Identifying Early Life Habitat of Golden Mahseer Fish Tor putitora (Hamilton, 1822) in South Asia: Implications for Conservation

Abstract

The endangered golden mahseer (Tor putitora) (Hamilton, 1822) is a famed gamefish that has a restricted area of occupancy in the Himalayas. Owing to overexploitation, hydrologic alteration along rampant riverbed mining in its spawning grounds, both its number and size have significantly declined. A lack of study on the habitat status of the species is hindering the identification of local habitat threats. Planning evidence-driven conservation demands the identification of critical habitats and local habitat of golden mahseer. Hence, the overall aim of the study was to ascertain the habitat suitability of golden mahseer in its early life stage. For this, Species Distribution Modeling was conducted using spawning and nursing occurrence records. These habitats were mostly restricted to the northern region of its range. Almost 90% of the priority area identified as spawning and nursing habitat by this study is currently unprotected. With the identification of such habitats, conservation intervention can be further planned.