In an effort to document Bhutan’s rich diversity of aquatic life, a book titled “Field Guide to Fishes of Western Bhutan,” was released today. The book is an update to the previous list of fishes in Bhutan.
The book will be helpful in planning and coordinating any developmental activities in the country through its detailed information on the species composition and distribution.
The book has recorded a total of 104 fish species in the three major river basins of Amochhu, Wangchhu and Punatsangchhu. It also contains detailed information on individual species. The guide book will also be instrumental in managing the aquatic resources in an informed manner.
“With a lot of developmental activities coming up, fisheries will be impacted especially the native endemic fresh water fish in the wild. And when this happens we need to come up with management plans and conservation plans but first and the foremost requirement for such a management plan to be in place is that we need to know what fishes exist,” said Karma Wangchuk, Senior Livestock Production Officer, National Research Centre for Riverine and Lake Fisheries in Haa.
“That’s where a fishery data base is very important. You cannot have a management plan if you don’t know what kind of fish you have in your river.”
The book is the result of a three-year long study that began in 2013 with funds from the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation. The National Centre for Riverine and Lake Fisheries is currently in the process of compiling a similar database of fish species found in the rivers of eastern region.
