Present and past status of fish fauna of river Basantar, an important tributary of the river Ravi, in Samba district, Jammu (J&K)

Abstract

Icthyofaunal study of river Basantar, an important tributary of river Ravi in Samba district, Jammu (J&K) has revealed the existence of 35 fish species belonging to 5 orders, 10 families and 25 genera. There is dominance of Cypriniformes (18 spp.) followed by Siluriformes (10 spp.), Perciformes (4 spp.), Synbrachiformes (2 spp.) and Osteoglossiformes (1 sps.). Present record of 35 fish species when compared with the earlier report of 59 fish species reveals a decline in fish diversity and is caused by environmental factors and anthropogenic pressure.