Checklist of commercially important fishes of Puducherry coastal waters, east coast of India

The aim of this study is to update the list of fish species in order to increase the knowledge about biodiversity of commercially important fishes of Puducherry coastal waters. This study also concentrated on the availability and threatened status of commercially important fish species. A total of 88 fish species under 36 families and 11 orders has been collected during the study. Order Perciformes were made up to 65% with 23 families and 58 species followed by Clupeidae 15% with 3 families and 13 species. Clupeiformes stand on top in the catch followed by perches and mackerel’s. The study revealed that there were noteworthy variations found in the ichthyofaunal diversity. Among the 36 families, only 27 families were seen in the caught without any depletion. Order Beloniformes and Gadiformes showed sudden appearance in the catch which were not seen for the past 7 years. IUCN status of 88species were studied, about 63% of species were under least concern and 8% near threatened, 3% vulnerable category, 7% data deficient, 19% not evaluated. Anthropogenic activities affect aquatic habitats leading to loss of many species as well as bring changes in the species composition. Therefore, ichthyofaunal diversity studies on regular basis are essential for sustainable management.