Fish species of Manipur on the brink of extinction
By Sobhapati Samom, Hueiyen News Service
30 March 2011 Imphal: The largest global environmental network, International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN), has listed 15 fish species including seven from Manipur as ‘Endangered freshwater fish species’ in their recently released red list of threatened species report on the status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in eastern Himalaya which covers the entire NE states and parts of eastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal. … A six member research team headed by renowned fish researcher Prof Waikhom Vishwanath of Manipur University’s Life Science department conducted the research work on the status and distribution of freshwater fishes of the eastern Himalaya region which comprises of the Ganga delta and plain, Ganga Himalayan foothills, Upper Brahmaputra, Middle Brahmaputra, Chin hills-Arakan coast and Sittang-Irrawaddy eco-region, for compiling IUCN’s red list report. … “It took one year to compile it (IUCN’s report) by studying 115 fish species out of 520 species found in the eastern Himalaya region”, Prof W Vishwanath said. “Interestingly out of the 50 freshwater fishes listed as vulnerable there are 23 more fish species from Manipur”. … Drying up of wetlands due to siltation and conversion of Loktak, largest freshwater lake in NE India (40,000 hectare), into a water reservoir after commissioning of the above project, caused a drastic change in Manipur’s aquatic environment forcing many species including Nganap (Pangio pangia), Sareng Khoibi (botia berdmorei), Ngasep (mystus bleekeri) and Ngamu (Channa orientalis) vulnerable. Manipur has more than 200 fish species. “Pollution, habitat loss, damming, over-exploitation besides species invasion are the major threats in Manipur,” Prof Vishwanath said when enquired. “Fishes in the Chindwin basin, in Manipur, particularly Imphal river and its tributaries are so vulnerable unlike the Bramhaputra basin where the species may find similar habitat for their survival”. …
