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Where have all the freshwater fish gone?

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Author Topic: Where have all the freshwater fish gone?  (Read 397 times)
indunil
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« on: August 26, 2010, 10:43:27 am »



When we think that most of our endemic species are lost and gone forever, it takes a slight moment of truth to realise that they might not be extinct after all. For a species to be considered extinct, it would take about 30 to 40 years in which no human being should have seen it.

In a startling revelation, the President of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle (WCSG) Madura de Silva said that there are plenty of lazy researchers who don’t actually do ground work to record and locate our most prized species. “Most Sri Lankan researchers just check on notes taken by other researchers or former case studies. They dont really do field trips and swim in the freshwater basins or streams to check if the freshwater fishes are actually in existence!” he said.

So it was just a few days ago, on a six member expedition, when Madura and his team from the WCSG were surveying and looking for new species of Sri Lankan freshwater fish that they discovered a rare species that would have been considered extinct as it was found after 53 years! Initially thinking that it was a new species of Rasboroides, it was found to be the Meinken’s Fairy Rasbora, the fish species was secretly living in the area of Athwaltota. According to Madura, “We consulted renowned fish scientish Rohan Pethiyagoda who identified it as Rasboroides nigromarginata. It is just 2 cms long and it was first described in 1957 by H. Meinken, a German scientist, who received some specimens through the ornamental fish trade.” He added, “Although he knew it was from Sri Lanka, he had no idea where exactly the original population was, and the species has remained a mystery until we discovered it recently.”

While not only concentrating on the newly discovered Fairy Rasboras, the WCSG have also recorded and discovered some new species which are still in need of proper case studies to add them to the database. Madura said, “We hope to describe and name it the near future because even though many books have been written on Sri Lanka’s freshwater fishes, it is good to know that we keep discovering new species and rediscovering ones we thought had disappeared.” At present, they are tracking down a fish called the Puntius layardi, which has not been seen since it was originally collected in the 1860s by the great ornithologist, Edgar Layard.

Madura also said that the WCSG hopes to have some captive and sustainable breeding programs pertaining to the species if its wild population is threatened or suddenly depletes in numbers. “The members of our Society are also planning a scientific paper to further describe the species and to formally validate its position in the national inventory of freshwater fish species,” he said.

At present, Athwaltota in Matugama is one of the only water bodies that sustain plenty of endemic and endangered species. “We can advise and create awareness about protecting this area but it’s up to the authorities to declare these areas as protected reserves,” said Madura. Several key environmental authorities such as the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Central Environment Authority and the Ministry of Environment have some of the strictest laws but they should be implemented to make sure that people realise the value of nature conservation instead of seeking their own good fun.

A fitting example is in a small stream in Kegalle where the endemic Bandula Barb makes its home. The education and awareness is so high that even the locals and police protect this fish,” said Madura.

Protecting the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka which incorporates Horton Plains National Park, Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and Knuckles Mountain Range on the World Heritage List is not enough. Even though Sri Lanka is a small area of forestry compared to great rainforests such as Borneo or even the Amazon, our biodiversity is concentrated on a few thousand hectares of forest land making it insufficient to protect every variety of endemic and endangered species we have.

As for the future of nature conservation, with the country opening up for tourism after peace, there should be a better understanding of eco-tourism in the form of environmental research tourism.

“One of the best ways that we can generate monetary benefits and also a better understanding in conserving our prized species is through research conservation,” said Madura. He added, “Several corporations also can lend a hand to nature conservation and we thank the Nations Trust Bank for sponsoring this research where we found this rare fish.” At the moment, there are strict regulations for foreigners to research endemic species but villagers should realise that its for a good cause and not anything bad provided these researchers come with permits and are accompanied by Sri Lankan naturalists.

So it is imperative that we rally all nature lover and enthusiasts and look for a better environmentally-friendly future together



Also known as: Rasboroides nigromarginata
Genus: Rasboroides
Threat status: Critically endangered because it is endemic and sometimes exported as ornamental fish.
Extremely delicate fish and should not be collected for commercial purposes because they are rare and in any case die very easily as a result of handling
Location: south-western Sri Lanka
Habitat: Inhabit rainforest streams
Last discovered by: Rohan Pethiyagoda and team in the 1980s
Relationship to other species: closely related to the Vateria Flower Rasbora (Rasboroides vaterifloris) and named for its similarity to the beautiful flower of the sal (cannonball) tree
Difference to other species: Shape of its body because it has a black margin on its fins
Striking quality: Iridescent orange-red to copper-red upper part of the eye

Conservation methods

Steps the public can take to protect these critically endangered freshwater fish:

*Stop polluting the water with soap and shampoo when you bathe and don’t destroy the environment with polythene, plastic bottles and garbage when you go on trips

*Locals including school children should be aware and should protect endemic and endangered species that live in their area to prevent visitors from destroying them

*Public and private companies should rally together to fund and channel awareness and cleanliness programs to help in nature conservation

*More eco-friendly notices and signboards should be put up at these places to stop nature destruction and educate the public at the site

*Do not collect these fish for ornamental purposes as they do not thrive well in enclosed areas of entrapment

*Grow more shady trees as many of these freshwater fish thrive in shady foliage where they can feed and breed

*If you see people destroying the environment, make sure you inform them and if things get out of hand, call the police because the area needs to be conserved.

*Remember - extinct means gone forever!

Sunday Observer Paper.
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