Research Trends On Fish Fisheries In Mountain Waters Of Eastern Himalayan Region

This book contains a total of 25 unpublished research articles. In this edition, we have kept parity with each other’s outcomes, concisely in a unique style to depict the trends of research in the mountain fishery sector. We have also appended a list of contributors at the end of the book. The strategies observed in fisheries and aquaculture developments in the mountain waters clearly reveal that the on-going dimensions are nothing but broad ecosystem-based approached where both subsistence and commercial expansion of the systems could be possible. The research trend also directs that several fishery components, like ornamental fisheries, recreational fisheries, integrated fish farming, freshwater crab fishery, shellfish aquaculture, etc., exist. They may also be strengthened in mountain waters to improve the economic status of the mountain regions. Thus for exploiting huge mountain aqua-resources, Arunachal Pradesh targets the ecosystem-based approach of raising native mahseers, like Tor tor, Tor putitora, Neolissochilus hexagonolepis, and exotic species of trout in its mountain waters as a preliminary endevour.

The trans-Himalayan region covers the countries of the Himalayas, Karakoram and in Hindu Kush and Pamir. Fisheries play an important role in providing food and income to the mountain people. This volume contains papers presented at a meeting, held in July 2001 in Nepal, to review information, experiences and findings related to fish and fisheries in the region, including fish species distribution, fishing intensity, socio-economic conditions and livelihoods of fisher communities, as well as to the impacts of environment degradation, conservation measures and aquaculture technologies on indigenous and exotic cold water fish.

The thirteen papers presented in this publication review fish stocks and fisheries of mountainous areas of Asia: Himalayas (Bhutan, Nepal, northern states of India within the Himalayas), Western Ghats (India), Karakoram-Hindu Kush (Pakistan, Afghanistan), Pamir (Tajikistan), Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan), Altai (Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China), high altitude lakes of Mongolia and those of western China (provinces of Qinghai and Xinjiang [Uighur Autonomous Region] and Xizang [Tibet Autonomous Region]) and Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan). From south to north, fish fauna complexes change from Oriental to Palaearctic. Cool and coldwater streams and rivers support subsistence and/or recreational/sport fisheries, with commercial fisheries practised only in some lakes and reservoirs. While fishing of streams and rivers is largely unmanaged, considerable management effort has gone into some lakes and reservoirs, especially in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and India in order to maintain reasonably high fish catches. The management measures have included translocation and stocking of exotic fish species and regulation of fisheries. For recreational fishery, brown trout has been stocked in rivers and streams of the southern slopes of Himalayas, rainbow trout in some streams of Western Ghats ... etc.

This book covers all aspects of fisheries and aquaculture of the temperate Himalayas, including fisheries resources, fish biodiversity, aquaculture status, prospects, and potential. It also includes mapping of resources, health and disease management of cultured species, feed and nutritional aspects of the cultured fish species, ornamental fisheries aspects, etc. In addition, it elucidates the recent advances in biotechnological interventions for enhancing fisheries and aquaculture productivity in the region. Essential information on the application of Geo Information System (GIS) for resource mapping, the scope of adopting re-circulatory aquaculture system for productivity enhancement, and trout culture in the Himalayan waters are provided in the book. A detailed account of recreational fisheries and fish-based ecotourism in the temperate Himalayas for generating livelihood has been provided. The impact of climate change on the fisheries of the Himalayas has been dealt with separately. The book also covers the conservation and rehabilitation aspects of endangered species of the region. This book will become a ready reference for the scientists, teachers, researchers, students, policymakers, and other stakeholders for managing fishery resources in the temperate Himalayas.

Biodiversity of Fishes in Arunachal Himalaya: Systematics, Classification, and Taxonomic Identification provides a detailed piscatorial resource of the fish species living in the rich mountain waterbodies of the eastern Himalayan region. It presents the latest classifications and updated taxa of fish dwelling in high-altitude cold waters, mid-altitude cold and warm waters, and warm waters in the low altitude foothill regions of the Arunachal Himalaya. The book includes the scientific and vernacular names of more than 200 fish species, as well as coloration, distributional and conservational status. It addresses increasing threats to the endemic fishes of this region, including habitat shrinkage, habitat destruction, and more. This book will be a valuable resource for biodiversity and conservation researchers, especially those specializing in ichthyo-faunal diversity. Fishery researchers and students will also find the information presented on taxonomic and classification very useful to their initiatives.

This book offers a comprehensive account of the current state of inland waters in tropical and subtropical East Asia, exploring a series of case studies of freshwater fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals and water bodies at particular risk. The book highlights the rich freshwater biodiversity of tropical East Asia and draws attention to the various threats it faces due to human activities and rapid environmental change. It addresses the question of whether the contributions of these animals and habitats, or biodiversity in general, to ecosystem functioning and service provision provide sufficient basis for arguments supporting nature conservation. Drawing on instances from the rivers and lakes of tropical East Asia, the book also asks whether the benefits accruing from intact ecosystems are likely to be enough to ensure their preservation. If the answer to either or both these questions is ‘no’, then what are the prospects for freshwater biodiversity in rapidly changing tropical East Asia? This book will be of interest to students and scholars of biodiversity, conservation, freshwater ecology, ecosystem services and Asian Studies.