Assessment on fishery sustainability in Inle wetland, Nyaung Shwe township, southern Shan state

Abstract

The six indicators were used to analyze for sustainable fishery management in Inle wetland and grouped into four components categories–ecological, economic, community and institutional. A total of 41 fish species, among them 13 endemic and 16 ornamental fishes were found. The value of DO was slightly below the WHO standard in all study sites. The concentration of phosphate was relatively high, probably because of originated from domestic and agriculture uses. Inle water is under treated by contamination of fertilizers and pesticides used in floating cultivations in and around the Lake and also affected by other anthropogenic activities. The water of Inle Lake found to be hard water lake. Its high calcium can be attributed to the lime stone of Shan Plateau. The fish species population abundance is currently low probably because of changes water quality and decreased clarity. Thus, there is an urgent need to uplift the status of the fishermen and also to safeguard the sustainability of array of indigenous, endemic and ornamental fish species that enjoy the ecofriendly nature of Inle water. Moreover, there is a need to maintain the Inle Lake to be environmentally friendly for the aquatic fauna and flora to thrive.