Ichthyo-Diversity in different rivers of West Bengal, India: Status and conservation strategy

Abstract

West Bengal is surrounded by many rivers. Rivers plays a decisive role in freshwater habitat and connects with ocean. But fish diversity knowledge is inadequate in different rivers of West Bengal. West Bengal provides 7.5% of resources of water of the country. West Bengal is fulfilled with many resources of water like, beel, pond, rivers. Freshwater diversity in rivers may loss due to anthropogenic effect and also by pollution. Besides this exploitation and change of climate are another major cause of biodiversity loss. Decreasing trend of fish diversity is a aggregate approach to conservation of fish diversity. For this reason riverine fishes are the threatened taxa. But less effort have been dedicated for conservation of river fishes this review helps to understand fish species in south and north Bengal rivers in West Bengal.