International Journal of Int. J. of Life Sciences, 2020; 8 (2):355-371 Life Sciences ISSN:2320-7817(p) | 2320-964X(o) International Peer Reviewed Open Access Refereed Journal Original Article Open Access Fish diversity of Mahanadi River (Odisha Part), threats and conservation measures Singh Tarun Kumar1*, Swain Saroj Kumar2 and Guru Bhikari Charan1 1P.G. Department of Zoology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. 2Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. *Corresponding author. ([email protected]). Manuscript details: ABSTRACT Received: 11.04.2020 The stretch of the Mahanadi River under the present study was divided Accepted: 23.05.2020 into seven study regions for the purpose of sample collection to assess the Published: 29.06.2020 fish diversity. The sampling sites on the stretch of the Mahanadi River were between upstream in Sambalpur and downstream in Jagatsinghpur Cite this article as: in the State of Odisha. Site selections were based on the locality where the Singh Tarun Kumar, Swain Saroj fishers’ community are residing and actively participating in the fishing Kumar and Guru Bhikari Charan (2020) Fish Diversity of Mahanadi activity. Standard procedure and methods were followed during sampling River (Odisha Part), Threats and and data collection and data analysis. The study recorded 57 fish species Conservation Measures, Int. J. of. Life belonging to 36 genera,19 families and 7 orders from the seven regions Sciences, Volume 8(2): 355-371. along the stretch of the Mahanadi River. The analysis of compilation of the samples in the study further revealed that Cyprinidae was the most Available online on http://www.ijlsci.in abundant family contributing 35% of the total species belonging to ISSN: 2320-964X (Online) different families recorded from study region. It is observed from the ISSN: 2320-7817 (Print) pattern of distribution of species that the higher species richness is found Open Access This article in the regions where water dams, barrages or reservoirs are formed. Fish is licensed under a Creative Commons species like Parambassis lala (Ham.), Parambassis ranga (Ham.), Chanda Attribution 4.0 International License, nama (Ham.), Amblypharyngodon mola (Ham.), Danio devario (Ham- which permits use, sharing, adaptation, Buch.), Osteobrama cotio (Ham.), Puntius sophore (Ham.), Puntius ticto distribution and reproduction in any (Ham.), Rasbora daniconius (Ham.), Glossogobius giuris (Ham.) and medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original Notopterus notopterus (Pallas) etc. documented good abundance in the author(s) and the source, provide a link study regions. The threat status of these species suggested that at least 26 to the Creative Commons license, and % of fish fauna is threatened either being by Vulnerable or Near indicate if changes were made. The Threatened. There is a need to adopt requisite biodiversity conservation images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s measures to protect the fish diversity of the Mahanadi river in order to Creative Commons license, unless conserve the natures’ creation. indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the Keywords: Abundance, Biodiversity, Conservation Measures, Evenness, article’s Creative Commons license and Shannon-Wiener Index, your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain INTRODUCTION permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/ Biological Diversity was first defined by Norse and McManus in the year licenses/by/4.0/ 1980. Its abbreviation into ‘biodiversity’ was apparently coined by Walter © 2020 |IJLSCI www.ijlsci.in | 355 Singh et al., 2020 1985. Biodiversity refers to the range of variation or canals and also to control flood of the region ((Tamboli differences within the living world. It is commonly and Jha 2010; Singh et al, 2013, and Department of used to describe the number, variety and variability of Water Resources, Odisha, 2016). living organisms (MacArthur, 1997). The Convention on Biological Diversity defined biodiversity as Studies on biodiversity losses indicate the threats and variability among living organisms from all sources the reason of biodiversity losses. Aquatic biodiversity including inter alia terrestrial, marine and other losses are very often considered as bio-indicators for aquatic ecosystems and their ecological complexes assessment of implications on the entire ecosystem (UNEP, 1992). Biodiversity is also shortly defined as and the unprecedented species extinctions at global the totality of genes, species and ecosystem in a region level. Biodiversity conservation aims at maintaining (WRI, IUCN and UNEP, 1992). Biodiversity is the diversity of living organisms, their habitats and considered as an umbrella term referring to all interrelationships between organisms and their organisms found within the living world. It is assumed environments. It is needed to urgently address the to be a synonym for ‘life on earth’, its variety and concerned issues as aquatic animal species become process. It is ‘condition of being different’ or ‘life’s extinct and many others are threatened and endless forms’. Biodiversity is indeed ‘the essence of endangered (Kanwar et al, 2010). Indentifying exact life’ (Krishnamurthy, 2003). The Indian National cause and threat to aquatic biodiversity would help in Biological Diversity Act, 2002 defines biological chosing appropriate method of conservation as aquatic diversity as ‘the variability among living organisms animals are extremely vulnerable to different threats from all sources and the ecological complexes of which and once lost cannot be replaced or otherwise they are part and includes diversity with species or properly conserved (Singh, 2014). between species and of eco system’ (MoEF, 2016). India occupies ninth position in the world in terms of The present study revealed the fish diversity of the freshwater mega-biodiversity (Mittermeier et al., Mahanadi River within the State of Odisha, and 1997). The biological species in India and their analysed the main threat to its fish diversity. It also percentage in the worlds’ biological species state that discussed the essentials of fish biodiversity India represents a good number of species in the world conservation and conservation strategies for flora and fauna diversity. Out of 2, 246 indigenous fin protecting the diversity losses. fishes described in India, 765 fishes are categorised as freshwater species (Lakra et al, 2010). REVIEW OF LITERATURE The Mahanadi, the largest river of Odisha, stands third The study on the fish diversity of the Mahanadi River amongst the larger rivers in the peninsular India. The was carried out by Day (1869) who reported 146 drainage basin of the river (80030’- 86050’E and species mostly collected from Cuttack region. Hora 19020’- 230 35’ N) passes through the States of (1940) reported 43 species; Chouhan (1947) listed 54 Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra Jharkhand to reaches fish species from the Tel River, a tributary of river Odisha. While the States of Chhattisgarh has highest Mahanadi. David (1953) studied its fish fauna. Job et al. area of the river with 75136 km2, Odisha has 65580 (1955) reported more than 103 species after a km2), Jharkhand has 635 km2 and Maharashtra has comprehensive study in a stretch of the Mahanadi. 238 km2. Starting from the Bastar Hills of Jayaram and Majumdar (1976) reported 42 fish Chhattisgarh, it passes through different geological species. Patra et al., 1984 surveyed the fish diversity locations like Eastern Ghats to join the Bay of Bengal in and the rate of primary production in the Mahanadi the form of different branches passing along the River. The fish fauna of Ibb, a tributary of the coastline of Odisha. It has a total length about 860 km. Mahanadi was studied by Das et al., 1987. Sugunan The annual runoff of the river is 50×109 m3 with a peak (1995) had complied the reservoir fisheries of Odisha discharge of 44740 m3 s-1. The Hirakud Dam which and had emphasized on the Hirakud Reservoir. The was built on the river in 1957 is a big reservoir for fishery and biology of the Mahanadi Mahseer (Tor fishes, located at 800 E longitudes and 210 30’N mosal, David) was studied by Badapanda (1996). The latitude. On the Mahanadi, at Jobra and Naraj, Cuttack Saline freshwater interface structure in the Mahanadi barrages were built to irrigate more than 80,000 delta region, Odisha was explored by Radhakrishna hectares of land in the Mahanadi Delta through the (1999). 356 | Int. J. of Life Sciences, Volume 8 (2) 2020 Fish Diversity of Mahanadi River (Odisha Part), Threats and Conservation Measures Subsequently, the Status of the fisheries of the Hirakud (R2), Kantilo (R3), Banki (R4), Cuttack (R5), Salipur- Reservoir, Odisha was surveyed by Mahapatra (2003). Tirtol Area (R6) and Jagatsinghpur (R7). Site selections Desai and Shrivastava (2004) reported 48 fish species were based on the locality where the fishers’ from the Mahanadi River basin. Om Prakash et al., community are residing and actively participating in (2004) reported 65 fish species. The cluster analysis the fishing activity. Systematic study was conducted for characterization of river and estuarine water during April, 2015 to March, 2016. The geographical system of the Mahanadi River had been undertaken