Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 18(1) 1-14 2019 DOI: 10.22092/ijfs.2018.118930. Fish assemblages and habitat ecology of River Pinder in central Himalaya, India 1* 2 1 Agarwal N.K. ; Rawat U.S. ; Singh G. Received: January 2016 Accepted: November 2016 Abstract Snow-fed River Pinder -a tributary of River Alaknanda in central Himalaya was explored for fish assemblages and habitat specificity. Altogether 27 fish species were reported from three orders, four families and nine genera. Cypriniformes order was dominating followed by Siluriformes and Salmoniformes. Shannon-Weiner diversity index (3.09 to 4.10) and Simpson index of diversity (0.81 to 0.92) of four sites specified strong relationship with species richness. The distribution of fish species showed interesting patterns, 33% species were common to all four sampling sites while 14.80% were restricted to single site and the remaining species were randomly distributed among two or three sampling sites. Habitat variability in the river significantly influenced the species assemblage structure. About 7.40% species were found common to all habitats while 3.70% species were restricted to only single habitat type. The remaining 88.90% of species were dwelling between two to three habitat types. Deep pools recorded maximum species richness followed by shallow pools, while least species richness was recorded in cascade habitats. The conservation status of fish fauna of the river was ascertained by CAMP (Conservation Assessment and Management Plan). Out of 27 species, the status of 8 species was not assessed due to data being Downloaded from jifro.ir at 14:42 +0330 on Friday September 24th 2021 deficient, 7 species were categorised as lower risk near threatened, 6 as vulnerable, 5 as endangered while 1 species was exotic. Keywords: Fish assemblage, Habitat ecology, Fish diversity, Conservation, Himalayan River 1-Garhwal University India, Fish Reproduction and Conservation Biology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, School of Life Science, India 2-Sri Dev Sumen Uttarakhand University, Badshahithaul, India *Corresponding author's Email: [email protected] 2 Agarwal et al., Fish assemblages and habitat ecology of… Introduction (Schlosser, 1982). The river continuum The understanding of fundamental concept (Vannote et al., 1980) proposed characteristics of biological that aquatic communities exhibit assemblages is the first step toward the predictable variations according to their development of effective conservation longitudinal position within a policies. The assemblage composition hydrographic basin. Unfortunately on pattern of fishes and their relationships the global scale over the last century, to biotic and abiotic factors is very various riverine ecosystems have important. The distributional patterns of endured from intense human fishes are controlled by dispersal interventions and natural disasters mechanism, historical factors resulting in habitat loss and (connecting pathways, dispersal degradation, alteration in hydro barriers) and tolerance to environmental chemistry and river geomorphology. factors (Carter et al., 1980). The The riverine ecosystem of the upper climatic conditions, geological Ganga River basin in central Himalaya vegetation, land use and topographic is also degrading continuously as a conditions in a basin determine the consequence of human interventions hydrology and chemistry of waters with and natural cataclysmic events in the direct effects on the stream organisms past. This continuous degradation is (Wiley et al., 1997). proving highly detrimental for many of Multiple factors are thus associated the inhabitant fish species (Agarwal et with distributional pattern and al., 2011). According to Kerr (1997), composition of fish assemblages. The when anthropogenic manipulations river size (surface area and mean annual result in threatening habitats, the discharge of river) and availability of understanding of species richness Downloaded from jifro.ir at 14:42 +0330 on Friday September 24th 2021 energy are two important factors patterns is critical in facilitating the influencing fish species richness choice of species and habitats for their patterns (Oberdorff et al., 1995). Some conservation. biological factors like competition and The River Pinder, an important predation are also important dependable tributary of river Alaknanda of the factors for species richness (Grossman, Ganga river River system in the 1982; Moyle and Vondracek, 1985). Himalayan region (Garhwal) of India is Nevertheless, according to Gorman and also affected by a number of alterations Kar (1978) some physical factors like due to human intervention and natural habitat heterogeneity is an important cataclysmic events (land sliding, cloud factor controlling species richness and bursting and flooding). The river distributional pattern. Along with these characteristics governing the factors, some other important factors distributional patterns of aquatic fauna viz. physico-chemical attributes, water are thus altering. In fact these temperature, flow regime and channel alterations may possibly distress the morphology also play a crucial role in patterns of distributions of resident fish the distribution of fish species fauna of this river. Studies on the Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 18(1) 2019 3 distributional pattern of fish Alaknanda of the upper Ganga river assemblages have been conducted in system in India. It originates from the the western Ghat (India) (Arunachalam, Pindari Glacier (5200 masl) lying 2000; Bhat, 2004) while the upland of between Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot Garhwal remained unnoticed. However, peaks. Thereafter, the river maintains a River Pinder was explored three east-west direction and travels ~124 km decades earlier only from the viewpoint before merging with river Alaknanda at of its fish diversity (Badola, 1979; Karanprayag (760 m asl). It cuts a Singh et al., 1987). Thus the present gorge in thick glacial deposits for study on River Pinder has been nearly 10 km. In the upper reaches, the conducted to understand the river has a steep gradient and flows distributional patterns of fish fauna in through sedimentary rocks and large the uplands of Garhwal Himalaya boulders, thereafter it meanders through (India). Besides, the study also aimed to quart schists. Important tributaries know the current status of fish fauna joining River Pinder are Kail Ganga, with information on important physico- Pranmati, Meing, Kewar, Chopta and chemical attributes of the river. Ata Streams. Four sampling sites viz. S- 1, S-2, S-3 and S-4 were selected Materials and methods covering the middle and lower stretches Study area of the river (Table 1, Fig. 1) The study was conducted on a snow-fed considering heterogeneity in habitat and Himalayan River Pinder (latitude 300 substratum, altitudinal gradient and 15.48’N, longitude 790 13.10’E) - a hydro chemistry. major left bank tributary of River Downloaded from jifro.ir at 14:42 +0330 on Friday September 24th 2021 Figure 1: Geographical location of Pinder River and sampling sites, A) India map showing Uttarakhand state, B) Alaknanda river system in central Himalaya, C) Sampling sites located along the Pinder River. 4 Agarwal et al., Fish assemblages and habitat ecology of… Table 1: Description of sampling sites. Sampling sites Location Altitude Dominant Habitat types S-1 Naryan bagar 846 m sl Cascade and rapids S-2 Nauli 820 m sl Rapids and riffles S-3 Simli 793 m sl Riffles and runs S-4 Karanprayag 762 m sl Run, riffles and pools Fish collection For the analysis of physico-chemical Experimental fishing was done bi- attributes, water sample were analysed monthly during the period 2011-2013. on the spot at each study site. Water The fishing is performed by cast nets temperature was measured using a (dia 1-2 m and mesh size 1.8 cm) and mercury thermometer with a range of 0- gill nets (mesh size 1.2 x 1.2 cm, L x B, 50 oC. Water velocity was measured by 12 x 1.0 m). The region specific the float method. pH was measured traditional fishing methods viz. baur or using a digital pH meter. Dissolved phans, atwal, goda, hammering, hooks oxygen, free CO2, total alkalinity, and hand picking, were also used turbidity and TDS were analysed (Singh and Agarwal, 2014). Fish following APHA (2005). Substratum samples from different study sites were type at various sampling sites was preserved separately in 10% formalin classified into large boulders, small for taxonomic identification based on boulders, cobbles, coarse gravels, fine morphometric, meristic and descriptive gravel and sand. The stream habitat was characteristics following Day (1958), classified by following Armantrout Talwar and Jhingran (1991), Badola (1999) as pool (shallow and deep pool), (2009) and Jayaram (2010). riffle, rapid, run and cascade type of habitat. Classification of habitat types Physico-chemical attributes and and their description during the study is Downloaded from jifro.ir at 14:42 +0330 on Friday September 24th 2021 Habitat characteristics outlined in Table 2. Table 2: Various habitat types with their description Habitat Description Type A segment of the stream with reduced current velocity, depth exceeding than Pools surrounding habitats. An area of swiftly flowing water with gradient over 4% with minor surface agitation Run and in which slope of the water surface is roughly parallel to the overall gradient of the stream. A relatively shallow area with gradient less than 4% with swift flowing water Riffles completely or nearly covering