 2018 (5.9%), Poecilia sphenops Valenciennes, 1846 (5.7%) and Argopleura magdalenensis (Eigenmann, 1913) (5.6%). An identification key and a complete photographic catalog of all fish species recorded in the drainage are presented.

Loss of fish biodiversity, especially in the inland and coastal areas, is a major concern in sustainable fish production. Indiscriminate fish catch, climate change and many other anthropogenic activities synergistically affect fish biodiversity. To formulate a sustainable fish biodiversity conservation plan, fish biodiversity in the Andharmanik River, a 40-km-long Hilsa shad sanctuary in the southern part of Bangladesh, was assessed. The study was conducted to understand the status of fish species diversity through sampling in three sampling stations between December 2014 and November 2015. A total of 93 fish species were found belonging to 66 genera, 45 families and 14 orders. Perciformes (27.65%) was found to be the most dominant order, followed by Cypriniformes (20.21%), Siluriformes (21.28%) Clupeiformes (7.45%) Mastacembeliformes (4.26%) and Channiformes (4.26%). Out of the 93 fish species of the river, the percentage compositions of the vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered and not threatened were found to be 14%, 11%, 6% and 59%, respectively. Four population indices viz. Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index (H), Simpson’s dominance index (D), Simpson’s index of diversity (1-D) and Margalef’s index (d) were applied to demonstrate species diversity, richness and evenness of fish species in sampling areas, and the overall values of the indices were 2.70-3.51, 0.10-0.12, 0.88-0.90 and 7.84-8.19, respectively. The main threats to fish biodiversity were reviewed and the measures for fish biodiversity conservation of the river recommended. Indiscriminate fishing using biodiversity destructive gears, as well as losing hydrological and ecological connectivity with the surrounding habitats, were identified as major threats to biodiversity in the Andharmanik River. Effective sanctuary-based co-management, immediate actions for habitat enhancement to conserve and improve fish biodiversity in the river were recommended. Necessary steps to improve hydrological and ecological connectivity for habitat protection and elimination of all destructive fishing gears in order to conserve biodiversity in the Andharmanik River were also suggested.

No-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established as a management strategy to conserve biodiversity and sustain fisheries. When properly managed, such areas can maintain or increase reef productivity. A total of seven Marine Protected Areas have been established on the coastline of Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines. These seem to have been successful in reducing fish stock exploitation by local and international fishermen. Each MPA, however, covers an average of 6.69Ha, far smaller than is recommended for effective MPAs. This is compounded by the common practice of fishers placing longlines at the MPA boundaries. This thesis project would compare fish diversity, size, and biomass in addition to coral diversity and coral cover within and outside the MPA systems. In parallel, an assessment of the external risks and impacts that reefs within these MPAs are exposed to will be performed during the study. In total, one dry season (February to July 2019) and one wet season (August 2019 to January 2020) of data were analyzed. Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe) were used to investigate substrate composition. Diver Operated Stereo Video System (SVS) and EventMeasure measured fish biomass, diversity, and abundance. 3-Dimensional reef modeling, using AgiSoft were applied to obtain values of rugosity and slope. SCUBA helped search to identify the root causes of coral mortality (coral bleaching, coral disease, trash, corallivorous invertebrates). The data collection was carried out by researchers from the Institute for Marine Research (IMR) located in Dauin, Negros Oriental, and by myself, under their supervision. A high variability between the study sites have been noted. Added to the underrepresentation of the unprotected sites (three vs fourteen MPAs), this report constitute therefore a descriptive overview more than a proper significant comparison between Dauin’s MPAs and non-MPAs. The results obtained underline the need to continue studies on the Dauin coast in order to assess the effectiveness of MPAs and to guide the stakeholders towards better enforcement measures and respect for the protection status of MPAs already implemented. Indeed, make a case for the unification of MPAs to create a much larger area seems to be an option that would benefit not only marine biodiversity, but also the local population who depend heavily on the reef for their livelihood. As Áreas Marinhas Protegidas (AMPs) foram criadas como uma estratégia de gestão para conservar a biodiversidade e sustentar a pesca. Quando geridas adequadamente, essas áreas podem manter ou aumentar a produtividade dos recifes. A expansão de áreas marinhas individuais estabelecidas localmente para formar redes é vista como um meio de atingir os objetivos de conservação e acelerar a melhoria dos recursos naturais e ecossistemas costeiros. Esses objetivos são considerados alcançados através da melhoria do desenho (tamanho, localização) e gestão das AMPs, que geralmente são dificultados tanto pela governança como pelas restrições financeiras. A criação de AMPs nas Filipinas implica uma cooperação real entre comunidades, governos e outras instituições. Um total de sete Áreas Marinhas Protegidas foram estabelecidas na costa de Dauin, Negros Oriental, Filipinas. Estas áreas parecem ter tido sucesso na redução da exploração de peixes por pescadores locais e internacionais. Cada AMP, no entanto, cobre uma média de 6,69 Ha, muito menor do que o recomendado para AMPs eficazes. Isto é agravado pela prática comum dos pescadores usarem palangres nas fronteiras do MPA. Este projeto de tese compara a diversidade, tamanho e biomassa de peixes, além da diversidade e cobertura de corais dentro e fora das MPAs. Em paralelo, uma avaliação dos riscos e impactos externos aos quais os recifes dentro dessas AMPs estão expostos foi realizada durante o estudo. Apenas o efeito sobre a biodiversidade local foi avaliado. Isto significa que a dimensão socioeconómica (efeitos no turismo ou nas receitas da pesca) ou governação, que são as duas outras dimensões a investigar quando se avalia a eficácia das AMPs, não foram incluídas neste relatório. Os resultados fornecerão percepções sobre a eficácia das AMPs, que são essenciais para avaliar as necessidades futuras, adaptar as práticas e otimizar a alocação de recursos governamentais e privados para as AMPs. No total os dados de uma estação seca (Fevereiro a Julho de 2019) e uma estação chuvosa (Agosto de 2019 a Janeiro de 2020) foram analisados. O software Coral Point Count com extensões Excel (CPCe) foi usado para investigar a composição do substrato. O sistema de vídeo estéreo operado por mergulhador (SVS) e o software EventMeasure permitiram calcular a biomassa, a diversidade e a abundância dos peixes. Modelagem de recife tridimensional, usando AgiSoft, foi aplicada para obter valores de rugosidade e declive. A observação directa usando SCUBA permitiu identificar as causas básicas da mortalidade do coral (branqueamento do coral, doença do coral, lixo, invertebrados coralívoros). A recolha de dados foi realizada por investigadores do Institute for Marine Research (IMR) localizado em Dauin, Negros Oriental, e por mim, sob sua supervisão. Uma alta variabilidade entre os locais de estudo foi observada. Somado à sub-representação dos locais desprotegidos (três vs catorze MPAs), este relatório constitui, portanto, uma visão geral descritiva mais do que uma comparação significativa adequada entre MPAs de Dauin e não MPAs. Em relação à composição bêntonica, metade da cobertura de Dauin é composta por componentes abióticos, principalmente areia; enquanto os componentes bióticos são principalmente corais, algas e esponjas. Os géneros Acropora, Anacropora, Porites, Echinopora e Pocillopora são os corais dominantes relatados. A população de algas é composta principalmente por algas Turf, Coraline e Halimeda. As esponjas incrustantes são os principais gêneros relatados. Os estressores locais estão causando a mortalidade dos corais no recife de Dauin. Os impactos mais frequentes foram o branqueamento, Drupella spp. alimentação e destruição direta. Acropora, o principal coral presente em Dauin, foi o gênero mais impactado. Não é possível concluir que as AMPs têm um efeito benéfico nos impactos dos corais em Dauin, visto que foram relatados mais impactos em locais protegidos do que em locais não protegidos, concomitante à presença de barcos de mergulho e actividades de pesca nas MPAs. Foram registadas 36 famílias de peixes com uma riqueza de espécies de 244; quase a metade representada por três espécies: Labridae, Pomacentridae e Chaetodontidae. A estrutura trófica suporta uma alta prevalência de generalistas de habitat. Nenhuma conclusão pode ser feita para a eficiência dos AMPs da Dauin no aumento da abundância e biomassa de peixes e nenhuma diferença nas espécies comercialmente importantes foi encontrada, no entanto, as AMPs podem ter um impacto positivo nas espécies ameaçadas. Finalmente, a correlação entre rugosidade e estrutura da comunidade de peixes, abundância ou biomassa não foi significativa. No entanto, este estudo destaca diferenças locais claras que podem orientar estudos futuros. O sul de Dauin é caracterizado pelo domínio de corais Anacropora, corais mortos altos e coberturas de algas e branqueamento de corais. Ao comparar as populações na AMP Masapold Sul com as zonas fora da AMP, as populações de corais Porites spp. e algas mortas foram superiores na AMP; enquanto Anacropora spp. e as populações de esponjas eram inferiores na zona protegida. A zona Central Dauin é caracterizada pela dominância de corais Porites, uma alta cobertura de algas, presença de cicatrizes de alimentação de COT no Distrito I de Poblacion e ausência de Drupella spp.. A zona Norte de Dauin é caracterizada pelo domínio dos corais Acropora e a menor cobertura de coral morto. Ao comparar as populações na AMP Bulak com zonas fora da MPA, Porites spp. e hidroides eEste estudo foi o primeiro a abranger as sete zonas protegidas de Darin e teve o objetivo de relatar uma visão geral da paisagem recifal em termos de caracterização bentônica e comunidades de peixes. A subdivisão em três zonas, ou seja, Dauin Norte, Central e Sul foi usada para investigar se a linha costeira estaria sujeita ao efeito local. Diferentes dinâmicas nessas três zonas foram claramente observadas, sugerindo processos ecológicos locais e fatores antrópicos impactando a paisagem recifal. As diferenças entre as AMPs podem ser consideráveis, mesmo entre locais próximos. Portanto, mais estudos devem avaliar a eficácia dos AMPs um por um, já que a combinação de parâmetros da população de peixes e medidas bentônicas de locais heterogêneos pode ser enganosa. Além disso, cada AMP deve ser emparelhada com uma zona próxima não protegida, para garantir uma boa representatividade de ambos os grupos de estudo. Esses parâmetros deveriam aumentar a representatividade e a significância das medidas, que faltaram neste estudo. Finalmente, um monitoramento por vários anos aumentaria a compreensão do funcionamento e da dinâmica das zonas protegidas de Dauin. Isso serviria ainda como um feedback para a eficiência das medidas de fiscalização ou forneceria argumentos para melhorá-las e talvez defender a unificação das AMPs para criar uma área muito maior que beneficiaria não apenas a biodiversidade marinha, mas também a população local que depende muito do recife para seu sustento.stiveram mais presentes, enquanto Acropora spp. estavam menos presentes na zona protegida.

The introduction of non-native predators is a matter of great concern, but their impacts on ecosystem functions remain poorly understood. We investigated how changes in fish diversity following the invasion of Cichla kelberi affected ecosystem functions generated by fish populations. Fish assemblages were sampled in macrophyte patches in a Neotropical impoundment over a 5-year period, before and after the introduction of the predator. We assigned seven ecosystem functions (26 trait-states) to each fish species, and examined how these functions behaved after the invasion. We collected 577 fish belonging to 25 species. Species richness, fish biomass and main species declined significantly over periods. The biomass of ecosystem functions changed significantly over time, and most trait-states declined. Few trait-states were lost, but all functions had at least one trait-state reduced by more than 85%. A null model analysis showed that changes in functions were not driven by species identities, while species richness correlated positively with total biomass and with most functions, suggesting that the loss of taxa and biomass drove observed changes in ecosystem functions. Our study provided evidence that community disassembly associated with the invasion of C. kelberi translated to the decline of several ecosystem functions, affecting energy mobilization and transference. Resumo A introdução de predadores não-nativos tem gerado grande preocupação, mas seus impactos sobre a geração de funções ecossistêmicas permanecem pouco investigados. O presente estudo investigou como mudanças na diversidade de peixes, associadas com a invasão de Cichla kelberi, afetaram funções ecossistêmicas geradas por populações de peixes. As assembleias de peixes foram amostradas em bancos de macrófitas em um grande reservatório Neotropical durante um período de cinco anos, antes e depois da introdução do predador. Um conjunto de funções ecossistêmicas (26 trait-states) foi atribuído a cada espécie de peixe, e examinamos como as funções se comportaram depois da invasão. Foram coletados 577 peixes pertencentes a 25 espécies. Registramos declínio significativo da riqueza de espécies, biomassa total e biomassa das principais espécies ao longo dos períodos. A biomassa das funções ecossistêmicas mudou significativamente ao longo do tempo, e a maioria dos trait-states declinou. Poucos trait-states foram perdidos, mas todas as funções tiveram pelo menos um trait-state reduzido em mais de 85%. Uma análise de modelos nulos mostrou que as mudanças nas funções não foram impulsionadas pela identidade das espécies, enquanto que a riqueza de espécies correlacionou positivamente com a biomassa total e com a maioria das funções, sugerindo que a perda de espécies e biomassa impulsionou as mudanças observadas nas funções ecossistêmicas. Nosso estudo apresenta evidências de que a desestruturação da comunidade, associada com a invasão de C. kelberi, se traduziu no declínio de várias funções ecossistêmicas, afetando a mobilização e transferência de energia.

The ichthyofauna of the Lulua River, a large right bank tributary of the Kasai River in central Africa, is among the most poorly documented in the Kasai ecoregion. To remedy this lack of knowledge, sampling was carried out between 2007 and 2014 along the main channel and in many tributaries. A total of 201 species distributed in 81 genera, 24 families, and 12 orders are reported from the lower reaches of the Lulua. The species richness reported in this study represents a substantially improved documentation of the Lulua ichthyofauna (historically estimated at only 79 species). Here, 129 species are recorded for the first time, bringing the total number of known species to 208. Among these, five have recently been described: Raiamas brachyrhabdotos Katemo Manda, Snoeks, Choca Manda, and Vreven 2018, Distichodus kasaiensis Moelants, Snoeks, and Vreven, 2018, Distichodus polli Abwe, Snoeks, Choca Manda, and Vreven 2019, Epiplatys atractus Van Der Zee, Mbimbi, and Sonnenberg 2013, and Hypsopanchax stiassnyae Van Der Zee, Sonnenberg, and Mbimbi 2015, numerous additional taxa are currently under investigation. Recognized here as a continental hotspot of ichthyofaunal diversity, the Lulua is under extreme threat from exploitation of forest products for building materials, deforestation for shifting agriculture and charcoal exploitation, destructive fishing practices, and mining, all of which are rapidly increasing in the watershed. The present study provides baseline documentation for use in conservation planning and future developmental projects in the Kasai ecoregion in general and Lulua River basin in particular.

In recent years, environmental DNA (eDNA) technology has gradually improved, and it has been increasingly used to monitor marine fish. The decline and seasonal fluctuations of fish resources in Laizhou Bay, Bohai were studied using eDNA technology and compared with the results of conventional fish resource survey methods. In November 2020 (autumn), March 2021 (spring), and July 2021 (summer), 12 samples were collected each quarter in Laizhou Bay and adjacent waters for a total of 36 eDNA samples, and 47 fish species were identified. During the same trip, ground cages, gillnets, and trawls were used during two seasons. Fishery resource surveys were conducted at 12 sites from November 2020 (autumn) to March 2021 (spring), and in total 11 fish species were found. Our study found that fishery resources in Laizhou Bay significantly fluctuated with seasonal changes. Additionally, compared with traditional surveys, eDNA information included the same results, but also included fish that could not be collected because of the technical limitations of traditional surveys. Therefore, this study provides more accurate seasonal information for fish in Laizhou Bay, which is of great significance for the long-term management and conservation of coastal biodiversity.

Extensive studies on fish diversity in Lakshadweep waters began with Jones and Kumaran’s in 1964. Reports after these authors were sparse and sporadic until the turn of this century. Although recent reports have increased the tally, targeted studies are lacking, and there is a possibility of listing more species for this region. Studies on the diversity and abundance of fishes are due, given the atoll system undergoing rapid changes: structural decline due to several bleaching related coral mortality events, changes in the seagrass meadows, and the increase in fishing reef-associated species. These circumstances call for a revised checklist of fishes for this region, for the latest dates back to 1991. Thus, we present an inventory of ichthyofauna of Lakshadweep atolls based on published literature and incorporating 15 new species records identified through a rapid survey. The new species records for this region are presented here with the diagnostics of these species. The checklist shows 856 species of 432 genera, 43 orders, and 144 families known from these islands, including 16 freshwater forms. 49.3% of the contribution is from 14 fish families having > 15 species each, while the remainder 131 families contributed 52.5%, which have

The social value of natural aquatic ecosystems is very important to set management priorities. River connectivity is essential for the conservation of freshwater ecosystems because barriers alter both abiotic conditions and the biotic communities, compromising biodiversity; however, the appreciation of this river feature has been insufficiently considered in socio-environmental studies that are mainly focused on the acceptance of new dams. Here we used a willingness to pay approach to estimate the value of connectivity, native species, fish diversity (measured as functional diversity or as species richness), fish abundance and environmental quality in three groups of students of different educational background in Asturias (NW of Spain). As in other studies where they are more sensitive to environmental issues, educational sciences students would pay more to conserve and improve river conditions than students of other disciplines. Connectivity was the least valued river feature by students of educational and natural sciences, and the third (before biodiversity and fish abundance) by engineering students. We measured the same features on lowland reaches of four coastal rivers in the Bay of Biscay, and applied declared will amounts to model their appreciation. Differences between the river ranks obtained from functional diversity (that changes with non-native species) and species richness, and small differences between students of different disciplines in the gap between most and least preferred rivers arise from the model. This indicates the importance to involve diverse stakeholder sectors in decisions about rivers. The importance of river connectivity in the conservation of local biodiversity should be explained to general public, perhaps through environmental campaigns.

Fishes are the primary indicators of pollution of water bodies because they are conspicuous and changes in physicochemical characteristics of water affects their growth and reproductive multiplication rate. The study reveals the species diversity of fishes in relation to physicochemical status of the Yamuna river at Kalpi stretch. Four sampling station were selected on the Yamuna river for sample collection to analysis species diversity of fishes in relation to physicochemical status of studied river. Sampling for fish fauna and physicochemical analysis of water was done simultaneously for one year. The collected samples were analysed for selected physicochemical parameters and collected fishes was identified in the same time. Selected physicochemical parameters were Water Temperature (W.T.), pH, Conductivity, Turbidity, Total Dissolved Solids (T.D.S.), Total Hardness (TH), Total Alkalinity (T.A.), Chloride (Cl), Sulphate (SO4), Phosphate (PO4), Nitrate (NO3), Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (B.O.D.) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (C.O.D.). Mostly physicochemical parameters were found suitable for survival and growth of fish fauna. Yamuna river at Kalpi stretch have high potential for fish production which is not utilize till now.

Funding: FM and AEM are grateful to the European Research Council (ERCAdG BioTIME 250189 and ERCPoC BioCHANGE 727440). Marine fish are an irreplaceable resource but are currently under threat due to overfishing and climate change. To date, most of the emphasis has been on single stocks or populations of economic importance. However, commercially valuable species are embedded in assemblages of many species and there is only limited understanding of the extent to which the structure of whole communities has altered in recent years. Most assemblages are dominated by one or a few species, with these highly abundant species underpinning ecosystem services and harvesting decisions. This paper shows that there have been marked temporal changes in the dominance structure of Scottish marine assemblages over the last three decades, where dominance is measured as the proportional numerical abundance of the most dominant species. We report contrasting patterns in both the identity of the dominant species, and shifts in the relative abundance of the dominant in assemblages to the east and west of Scotland. This result highlights the importance of multi-species analyses of harvested stocks and has implications not only for fisheries management but also for consumer choices. Postprint

Co-management is increasingly recognized as an effective model for managing fisheries, but little information exists on whether co-management can produce effects in species other than the target species. Fishery co-management in the tropics, where fish diversity is high and fish catches tend to be multispecies, is prone to produce assemblage-wide effects via alterations in the food web and changes in the overall capture of non-target species. Here, we assessed the effects of co-management for the species Arapaima sp. in relation to the structure and composition of the overall fish assemblage in floodplain lakes of the central Amazon Basin. These floodplain lakes are managed under a system of zoning of fishing activities. We used data from surveys of six floodplain lakes, including two lakes of each of three categories (lakes where fishing is prohibited, limited-access lakes, and open fishing lakes). The surveys were carried out before and after implementation of co-management, through gillnet fishing. The study area was the lower Solimoes River, in the Amazon Basin, Brazil. Statistical models showed significant changes in the composition and structure of the fish assemblages after the implementation of the co-management, regardless of the zoning category. Through regulation of gear use and fishing practices, co-management allowed the colonization of species that had not been present before, which lead to higher richness and consequently increased fish sizes, abundance and biomass. Species of sedentary habits, migrants of short and medium distances, with commercial importance benefited the most from co-management. In the results presented in temporal scale, it was possible to observe a potential spillover effect being provided by the lakes where fishing is prohibited (no-take zones) and those of limited access that benefited those open to fishing. Thus, co-management had positive effects in the structure and composition of fish assemblages in all lakes, regardless of zoning category. CAPESCAPES [001]; US National Science Foundation (NSF ICER Belmont Forum)National Science Foundation (NSF) [1852113]; Amazonas State Research Foundation [FAPEAM PAPAC 005/2019-962.00847.2019] WM-L received a post-graduate grant from CAPES (Finance Code 001). Financial support for LC during manuscript preparation was provided by the US National Science Foundation (NSF ICER Belmont Forum #1852113). Amazonas State Research Foundation (FAPEAM PAPAC 005/2019-962.00847.2019). The CNPq and INCT ADAPTA support the sampling and field work.

Despite the importance of species–area relationships (SARs) to conservation, SARs in human‐fragmented rivers have received little attention. Our aim was to test for the presence and strength of SARs for littoral fish assemblages of an extensively dammed river in south‐central Ontario, Canada, and to examine long‐running hypotheses for the drivers of SARs. Twenty‐six navigational dams with locks built between 1837 and 1913 occur along the 160 km length of the Trent River examined in this study. We evaluated the relationship between richness and fragment area, and then used linear models to test whether the area per se, habitat diversity, or other hypotheses were best supported by the data. A power–function relationship with area explained 46% of the variation in fish species richness, and the slope (z = 0.4) was high compared with SARs reported from other ecosystems, indicating that species accumulated rapidly with an increase in fragment area. Multi‐predictor models suggested that area was significantly related to richness, but that vegetation cover diversity had a stronger relative effect. The slope of our SAR may indicate that there is a high degree of isolation between populations in different fragments, even though the lock system reportedly allows some passage of organisms. Our findings also suggest that mitigating against local extinction due to small population sizes (i.e., area effects), and enhancing aquatic vegetation cover may be viable strategies for promoting species diversity in the study river. Studies of SARs in fragmented rivers may offer additional benefits to supporting restoration planning where efforts are being made to increase species diversity.

Development of effective conservation and management strategies requires assessments of ecosystem biodiversity status, especially in understudied hotspots of global fish diversity. Coral reefs are important habitats for fishes, with biodiversity hotspots known globally. We present the first data on molecular diversity of fishes of Mischief Reef, the largest atoll in the Nansha Islands. Partial sequences (650 bp) of mitochondrial COI gene (Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) are used to identify 209 individuals, representing 101 species, referable to 62 genera, 27 families, 8 orders, and 1 class. The most abundant orders are the Perciformes (176 specimens, 84.21%), Tetraodontiformes (13 specimens, 6.22%), and Beryciformes (13 specimens, 6.22%). Mean Kimura 2-Parameter genetic distances within genera, families, and orders are 4.51, 13.90, and 17.63%, respectively. We record Monotaxis heterodon from this region for the first time—a species that may previously have been misidentified as M. grandoculis. In addition, we recognized possible cryptic species of Lethrinus olivaceus based on significantly diverging barcode sequences. Barcode data provide new insights into fish diversity of Mischief Reef, important for developing further researches on this fauna, and for its conservation.

The present study aims to investigate the variability of catches by trawling fleet vessels licensed to operate under the ‘diverse fish’ license in relation to the depth gradient and the hydrological cycle of the Amazon River. For this purpose, vessels operating in this category were accompanied by on-board observers on the inner Amazon shelf, during January, April and July 2013 and in April, May, August and September 2014. A total of 115,505 kg of fish was harvested, distributed among 22 species. The flood period was the most representative, with a total of 43,122 kg, followed by the ebb period (28,749 kg), the rainy period (23,171 kg) and the dry period (20,424 kg). Kingfish (Macrodon ancylodon) was the most abundant fish in all seasons (79.7%). Significant differences were observed in fish composition in relation to the depth gradient and hydrodynamics of the Amazon River, with higher richness and diversity (Margalef index) during flood periods and at greater depths throughout the study period. We also observed a significant interaction between river flow and depth category, with more diversified fish fauna attributed to ebbs and floods in shallow and deep waters at the mouth of the Amazon River. Considering that the license for ‘diverse fish’ was established as an alternative to fishing for marine shrimp in closed season, the need for effective monitoring of this fishing system is reiterated for an efficient assessment of the impacts in the fish community structure.

Este artículo contiene 15 páginas, 8 figuras, 1 tabla., Sponges have recently been proposed as ideal candidates to act as natural samplers for environmental DNA due to their efficiency in filtering water. However, validation of the usefulness of DNA recovered from sponges to reveal vertebrate biodiversity patterns in Marine Protected Areas is still needed. Additionally, nothing is known about how different sponge species and morphologies influence the capture of environmental DNA and whether biodiversity patterns obtained from sponges are best described by quantitative or qualitative measures. In this study, we amplified and sequenced a vertebrate specific 12S barcode with a set of universal PCR primers (MiFish) for metabarcoding environmental DNA from fishes, to unveil fine-scale patterns of fish communities from natural-sampler DNA retrieved from 64 sponges (16 species) located in eutrophic and well-preserved coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay (central Vietnam). Ninety tropical fish species were identified from the sponges, corresponding to one third of the total local ichthyofauna reported from previous extensive conventional surveys. Significant differentiation in fish communities between eutrophic and well-preserved environments was observed, albeit eutrophication only explained a modest proportion of the variation between fish communities. Differences in efficiency of capturing fish environmental DNA among sponge species or morphologies were not observed. Overall, the majority of detected fish species corresponded to reef-associated small-sized species, as expected in coral reefs environments. Remarkably, pelagic, migratory, and deep-sea fish species were also recovered from sponge tissues, pointing out the ability of sponge natural sampled DNA to detect fishes that were not permanently associated to the biomes where the sponges were sampled. These results highlight the suitability of natural samplers as a cost-effective way to assess vertebrate diversity in hyper-diverse environments., This research was partially funded by the project MArSymbiOmics (CTM2013-43287-P) from the Spanish MINECO and by a small research grant from UiT the Arctic University of Norway to KP.

Suvarnaraksha, Apinun (2020): Oreoglanis omkoiense: a new torrent catfish from northern Thailand (Pisces: Siluriformes, Sisoridae). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 68: 779-790, DOI: 10.26107/RBZ-2020-0089

Descriptions of shifts in biodiversity across time are desired for urban freshwater systems to better study ecosystem change and causal mechanisms. I document changes in fish diversity within the Chicago Area Waterways across 35 years using a battery of diversity metrics calculated on both abundance and biomass data. Has diversity of Chicago's waterways changed over 35 years and if so, do different diversity metrics exhibit different trends or breakpoints in trends? Diversity of the fish assemblage increased across the three decades of study. Breakpoint analysis suggested that trends across the timeseries were nonlinear. Changes in dominant species influenced behavior of less traditional metrics, whereas Margalef's Richness, Shannon-Weiner, and Gini-Simpson appeared more robust. Increases in richness and taxonomic diversity combined with decreases in species dominance suggest an ecosystem of increasing quality. The fish community of the Chicago Area Waterway System is more diverse both in abundance as well as biomass (i.e., energy flows) in the late 2010's than it was in the late 1980's. Although external factors related to wastewater treatment increased water quality and likely led to these assemblage-level changes breakpoint analysis did not allow verification of causal mechanisms.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T19:29:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-01-01 An annotated list of the freshwater fishes of the Río Alvarado drainage, Upper Río Magdalena Basin is presented. Fishes were captured from nine localities, quarterly sampled between September 2012 and July 2013. A total of 36 species belonging to 14 families, distributed in five orders were collected. The most abundant species was Trichomycterus banneaui (Eigenmann, 1912) (19.4%), followed by Creagrutus affinis Steindachner, 1880 (13%), Chaetostoma thom-soni Regan, 1904 (9.1%), Trichomycterus mogotensis Ardila-Rodríguez, 2017 (7.7%), Astroblepus homodon (Regan, 1904) (6.6%), Creagrutus dulima Albornoz-Garzón, Conde-Saldaña, García-Melo, Taphorn & Villa-Navarro, 2018 (5.9%), Poecilia sphenops Valenciennes, 1846 (5.7%) and Argopleura magdalenensis (Eigenmann, 1913) (5.6%). An identification key and a complete photographic catalog of all fish species recorded in the drainage are presented. Colecciones Biológicas Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Carrera 8, No 15-08 Grupo de Investigación en Zoología Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad del Tolima Barrio Santa Helena Parte Alta Laboratório de Biologia e Genética de Peixes Departamento de Morfologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, R. Prof. Dr. Antônio Celso Wagner Zanin 250 Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas Universidad de Ibagué, Carrera 22, Calle 67 Laboratório de Biologia e Genética de Peixes Departamento de Morfologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, R. Prof. Dr. Antônio Celso Wagner Zanin 250

The Guiana Shield in northeastern South America contains some of the largest tracts of intact forests on the globe. Guyana alone has more than 80% forest cover. In south-central Guyana a unique biogeographic feature allows for a hydrological connection between the Guiana Shield with the Amazon basin via the Rupununi savannas and wetlands (Rupununi Portal). This corridor allows for connectivity between two of the most biodiverse, carbon rich, and intact forests in the world. The significance of this (and other) hydrological corridors for terrestrial and aquatic species is underappreciated in the scientific literature. We attempt to determine the importance of the surrounding mosaic of habitats that influence fish assemblages in the Rupununi Portal. We extensively sampled fishes in this corridor over six expeditions. Multivariate analyses revealed significant trends in fish assemblage structure and environmental conditions. We found high species richness and diversity within the Takutu (Amazon River drainage) and Rupununi rivers (Essequibo River drainage). Fish assemblages were found to be most similar within the specific river drainages with some similarity within forest and savanna sites. A second Rupununi portal was revealed in the South Rupununi, at the upper Rupununi and Takutu Rivers. Ordination analyses found water body type, vegetation and water chemistry to be significantly structuring the fish assemblages of the Rupununi. Our study reveals the interdependent nature of the various habitats in the Rupununi that facilitate high biodiversity and maintain the ecosystem. With the increase in human activity in this region, and the increased connectivity of the region with the rest of the world through better roads, this area is in danger of being modified and fragmented to a point where ecosystem services begin to fail. We recommend demarcating a protected area in the region that considers the diversity of associated habitats and the importance of the ecological portal joining two diverse river basins.

This study sought to determine seasonal variations in wild fish assemblage events associated with fish farms with respect to fish biodiversity, abundance and biomass along the Turkish Aegean Sea. Assemblages of wild fish were determined bimonthly with six rapid visual counts (RVCs) at six fish farms in both the Izmir (Northern Aegean Sea, NAS) and Mugla (Southern Aegean Sea, SAS) regions. Data were pooled based on each season. Thirty-nine total fish species representing 21 families were identified, with three particularly abundant families: Sparidae (seven species), Carangidae (six species) and Mugilidae (four species). The greatest fish diversity was recorded in the summer, followed by spring, autumn and winter. Regionally, the greatest fish diversity was observed in the southern Aegean Sea. Significant differences across seasons and regions were observed. Boops boops was very abundant at all stations, except for the first station in the NAS. Approximately 80.5 % of farm-associated fish were B. boops, followed by Atherina boyeri (4.14 %), Scomber colias (2.82 %), Sardinella aurita (2.78 %) and Oblada melanura (2.73 %). A total of 105,041 individual fish and 3637 kg.11,250 m?3 fish were identified in the NAS; 448,331 individual fish and 47,070 kg.11,250 m?3 fish were identified in the SAS. These results indicate that the diversity of wild fish communities is relatively high, and vary between regions. Boops boops represents the predominant species, although the Sparids, Carangids, Mugilids, Scombrids, Clupeids and Pomatomids are also highly represented throughout the Mediterranean. © 2020, 114Y584 Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu, TÜBITAK, This study was financially supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [Project number: 114Y584]. Additionally, the authors are thankful to the owners and managers of the companies Agromey, Abalıoglu, Hatko and Iskandil for their logistical support.

This work is the most comprehensive survey of the Laranjinha River´s fishes, a tributary of the Cinzas River, Paranapanema River basin. Throughout its course, there is only a low-height dam, including a transposition system located 98 km from its mouth. The sampling was carried out in nine locations, from the source to the mouth, with six field incursions in each location, using different fishing gear. A total of 11,924 fish were collected, distributed in seven orders, 27 families, and 100 species. The most representative order in the number of species was Siluriformes, followed by Characiformes. As for the families, Loricariidae comprised 21% and Characidae 14% of species richness. Phalloceros harpagos was the species with the highest absolute abundance, representing 11.3% of the total, followed by Hypostomus ancistroides with 9.8%. However, considering the average abundance and frequency of occurrence, Hypostomus ancistroides was the most abundant species, followed by Hypostomus cf. paulinus, Psalidodon aff. paranae and Phalloceros harpagos. Among the collected species, the Apteronotus acidops, Brycon orbygnianus, Brycon nattereri, Crenicichla jupiaensis, and Rhinelepis aspera were classified as endangered on the most recent IUCN Red List. Also, from the total sampled fish, 9.8% are considered non-native species. Among the native species recorded, 10 species are large migratory species, which indicates that the Laranjinha River is a route for spawning and maintenance of species diversity in the middle Paranapanema River. Therefore, the Laranjinha River is a heritage of fish diversity and deserves special attention in its preservation. Resumo: Este é o levantamento mais abrangente de peixes do rio Laranjinha, um afluente do rio das Cinzas, bacia do rio Paranapanema. Ao longo de sua rota, existe apenas uma pequena barragem com um sistema de transposição localizado 98 km de sua nascente. A amostragem foi realizada em nove locais, desde a nascente até a foz, com seis incursões de campo em cada local, com o auxílio de diferentes artes de pesca. Foram coletados 11.924 indivíduos, distribuídos em sete ordens, 27 famílias e 100 espécies. A ordem mais representativa foi Siluriformes, seguida por Characiformes. Quanto às famílias, Loricariidae compôs 21% e Characidae 14% da riqueza de espécies. Phalloceros harpagos foi a espécie com maior abundância absoluta, representando 11,3% do total, seguida por Hypostomus ancistroides, com 9,8%. No entanto, considerando a abundância média e a frequência de ocorrência, Hypostomus ancistroides foi a espécie mais abundante, seguida por Hypostomus cf. paulinus, Psalidodon aff. paranae e Phalloceros harpagos. Entre as espécies coletadas, Apteronotus acidops, Brycon orbygnianus, Brycon nattereri, Crenicichla jupiaensis e Rhinelepis aspera estão listadas em categorias de ameaça na Lista Vermelha da IUCN mais recente. Além disso, do total de indivíduos amostrados, 9,8% são considerados espécies não nativas. Entre as espécies nativas registradas, 10 espécies são migratórias de grande porte, o que indica que o rio Laranjinha é uma rota de desova e manutenção da diversidade de espécies no médio rio Paranapanema. Portanto, o rio Laranjinha é um patrimônio da diversidade de peixes e merece atenção especial em sua preservação.

Gubitak biološke raznolikosti riba, posebno u kopnenim i obalnim područjima, jedan je od glavnih interesa održive proizvodnje riba. Neselektivni ulov ribe, klimatske promjene i mnoge druge antropogene aktivnosti sinergijski utječu na biološku raznolikost riba. U svrhu formuliranja održivog plan očuvanja biološke raznolikosti riba u rijeci Andharmanik, procijenjena je biološka raznolikost riba u 40 km dugačkom svetištu Hilsa, u južnom dijelu Bangladeša. Studija je provedena kako bi se utvrdio status raznolikosti ribljih vrsta i to uzorkovanjem na tri lokacije od prosinca 2014. do studenog 2015. Ukupno je pronađeno 93 vrste riba koje pripadaju 66 rodova, 45 porodica i 14 redova. Grgečke (27,65%) su utvrđene kao dominantni red, a slijede ih šaranke (20,21%), somovi (21,28%), sleđevke (7,45%), bodljikave jegulje (4,26%) i zmijoglave ribe (4,26%). Od 93 vrste ribe u rijeci, utvrđeno je udio osjetljivih riba 14%,, ugroženih 11%, kritično ugroženih 6% te neugroženih riba 59%. Četiri indeksa populacije, Shannon-Wiener-ov indeks raznolikosti (H), Simpsonov indeks dominacije (D), Simpsonov indeks raznolikosti (1-D) i Margalef-ov indeks (d), primijenjeni su kako bi se prikazala raznolikost, bogatstvo i ujednačenost ribljih vrsta na uzorkovanim područjima. Ukupne vrijednosti navedenih indeksa bile su 2,70-3,51, 0,10-0,12, 0,88-0,90 tj. 7,84-8,19. Procijenjene su glavne prijetnje biološkoj raznolikosti riba i preporučene mjere za očuvanje biološke raznolikosti ribe. Kao glavne prijetnje biološkoj raznolikosti u rijeci Andharmanik identificiran je neselektivni ribolov, koji koristi štetne mehanizme po biološku raznolikost, kao i gubitak hidrološke i ekološke povezanosti s okolnim staništima. Preporučuju se efikasno zajedničko upravljanje te neposredne akcije za jačanje staništa radi očuvanja i poboljšanja biološke raznolikosti ribe na istraživanoj lokaciji. Predloženi su i potrebni koraci za poboljšanje hidrološke i ekološke povezanosti radi zaštite staništa i uklanjanja svih štetnih ribolovnih alata radi očuvanja biološke raznolikosti u rijeci Andharmanik., Loss of fish biodiversity, especially in the inland and coastal areas, is a major concern in sustainable fish production. Indiscriminate fish catch, climate change and many other anthropogenic activities synergistically affect fish biodiversity. To formulate a sustainable fish biodiversity conservation plan, fish biodiversity in the Andharmanik River, a 40-km-long Hilsa shad sanctuary in the southern part of Bangladesh, was assessed. The study was conducted to understand the status of fish species diversity through sampling in three sampling stations between December 2014 and November 2015. A total of 93 fish species were found belonging to 66 genera, 45 families and 14 orders. Perciformes (27.65%) was found to be the most dominant order, followed by Cypriniformes (20.21%), Siluriformes (21.28%) Clupeiformes (7.45%) Mastacembeliformes (4.26%) and Channiformes (4.26%). Out of the 93 fish species of the river, the percentage compositions of the vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered and not threatened were found to be 14%, 11%, 6% and 59%, respectively. Four population indices viz. Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index (H), Simpson's dominance index (D), Simpson's index of diversity (1-D) and Margalef's index (d) were applied to demonstrate species diversity, richness and evenness of fish species in sampling areas, and the overall values of the indices were 2.70-3.51, 0.10-0.12, 0.88-0.90 and 7.84-8.19, respectively. The main threats to fish biodiversity were reviewed and the measures for fish biodiversity conservation of the river recommended. Indiscriminate fishing using biodiversity destructive gears, as well as losing hydrological and ecological connectivity with the surrounding habitats, were identified as major threats to biodiversity in the Andharmanik River. Effective sanctuary-based co-management, immediate actions for habitat enhancement to conserve and improve fish biodiversity in the river were recommended. Necessary steps to improve hydrological and ecological connectivity for habitat protection and elimination of all destructive fishing gears in order to conserve biodiversity in the Andharmanik River were also suggested.

Redang Islands Marine Park consists of nine islands in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. Redang Island is one of the largest off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, which is famous for its crystal-clear waters and white sandy beaches. The ichthyofauna of the Redang archipelago was surveyed by underwater visual observations between August 2016 and May 2018. Census data were compiled with existing records into the checklist of the marine fish of the Redang archipelago presented herein. A total of 314 species belonging to 51 families were recorded. The most speciose families (Pomacentridae, Labridae, Scaridae, Serranidae, Apogonidae, Carangidae, Gobiidae, Chaetodontidae, Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae and Siganidae) were also amongst the most speciose at the neighbouring Tioman archipelago (except Chaetodontidae). The coral fish diversity index value for the six families of coral reef fishes (Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae, Scaridae and Acanthuridae) of the study sites was 132. We estimated that there were 427 coral reef fish species in the Redang archipelago. According to the IUCN Red List, eight species are Near Threatened (Carcharhinus melanopterus, Chaetodon trifascialis, Choerodon schoenleinii, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, E. polyphekadion, Plectropomus leopardus, Taeniura lymma and Triaenodon obesus), eleven are Vulnerable (Bolbometopon muricatum, Chaetodon trifasciatus, Chlorurus sordidus, Dascyllus trimaculatus, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, E. polyphekadion, Halichoeres marginatus, Heniochus acuminatus, Nebrius ferrugineus, Neopomacentrus cyanomos and Plectropomus areolatus) and three are Endangered (Amphiprion clarkia, Cheilinus undulatus and Scarus ghobban) in the Redang archipelago. Five species are new records for Malaysia (Ctenogobiops mitodes, Epibulus brevis, Halichoeres erdmanni, H. richmondi and Scarus caudofasciatus) and 25 species are newly recorded in the Redang archipelago.

The study has explored the implications of climate change on fish biodiversity as experienced by the local people of Dekhar Haor. It also expressed the local community’s perceptions about the manifestations and consequences of climate change. In the study area, about 77.5% of people were involved with full-time fishing and 16.3% with part-time fishing. About 78.33% respondents thought that the weather has changed abruptly within the last 10 years. The study showed that the first and foremost factor is high temperature (100%). Considering biodiversity aspects, a total of 63 species under 20 families were found during the study period whereas 80 fish species under 29 families found 10 years back. The species availability status was remarked in four categories and obtained as 22 species highly available, 25 species moderately available, 16 species very low in availability and 17 species are not available. Alteration in several climatic factors like temperature, rainfall, increased drought, siltation and early flood caused overall 21.25% fish biodiversity loss where 16.67% carps, 27.27% catfishes, 10% barbs and minnows, 20% snakeheads, 20% eels, 23.08% perches, 50% featherbacks, 33.33% loaches and 16.67% miscellaneous species have been lost over a decade. Climate change in Dekhar Haor resulted in a shift to the breeding season, reduced fish biodiversity, wide variations in fish growth and taste.

European large rivers are exposed to multiple human pressures and maintained as waterways for inland navigation. However, little is known on the dominance and interactions of multiple pressures in large rivers and in particular inland navigation has been ignored in multi-pressure analyzes so far. We determined the response of ten fish population metrics (FPM, related to densities of diagnostic guilds and biodiversity) to 11 prevailing pressures including navigation intensity at 76 sites in eight European large rivers. Thereby, we aimed to derive indicative FPM for the most influential pressures that can serve for fish-based assessments. Pressures' influences, impacts and interactions were determined for each FPM using bootstrapped regression tree models. Increased flow velocity, navigation intensity and the loss of floodplains had the highest influences on guild densities and biodiversity. Interactions between navigation intensity and loss of floodplains and between navigation intensity and increased flow velocity were most frequent, each affecting 80% of the FPM. Further, increased sedimentation, channelization, organic siltation, the presence of artificial embankments and the presence of barriers had strong influences on at least one FPM. Thereby, each FPM was influenced by up to five pressures. However, some diagnostic FPM could be derived: Species richness, Shannon and Simpson Indices, the Fish Region Index and lithophilic and psammophilic guilds specifically indicate rhithralisation of the potamal region of large rivers. Lithophilic, phytophilic and psammophilic guilds indicate disturbance of shoreline habitats through both (i) wave action induced by passing vessels and (ii) hydromorphological degradation of the river channel that comes along with inland navigation. In European large rivers, inland navigation constitutes a highly influential pressure that adds on top of the prevailing hydromorphological degradation. Therefore, river management has to consider river hydromorphology and inland navigation to efficiently rehabilitate the potamal region of large rives.

Apriadi T, Pratama G, Putra RD, Jumsurizal, Jaya YV, Firdaus M, Arpas HD, Suryanti A. 2018. Comparative study on the fish diversity from natural and bauxite post-mining in wetland system of Bintan Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 967-973. In this study, the fish populations between two different wetland systems in Bintan Island, Indonesia, i.e., bauxite post-mining (Kijang) and natural wetland (Toapaya) were compared and to propose a newly index namely Environomic of Fishes Index (EFI) to their respective ecosystems. The purposive random sampling at six stations, each of three stations representing bauxite mining (Kijang) and three stations representing a natural wetland (Toapaya) were used in this research. The numbers of fish species and the abundance were enumerated. The new index derived from the value of diversity index (Shannon), similarity index (Evenness), dominance index (Simpson's), conservation status, and economic value were also evaluated. The natural wetland has higher fish diversity than bauxite post-mining. The total species found were twenty-four. The same seven species were found in both areas. Twelve species were obtained from bauxite post-mining, and nineteen species were obtained from natural wetland. Puntius tetrazona and Rasbora heteromorpha were the common species in area study. The diversity and dominance index was at low category, Evenness index was at high category in all stations, except in tidal swamp station at bauxite post-mining. The EFI in natural wetland was higher than bauxite post-mining. The three community index value, economic value, and conservation status of natural wetland were higher than bauxite post-mining.

A study was carried out from March 2016 to February 2017 to investigate the diversity of fishes and the conservation status of Bochamari Beel, a natural wetland of Cooch Behar District, West Bengal, India. The study revealed the occurrence of 40 species of fishes belonging to 31 genera under six orders and 15 families. Cyprinidae was the dominant family with 14 species followed by Channidae with four species, Ambassidae and Bagridae with three species each, Nandidae, Mastacembelidae, Belontiidae, Siluridae and Clariidae with two species each whereas Cobitidae, Belonidae, Gobiidae, Anabantidae, Tetraodontidae and Notopteridae were represented by a single species each. The status of species of this beel included one Endangered species, one Vulnerable species and four Near Threatened species. The maximum fish diversity was recorded in the monsoon season (H’=2.876) as compared with pre monsoon (H’=2.124) and post monsoon (H’ =1.735). The evenness index varied from 0.640 (post monsoon) to 0.822 (monsoon), which indicates uneven distribution of fishes in this beel. Indiscriminate fishing throughout the year, along with extensive weed infestation could be responsible for depletion of fish diversity in this beel.

Budiasa IW, Santosa IGN, Ambarawati IGAA, Suada IK, Sunarta IN, Shchegolkova N. 2018. Feasibility study and carrying capacity of Lake Batur ecosystem to preserve tilapia fish farming in Bali, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 613-620. Lake Batur in Bangli District was potential for fishery development up to 5% of the total water area. Currently the lake area used for fishery was only 6.28 ha, leaving the area up to 77.07 ha potential for fishery development. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was the most abundant fish in the lake. This research aimed to evaluate the financial feasibility of tilapia fish farming with Floating Net Cages (FNC) technology within the lake and to assess its carrying capacity for the tilapia aquaculture. Discounted investment criteria were used to test farm survey data from 30 tilapia fish growers at top three villages which had the largest number of FNC. Six water samples were taken using deep water sampler at three sampling points were analyzed to see a number water chemistry and physics condition. The results showed that economic life of a FNC was financially feasible as indicated by the positive Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) was greater than 9% and Net Benefit Cost Ratio (Net B/C) was greater than one; and however the water quality as indicated by value of TDS, NO2, BOD, Total-P, NH3, and P-PO4 exceeded the maximum limit of water quality criteria class II based on Government of Indonesia Regulation No. 82/2001. Thus, FNC should not be more expanded within the lake due to water pollution of the lake.

Imtiaz A, Mohd Nor SA, Md. Naim D. 2017. Review: Progress and potential of DNA barcoding for species identification of fish species. Biodiversitas 18: 1394-1405. DNA barcoding is a molecular technique to identify species by utilizing 600-800 base pairs genetic primer segments of mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I. DNA barcoding has high potential to identify species into taxa, resolves ambiguousness in species identification, helps in accurate species identification, categorize species for conservation and also communize the information in the form of database system. The main challenge to this technique is regarding the use of barcoding information on ‘biological species concept’. The extreme diversity of fish and their economic importance has made this group a major target of DNA barcoding. DNA barcoding can assign the status of known to unknown sample but it also has the ability to detect previously un-sampled species as distinct. In this review, we present an overview of DNA barcoding and introduce current advances and limitation of this promising technique.

Seventy-six species of fishes, representing 60 genera and 34 families, were recorded from tidal pools on Jeju Island, southern Korea. The major families in terms of species were the Gobiidae (11 species), Pomacentridae (8 species), Blenniidae (6 species), and Labridae (5 species). Thirty-nine species were classified as tropical, 26 as temperate and 11 as subtropical.

Study examined the present status of ichthyofaunal diversity of river Birahiganga in compliance to the construction of one hydropower project (HPP). The river is diverted through tunnel, leaving very less water in its fragmented course (~2.5 km). Sometime river gets almost dried in summer season. Altogether 20 fish species belonging to two orders, three families and eight genera were reported from fragmented and continuous flowing stretches of the river. Snow trout (Schizothorax and Schizothoraichthys spp.) have shown major share in total fish catch composition whereas the typical hill stream fishes (Garra and Pseudecheneis spp.) were the least contributor. Installation of HPP has effect on the fish population structure. Maximum species richness (20 sp.) was recorded from mainstream whereas 16 sp. were procured from the fragmented stretch. Relative abundance of most of the species was considerably high in the mainstream than the fragmented stretch, except Glyptothorax pectinopterus which has shown equal abundance at both the sites. Low water discharge in the fragmented stretch supports only small sized fishes. The degradation of habitat ecology and variation in physico-chemical features seems distressing the fish population structure. The threat status of fish fauna ascertain that out of 20 species, status of 6 species is under lower risk Near Threatened, 5 as Vulnerable and 4 as Endangered.

Fish from three major rivers, namely the Kelantan River (KR) and the Galas River (GR) in Kelantan, and the Perak River (PR) in Perak, Malaysia, were caught using gill nets with different mesh sizes, cast nets, and the electroshock method. There were 14 fishes representing five families and five fish species were collected from the Kelantan systems in February 2015. While the Galas system holds more fish, 48 individual fishes comprising of four families and 10 fish species were found there. A total of 213 fish specimens representing 10 families and 22 species were captured in PR in May 2015. For diversity index, PR had the highest value due to the catchment area and the environmental condition: Shannon-Weiner index (H’) (2.54), Species Evenness (J’) (0.73) and Simpson’s Dominance (D’) (8.93), compared to GR (H’) (2.09) (J’) (0.603) (D’) (6.52) and KR (H’) (1.62) (J’) (0.47) (D’) (5.62).