Biodiversity, threats and recommendation for conservation of fishes in the Old Brahmaputra River

Abstract

. The information of fish biodiversity, possible risks and associated threats which are liable for declining the indigenous fish species in our water bodies, particularly in the Old Brahmaputra River (Fulchhari, Gaibandha to Melandah, Jamalpur) is lacking compared to other rivers and/or other portion of the same river channel in Bangladesh. How many fish species exist in this river is also an arguable open question to local ichthyologists. To minimize this deficiency, our collected fishes were labeled with a proper voucher number and kept their good illustration. Further, we aimed to quantify the biodiversity, identify the threats and suggest the possible conservation policy for sustainable management of indigenious freshwater species of this river starting from Fulchhari Upazila of Gaibandha district towards Melandah Upazila, Jamalpur district from January to December 2021. The present study showed that Cypriniformes (43%) is the most dominating group followed by Siluriformes (33%), Perciformes (19%) and so on which belong to four orders and 10 families. In summary, it is generalized that fish biodiversity of this river has significantly declined in the last decade due to anthropological and natural effects which urge the design of a new conservation policy for the sustainable management of our tasty, valuable indigenous fish species.