KOCHI: Four freshwater fish from Kerala are among the thirty-six species from India that were included for the first time in IUCN’s Red List, updated on December 11. Inclusion in the list signals that these species are now endangered or face the risk of extinction unless measures are taken to prevent it.
“The four are subterranean fish species (found in water bodies under the surface). They are Kryptoglanis Shajii, Horaglanis Abdulkalami, Pangio Bhujia and Aenigmachanna Gollum. While the first three are categorised as endangered, Aenigmachanna Gollum (snakehead Gollum) is in the vulnerable category,” said Dr Rajeev Raghavan, assistant professor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kochi. According to the fisheries scientist, this is particularly worrying given how there are only 13 subterranean fish species in Kerala. A quarter of them are already on the list!
“Interestingly, Gollum snakehead is one of the two freshwater fish species considered protected in India — since the amendment of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act last year. Sadly, not many people are aware of this. Even the forest department, usually tasked with enforcing protection laws, is not clued in about this development,” Dr Rajeev said.
What further compounds the situation is that unlike river and marine fish, subterranean fish live in people-dominated areas.
“Groundwater extraction poses a big threat to these fishes. So they stand at the risk of faster extermination than others,” the scientist said.
In addition to this, there’s also a problem of perception. The small size and worm-like appearance of these fish sometimes lead people to perceive them as pests, resulting in their unintended destruction.
“Lack of awareness breeds indifference. At KUFOS, our recent efforts have been to educate the public that the appearance of small fish in wells is a sign that the water is safe. Besides these, we also hold workshops and awareness classes,” Dr Rajeev said.
Red List, maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is, at its simplest, a database that helps governments and policymakers understand the health of ecosystems. “It is a barometer of the pressure a species faces to exist,” Dr Rajeev said.
858 freshwater fish species in India are on IUCN’s Red List. Conservation of freshwater fishes is crucial as they are point endemics, meaning they are restrictive in their distribution.
“There are fish in the Chalakkudy River and Thekkady Reservoir that are found only there and nowhere else. Over 60-65% of the Western Ghats’ freshwater fish species are found nowhere else on Earth, thus rendering them exceptionally vulnerable to environmental threats like pollution, population growth, river engineering, and dam construction,” Dr Rajeev adds.
Freshwater fish make up more than half of the world’s known fish species. A nearly incomprehensible diversity given that freshwater ecosystems comprise only 1 per cent of aquatic habitat. According to the IUCN Red List, nearly a quarter of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk of extinction.