| Abstrakt: |
Ramsar wetlands in India are rich in fishery resources but are not explored extensively for their existing fish biodiversity. There is a need for the continuous assessment of these sites to highlight biodiversity value for conservation-related aspects. As an initiative, an investigation on the exploited fishery resources of Ashtamudi Estuary, an internationally accredited tropical wetland in Kerala State, India, was carried out for an annual cycle (May 2019 to April 2020) following a routine landing center based monitoring method. Ten major landing centers were chosen to gather primary data on all finfish and shellfish species contributing to the fishery. The total species diversity accounted for 149 species of finfish, 20 species of crustaceans, and nine species of molluscs. Species richness was maximum at landing centers: -Sathikulangara and Sambranikodi located at the lower reaches of the estuary. The species diversity recorded highest values during post-monsoon and the marine species (60.6%) dominated the species composition in all seasons. The study recorded new reports of fifty finfishes, six species of crabs, one species of stomatopod, and one species of Elasmobranch from the Ramsar site. In addition, one endangered, six vulnerable, and one nearly threatened finfish species were also recorded from the estuary. This new comprehensive record of the fish fauna from the Ramsar site is thus communicated for effecting decision making to facilitate sustainable management and long-term conservation of the wetlands of International Importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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