Freshwater icthyo-faunal checklist of Roktodaho Beel in Bangladesh: Threats and conservation

Abstract

A checklist of the native fishes of the Roktodaho beel of Adamdighi and Raninagar Upazila under the Bogura and Naogaon districts of Bangladesh, where data were collected monthly by field survey, focus group discussions, and personal interviews by using a semi-structured questionnaire and a pictorial check list of fish species from a professional fishing boat caught by different nets, traps, and hooks from July 2021 to June 2022. A total of 36 species under 8 orders belonging to 19 families were recorded, of which 29%, 28%, 25%, and 8% were available, seasonal, rare, and very rare, respectively. Among those, 8 fish species (22.22%) were in the threatened category (1 critically endangered, 2 endangered, and 5 vulnerable), according to the IUCN Bangladesh. Notably, the globally threatened Channa orientalis and Wallago attu were available in the study area. According to their place of residence, 24 (66.67%) of the fish were floodplain residents except Glossogobius giuris, which is a mixed residence (reverine, estuarine, and floodplain) species. This residence status of fish indicates that the species have chosen their ideal environment. Dewatering, katha fishing, and the use of unlicensed technology were the main dangers. Creating and maintaining fish sanctuaries, reducing human effects, passing fishing regulations, and increasing consciousness may all help to preserve the current supply of fish. Strategies for restoration must be performed in the Roktodaho beel to preserve the fish range.