Current Status of Three Major Carps ( Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala and Catla catla ) In the Downstream Indus River, Sindh

Present study was conducted to analyze the status of commercial important three major carps (Cirrihinus mirrigala, Labeo rohita and Catla catla) at Downstream Indus River. The samples were collected from March 2015 to February 2016, from eight major landing areas. A total of 11912 fish specimen were collected from all sites. In this investigation 77 freshwater fish species were identified, including 71 native species and 6 exotic species. All of recoded 77 fishes were belonged to 9 orders and 23 families. In all of them Family Cypirinidae was observed as the dominant family with 24 fish species (26%) followed by Bagridae 13 fish species (14%). In this investigation, three important commercial species Cirrihinus mirrigala, Labeo rohita and Catla catla had been identified as the fish fauna of special concern. Those contribute in all catches only 4.28%, 3.53% and 1.64%, respectively. Population of these economically important species is declining due to overexploitation, habitat degradation and aquatic pollution. Therefore, effective conservation measures are suggested to sustain major carps and fish fauna at Downstream Indus River.