A preliminary study on fish fauna of the Passur River in Bangladesh

The ichthyofauna, their occurrence and conservation status in the Passur River of Khulna district have been studied for a period, from November 2011 to April 2012. A total of 95 finfish species contributing to 14 orders, 45 families and 77 genera were identified. The most dominant fish order was Perciformes with 38 species in 35 genera. Maximum number of species were recorded under the family Gobiidae (14 species) followed by the family Cyprinidae (8 species). Out of 95 species, 14 belonged to the threatened and 3 to the near threatened. The occurrence of majority of the fishes (50%) was recorded as available followed by less available (26%), rare (16%) and very rare (8%). Considering all the findings it is concluded that the Passur River can be considered as a refuge for conservation of threatened freshwater fishes of Bangladesh. Finally, the establishment of fish sanctuaries for both threatened and non-threatened species as well as counter survey is recommended to cross check the fish diversity for their proper management and conservation.