Diversity, distribution and conservation significance of freshwater fishes in the Veeyapuram stretch of the Pamba River of Kuttanad, Kerala, India
Abstract
The present study investigated the species composition, distribution patterns, and conservation significance of freshwater fishes in the Veeyapuram stretch of the Pamba River, a major river system within the Kuttanad wetland of Kerala, India, focusing on a previously unstudied river segment. Fish sampling conducted between June and December 2025 yielded 7909 specimens comprising 33 species belonging to 13 orders and 17 families. The assemblage was dominated by Cypriniformes (47.40%), followed by Anabantiformes (20.63%), while Perciformes (12.27%) and Cichliformes (12.24%) also contributed substantially to the total abundance. Several species such as Channa striata, Pseudetroplus maculatus, and Puntius sophore were numerically dominant, whereas a few species were represented by low abundance, indicating heterogeneity in species distribution within the study area. The occurrence of ecologically and economically important species, along with species of conservation concern such as Wallago attu and Horabagrus brachysoma, indicates the ecological importance of the study area. In addition, the documentation of species not explicitly reported in earlier regional studies suggests spatial variation in species composition within the Pamba River system. The findings provide baseline information on fish diversity in this river segment and underscore the need for habitat conservation, regulated fishing practices, and long-term monitoring to ensure the sustainability of fish populations.
References
Bijukumar A, Philip S, Ali A, Sushama S, Raghavan R (2013) Fishes of River Bharathapuzha, Kerala, India: diversity, distribution, threats and conservation. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(15): 4979–4993.
Das MK, Sharma AP, Tyagi RK, Saha PK, Pathak V, ... Mondal K (2010) Fishes of River Ganga: a field identification manual. Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, India. 5–95 pp.
Froese R, Pauly D (2026) FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, accessed on 1 February 2026.
Galib SM, Lucas MC, Chaki N, Fahad FH, Mohsin ABM (2018) Is current floodplain management a cause for concern for fish and bird conservation in Bangladesh’s largest wetland? Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 28(1): 98–114.
George S, Balu A, Harikrishnan M, Sreelekshmi (2025) Assessment of fish diversity in the Karuvatta region of the Pamba–Achankovil River Basin, Kerala. Indian Hydrobiology 24(1): 151–158.
George SM, Mathew JP (2022) Fish diversity of Kuttanad region in Kerala. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 48: 391–397.
George SM, Thomas R, Mathew JP (2016) A study on fish diversity of upper Kuttanad, Kerala. Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries 4: 169–171.
Hossain M, Sun J, Kashmi NS, Lucas MC, Galib SM (2025) Socio-ecological complexity in managing long-standing invasive water hyacinth in wetland agriculture and fisheries. People and Nature 7(10): 2407–2420
IUCN (2026) The IUCN Red List of threatened species, version 2025-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org
Kanoujiya S, Sahu A, Gautam RK, Gorakh SS (2023) Assessment of fish diversity of Kuwano River, a tributary of River Ghaghara, with reference to threats and conservation. The Pharma Innovation Journal SP-12(11): 275–285.
Kechu M, Pankaj PP (2025) Checklist on the ichthyofaunal resources and conservation status of Dikhu River, Nagaland, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 17(2): 26504–26514.
Ranjith Kumar P, Sudhakar O, Pamanna D, Pranav P, Anil Kumar P, ... Naga Mahesh LV (2020) Species biodiversity at different stations of Vembanad backwaters, Alappuzha District, Kerala, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 8(6): 1110–1115.
Rao S, Balasubramanian R (2018) Ecosystem services, drivers of ecosystem deterioration and institutional arrangements for their management: the case of Kuttanad coastal wetland ecosystem of Kerala. International Journal of Pure and Applied Bioscience 6(1): 196–205.
Renjithkumar CR, Harikrishnan M, Madhusoodana Kurup BM (2011) Exploited fisheries resources of the Pamba River, Kerala, India. Indian Journal of Fisheries 58(3): 13–22.
Sharker MR, Kabir MA, Choi SD, Hasan KR, Rahman MM, Shamuel TA (2024) Diversity pattern of ichthyofaunal assemblage in the south-central coastal region of Bangladesh. European Zoological Journal: 830–841.
Sreejith KA (2013) Human impact on Kuttanad wetland ecosystem—an overview. International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology 2(4): 679–690.
Sudhesh S, Fathima R, Thomas A, Jayalekshmi G, Sathyan AR (2025) Land use dynamics and cropping shifts: implications for ecosystem services in paddy wetlands of Kuttanad. International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development 8(11): 199–204.
Sun J, Galib SM, Lucas MC (2020) Are national barrier inventories fit for stream connectivity restoration needs? A test of two catchments. Water and Environment Journal 34(S1): 791–803.
Temesgen B, Tadesse Z, Temesgen M (2021) Diversity, distribution and abundance of fish species in the Upper Awash River Basin, Ethiopia. Cogent Food & Agriculture 7(1): 1974181.
Tesfay S, Teferi M, Haileselasie TH (2024) Diversity and abundance of fish communities in Elala and Gereb Tsedo streams, Northern Ethiopia. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 27(8): 501–514.
Vijayasree TS, Radhakrishnan MV (2014) Fish diversity of Kuttanad River, Kerala, India. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 1(6): 55–58.
Wanjari RN, Shah TH, Telvekar P, Bhat FA, Ramteke KK, ... Somasundharam I (2025) Exploring temporal and spatial patterns of fish diversity in a tropical reservoir in relation to environmental parameters. Heliyon 11: e43826.
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
