UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

The Inland fisheries and aquaculture play an important role in providing cheap animal protein to the human dietary composition of the rural Assam in India. Fish groups like carps, clupeids, perches, murrels, catfishes, minnows etc. comprise a good number of species in the region. Apart from the riverine fisheries different wetland fisheries associated with the two major rivers, namely the Brahmaputra and Barak in Assam have contributed a major part in fish production. The aim of the present study is to enquire about the numerical relative abundance of fishes in Chandakhal wetland located in Dhubri district, in the state of Assam, India. This is an investigative study based on the data collected from fish catch at the designated landing stations. It finds that the numerical relative abundance of most of the valued food fishes falling under Major Fish Group is less than 1.00% and the total numerical relative abundance of the Major Group fishes constitutes only 4.05%. Among the Major Group fishes Labeo calbasu has the highest relative abundance of 0.74%. Under the Intermediate fish group, the most abundant species is Macrognathus pancalus having the numerical relative abundance 5.58%. Again, among the Minor Group, Lepidocephalichthys guntea is the most relatively abundant fish species whose numerical relative abundance is 7.92%. The ‘near threatened’ species like Wallago attu and  Chitala chitala  are having relative abundances of 0.23% and 0.09% respectively  and the ‘endangered’ species Clarias magur is found to have the relative abundance as low as 0.08% in the present study.