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The literature on reliable indices, suitable bio-indicators, taxonomic level, frequency of measurements, and replications on benthic macroinvertebrates remains scarce in Malaysia. In addition, no review study was conducted using bibliometric analysis related to this discipline. Thus, this review aimed at gap and bibliometric analysis of publications on benthic macroinvertebrates as potential biological indicators. Sixty-six relevant scientific research papers from 2011 to 2022 were selected from the different databases. Then, descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed to assess the most reliable potential bio-indicators for river assessment and monitoring. Visualized statistics regarding bibliographic coupling analysis of authors, journal proceedings, and organizations were analyzed. The findings revealed that publications on invertebrates had no significant relationship in the last ten years (r = 0.241; p > 0.05). Most publications on macroinvertebrates in Malaysian rivers were found in the Scopus database (53.57%). Therefore, research articles must be published in journals included in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) to improve their quality further. Besides, benthic macroinvertebrates are commonly identified only up to the family level (47%) due to incomplete tropical benthic macroinvertebrates identification keys. As such, using environmental DNA methods with the power of next-generation sequencing has come in handy in bioindicator species identification. Among the potential bio-indicators found in Malaysian rivers are Chironomidae (9.11%), Baetidae (8.87%), and Hydropsychidae (8.62%). Based on the approaches utilized in analyzing benthic macroinvertebrates as bio-indicators, in-depth research such as bioassay and toxicology tests are necessary to realize the potential bio-indicators fully. Many studies focused on recreational rivers in Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, research studies will be expanded to include urban rivers and rivers in S

This study aims to understand the reproductive biology of Thynnichthys thynnoides at Rui River, Perak, Malaysia. A total sample of 175 individuals, including 83 from Kuala Rui (S1) and 92 from Air Ganda (S2), were collected from local artisanal fishers. Fish was caught using gill nets and scoop nets during migration and spawning seasons (i.e., November to December 2018). For each fish individual, the total length (TL), body weight (BW), and ovary weight (OW) were and. A Chi-square test was performed to evaluate the sex ratio of the studied population. Simple linear regression analysis was used to explain the relationship between absolute fecundity (FA) or relative fecundity (FR) with total length, body weight, and ovary weight. For a coefficient of determination (r2) and correlation coefficient (r), a regression equation was determined. The results showed that the TL of T. thynnoides varied from 13.3 to 20.3 cm, with a calculated mean of 16.78 ± 1.1 cm. Body weights ranged from 31.86 to 78.86 g, with an average body weight of 53.81 ± 10.1 g. The FA ranged from 14454 to 29531 (mean = 21112 ± 4612) eggs per fish, and the FR from this study ranged from 211 to 658 (mean = 358 ± 93), where the OW was more significantly correlated with the absolute fecundity (r>0.513; p<0.001) than other body metrics. Negative allometric growth of T. thynnoides was observed during this study. The overall ratio of the T. thynnoides was 1:0.82 (male: female). In conclusion, this study has shown that the fecundity of the fish population is declining, although the cause is still unclear. The knowledge of this study would help fisheries managers plan necessary regulations for sustainable fishery practice at the Rui and Perak rivers, specifically during the migration and spawning season of T. thynnoides.

Fish farming activities are essential to the economy of many countries. However, the discharge of fish farm effluents into nearby rivers can negatively impact benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality. In Malaysia, the correlation between water quality and benthic macroinvertebrates in areas impacted by fish farming has not been discussed comprehensively. Hence, this research investigated the connection between benthic communities and water quality in the Rawang sub-basin of the Selangor River using several statistical methods. Based on ease of accessibility and proximity to freshwater fish farms, and by using a random sampling method, seven sampling sites in six rivers were chosen including one reference site. Sampling of benthic macroinvertebrates and river water was carried out between April 2019 and March 2020. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that fish farming operations influence various water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, and ammonia-nitrogen. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that families Aeolosomatidae, Chironomidae, Lumbriculidae, Naididae, Planorbidae, and Tubificidae are tolerant to organic pollution. Their abundance was correlated with high BOD5, COD, turbidity, TSS, and ammonia-nitrogen. On the other hand, the families Caenidae, Gomphidae, Aytidae, Leptophlebiidae, Thiaridae, and Viviparidae are sensitive to organic pollution and were correlated with DO concentration. This research revealed that the correlation between benthic macroinvertebrate communities and water quality in the area is affected explicitly by fish farms.

Length-weight relationships and relative condition factors were conducted to provide information on fish species’ growth conditions and general well-being in the freshwater habitat. This study was conducted using fish as a bioindicator for the health of the ecosystem. Cyclocheilithys apogon (Beardless barb) and Notopterus notopterus (Bronze featherback) are the most dominant species in Subang Lake. A four-month sampling was conducted to collect the sample of Beardless barb and Bronze featherback. A total of 422 individuals of Beardless barb and 344 individuals of Bronze featherback were measured and weighed. The mean total length of Breadless barb was 13.11 ± 1.31 cm with the mean weight of 31.88±9.93 g. The mean of the total length and weight of Bronze featherback was 16.05 ± 2.07 cm and 30.38 ± 15.63 g. Both fish species showed negative allometric growth with the exponent b value 2.884 and 2.886, respectively. The condition factor of Beardless barb (1.184 ± 0.134) and Bronze featherback (1.010 ± 0.163) obtained from this study reflects a fair growth condition based on K value by Barnham & Baxter (2003). Further studies need to be conducted to determine the significant impacts that affect fish species’ growth conditions.

This study aimed to evaluate benthic macroinvertebrates assemblages using the application of ecological indices in the Rawang sub-basin of the Selangor River with reference to determining the impacts of aquaculture practices on benthic macroinvertebrates. In total, seven sampling sites were selected, namely Guntong (SR1), Guntong’s tributaries (SR2, control site), Kuang (SR3 and SR7), Gong (SR4), Buaya (SR5) and Serendah (SR6) Rivers. Sites were selected using a random sampling technique and the accessibility and proximity to aquaculture farms. Macroinvertebrates were sampled from April 2019 to March 2020 using an aquatic kick net, a hand spade, and a D-frame dip net. Water samples were also taken. Twenty-seven families belonging to the Annelida, Mollusca and Athropoda phyla were identified using taxonomic keys. Tubificidae was found to be the most dominant family (36.79%) followed by Chironomidae (28.84%). The highest number of individuals from family Tubificidae was recorded in Gong River, where effluent was discharged from an aquaculture farm. The total abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates increased with increased proximity to the aquaculture farm. Based on Biological Monitoring Working Party score value, the water quality of sampling sites in close proximity to the aquaculture farm was polluted as compared to the control location. Family Biotic Index score showed that all sites were substantially polluted with organic pollution, with the control site being much less polluted. In conclusion, benthic macroinvertebrates assemblage was affected by effluent originating from aquaculture farm outlets. It is therefore necessary to conduct aquaculture farming using methods that are deemed to be environmentally friendly.

HULU SELANGOR, 20 Jan - Fakulti Pengajian Alam Sekitar (FPAS), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) menganjurkan projek komuniti Kelestarian Ekosistem Hutan Paya Gambut melalui pemindahan ilmu pengurusan alam sekitar kepada penduduk di Kawasan Hutan Simpan Raja Musa Selangor.

Managers of water quality and water monitoring programs are often faced with constraints in terms of budget, time, and laboratory capacity for sample analysis. In such situation, the ideal solution is to reduce the number of sampling sites and/or monitored variables. In this case, selecting appropriate monitoring sites is a challenge. To overcome this problem, this study was conducted to statistically assess and identify the appropriate sampling stations of monitoring network under the monitored parameters. To achieve this goal, two sets of water quality data acquired from two different monitoring networks were used. The hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (HACA) were used to group stations with similar characteristics in the networks, the time series analysis was then performed to observe the temporal variation of water quality within the station clusters, and the geo-statistical analysis associated Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were finally applied to identify the most appropriate and least appropriate sampling stations. Based on the overall result, five stations were identified in the networks that contribute the most to the knowledge of water quality status of the entire river. In addition, five stations deemed less important were identified and could therefore be considered as redundant in the network. This result demonstrated that geo-statistical technique coupled with Kendall’s coefficient of concordance can be a reliable method for water resource managers to identify appropriate sampling sites in a river monitoring network.

This study was conducted to evaluate the physical habitat of spawning areas for Thynnicthys thynnoides (T. thynnoides) in the Rui River, Gerik, Perak. Five sampling sites of Rui River's floodplain were chosen. Sampling was conducted between May and October 2015 by using a visual-based habitat assessment developed for Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers: Periphyton, Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. This study showed that T. thynnoides still migrated to the upper stream of Rui River during spawning season mainly in August. Habitat assessment scoring indicated that the physical habitat structure of Rui River fell into a suboptimal category, which was most likely able to support fish populations and thus providing a suitable habitat for T. thynnoides during the spawning season. Conclusively, it was observed that the T. thynnoides population was dependent on environmental conditions.

The issue of heavy metal contamination in urban stormwater has become a major concern for environmental pollution control agencies worldwide due to toxic effects on aquatic organisms and human health. The aim of this study is to determine the levels of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn) in surface stormwater and tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) obtained from holding and storage ponds of the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) Project in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Results have indicated that the concentrations of all heavy metals in stormwater were lower than the recommended water quality criteria established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). On the other hand, the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn detected in fish were below threshold values suggested by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Malaysian Food Regulations (MFR) standards. Only Cr was much higher than FAO limits for fish consumption. Additionally, the content of Cr, Pb and Zn was higher in fish samples collected from holding pond compared to those in storage pond. As the study reflects that Cr in tilapia fish from SMART ponds is of a high concentration, certain harmful effects on human health may result. Accordingly, the research recommends avoiding fishing from ponds, as they accumulate a significant amount of waste consumed by the fish.

This manuscript reviews the length-weight relationships (LWRs) of freshwater fishes in Malaysia. A total of 102 LWRs of fishes gathered from literature pertaining to 64 freshwater fish species were analysed. A meta-analysis from 13 previous reports showed that the b values was ranged from 2.19 (Clarias batrachus) to 4.106 (Barbodes binotatus). Out of 64 observed species, 47 species (11 families) experienced positive allometric growth, while another 23 species (eight families) and 31 species (12 families) were recorded under isometric and negative allometric growth, respectively. The fish LWRs observed can be used as an indicator of environmental changes and fish ecological health for freshwater fishes in Malaysia.

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).

The objective of this study is to examine the factors that determine the local visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation in Yankari game reserve, Bauchi, Nigeria. The study employed a dichotomous choice survey design – contingent valuation method (DC-CVM) on 335 local tourists. Binary Logit and Probit models were used to estimate the visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation. The empirical results obtained revealed that the game reserve has a considerable use value in that 77.9% of the visitors interviewed are willing to pay for conservation. The results showed that age, gender, income, level of education and first-time visit are the significant determinants of visitors’ willingness to pay. This empirical study would guide not only the management of the game reserve, but also policymakers to consider the important market segment among the visitors with a view to encouraging the visitation of such a target group in order to create an avenue for enhancing revenue for conservation in the game reserve.

Zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) were chosen as representative of heavy metals for this study. The aim of this study was to analyze these heavy metals concentration in batik factories effluent. Samples from soil and plant nearby the factories were collected and analysed using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS) and HACH colorimeter. Results showed differences among the concentration of Fe, Cu and Zn from samples measured by both instruments.

This paper was aim to describe the effects of sand mining on Kelantan River with respect to physical and chemical parameters analyses. Three replicate of water samples were collected from five stations along Kelantan River (November 2010 till February 2011). The physical parameters included water temperature, water conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS) and turbidity; while the chemical parameters included nitrogen nutrients such as ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. Kelantan River’s case study revealed that TSS, turbidity and nitrate contents were exceed the Malaysian Interim National Water Quality Standard (INWQS) range and were significance different between Station 1 (KK) and Station 3 (TM). Station 1 (KK) was in the widest variation of TDS, TSS, turbidity and nitrogen nutrients due to sand mining and upstream logging activities. Extreme high contents of TSS and turbidity had caused the poor and stressful condition for the aquatic life in Kelantan River.