Study of Fish Diversity in Surya River in Palghar District, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Surya River in Palghar district (M.S.) water resource helpful for drinking, agriculture and fisheries. It has good water storage capacity; the river is good source of fish fauna A study was undertaken in the Surya River of Palghar District during the year 2022 to 2024 to document the fish fauna and its conservation status. During the present investigation, fishes were collected and identified. The finding of the study revealed that the quality of the river water is affected due to least attention of the authorities and non- adherence of the policies by the anthropogenic activities. The fish fauna study unfolded the depleting conditions, as the survey conducted in the fish market and among fishermen community revealed disappearance of many species and deteriorating quality of existing fish species. A total number of 31 fish fauna under 10 orders, 14 families and 24 genera were recorded from the different sites of lentic and lotic ecosystems in Palghar district of Maharashtra State. The IUCN status of the fishes was also evaluated as lower risk near threatened, vulnerable, least concern, endangered, not evaluated and critically endangered the study on the Surya River calls an urgent need for conservation of the species in the river of the Palghar District. Different water parameters studied such as water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, alkanity, Hardness, free CO2, Nitrates and TDS were recorded and were found suitable for fish production accept some seasonal variations and due to temperature increase by organic matter, the water quality was affected.

Introduction

India, with its rich biological heritage, is one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots, with over 2,400 recorded fish species, including 930 freshwater and 1,570 marine species. Rivers are highly productive ecosystems, providing food, economic benefits, and supporting fisheries, tourism, and recreation. Maharashtra, with its abundant freshwater reservoirs, is an important region for fish diversity and production, with Thane and Palghar districts contributing significantly to the state’s fish landings.

However, freshwater ecosystems face serious threats from pollution, overexploitation, and human activities, leading to declining fish populations. Regular biodiversity assessments are essential to monitor fish populations, understand seasonal variations, and aid in conservation. Fishes are vital for nutrition, economic value, and ecosystem stability, while zooplankton play a key role in the aquatic food chain.

The present study focuses on the Surya River in Palghar district, a previously unstudied region, aiming to document fish diversity, seasonal abundance, and economic value of species. Fish samples were collected weekly from four river stations between June 2022 and December 2024 using various nets with the assistance of local fishermen, and water quality parameters were recorded.

Results reported 31 fish species belonging to 10 orders, 14 families, and 24 genera, providing baseline data for ecological assessment, conservation planning, and sustainable utilization of fish resources in the Surya River.

Conclusion

Survey of fish population is a great challenge. Fish diversity study needs extensive survey by calculating fish abundance, species composition changes due to seasonal changes which have been done in present study. It has been evaluated that the water of Surya River is good for fish production but during some period, human activities have threatened by sewage and organic matter increase resulting in decrease of fish percentage. Surya river water is suitable for development of Cyprinidaeformes > Siluriformes >Decapoda>Synbranchiformes> Perciformes > Anabantiformes > Cichliformes> Notopteridae > Gobiiformes > Beloniformes orders. Conservation of fish requires impartation of scientific training to fisherman so that small immature fishes are not caught. Available fishes are of good economic importance. Globalization brings great changes in fresh water habitat. Climatic changes and pollution are major threat for sustainable ecosystem management as well as to sustain the identified fish fauna in the tribal people should be aware about the threatening factors responsible for declining of fish fauna of the river. The data obtained in the present study is also important in variety of manners such as to know the present status of fish fauna in the local region, it is helpful for the researchers as well as fishermen\'s, to get an idea about the tolerance and diversity of fish found in Surya River and choose exact variety of fish species for the culture so as to get maximum yield.

References

[1] Ghatge, S. S., Kunjir, S. N., Tandale, A. T., & Girkar, M. M. (2025). Fish diversity of Lendi River in Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Advances in Fisheries, Biological and Allied Research, 22(1), 101–112. [2] Jagtap, N., & Jagdale, S. (2023). Biodiversity of Fishes in Jog River in Dapoli District Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. International Journal of Advancement in Life Sciences Research, 6(1), 35–41. [3] Mishra, A., & Bhati, A. (2025). Ichthyofaunal diversity of the Pravara River, Maharashtra: Species composition, classification, and conservation concerns. International Journal of Entomology Research, 10(4), 101–115. [4] Patil, R. S., & Kadam, S. P. (2025). Freshwater ichthyofaunal diversity of Vidarbha, Maharashtra, India: A review. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 13(4), 620–627. [5] Prajapati, V. K., & Sharma, M. K. (2025). Diversity of fresh water fishes and their conservation status in two different tributaries of river Ganga (Rapti and Ghaghra). Fauna Journal, 12(2), 480–487. [6] Praveenraj, J., & Bleher, B. (2016). Conservation status and threats of the ichthyofauna in the North region of the Western Ghats. In Threatened Fishes of the World. Springer. [7] Sarkar, U. K., Pathak, A. K., & Sinha, R. K. (2015). Fish diversity and conservation status in a tropical river system in India. International Journal of Advanced Research, 3(8), 1040–1045. [8] Sivakumar, P., Anusha, J., & Walter Devaa, J. C. (2025). Habitat utilization and preference of cyprinid fishes in the Western Ghats streams of South India. Journal of Advanced Zoology, 46(2). [9] Tambe, S. B., & Shinde, S. M. (2018). Ichthyofaunal diversity of a tributary of the Godavari River in Nashik, Maharashtra, India. Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, 6(1), 18–25. [10] Tembhare, D. B., & Deshmukh, V. D. (2017). Conservation of freshwater fish fauna in Indian rivers: A review of challenges and strategies. Journal of Ecosystem Ecology, 7(3), 110–121. [11] Tiwari, S. K., & Bhakta, D. (2023). Ichthyofaunal diversity, ecological significance and conservation assessment of the Tisi (Tuisi) River, Mizoram, Northeast India. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 13(3), 306–310. [12] Tripathi, S. M., & Verma, N. (2024). Impact of water quality on fish production and diversity in Gangetic plains. Aquaculture International, 32(2), 540–555. [13] Verma, V., & Das, S. (2023). Water quality assessment in relation to fish assemblage using multivariate analysis in Manasbal Lake, Kashmir. Hydrobiology and Aquatics, 18(2), 1–12. [14] Yadav, M. C., Kulkarni, A. D., & Shinde, S. E. (2019). Study on the diversity and conservation status of fishes in the Krishna River, Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 11(7), 13854–13862. [15] Dhamala, S., & Shrestha, S. (2024). Heterogeneity in habitat use of three threatened freshwater catfishes (Siluridae: Siluriformes) in five major tropical rivers of India. Journal of Fish Biology, 105(4), 888–900. [16] Jadhav, G. S. (2024). Analysing the distribution channels of marine Fish in the Palghar district of Maharashtra. Journal of the School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, 26(2), 238–250. [17] Kadam, S., & Patil, D. (2021). A review on threats to freshwater fish diversity in the Northern Western Ghats, India. International Journal of Scientific Research in Biological Sciences, 8(3), 200–208. [18] Khan, M. A., & Khan, S. (2020). Assessment of pollution load and its impact on the Ichthyofauna of Indian rivers. Environmental Pollution Research, 27(10), 3001–3012. [19] Kumara, M., & Sreekanth, V. B. (2022). Diversity and abundance of Ichthyofaunal species in Karingali Wetland of Central Kerala, India. Agricultural Science Digest, 42(4), 312–318. [20] Londhe, S. D., & Sathe, T. V. (2015). Fish faunal diversity and occurrence from lakes of Kolhapur district. International Journal of Science and Research, 4(11), 1991–1996.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Vilas Sapte, Dr. Rahul Jadhav. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.