Fish Fauna investigation in Arass reservoir and its Iranian tributaries

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Abstract

During two different periods (from 1994 to 1995 and 1997), the identification of fish fauna of Arass reservoir and its Iranian tributaries were carried out seasonally. Different fishing gears, namely: gillnet, beach scine, castnet, electric-shocker were used to catch fishes in 18 stations within 6 regions.
Main purposes of this study were: species identification, spatial and temporal distribution and also to determine some ecological and biological Characteristics of fishes. In the present study, 27 species belong to 6 families and 4 orders were identified. From point of species composition, the Cyprinidae family with 77.8 percent was the most abundant and the percentage of species composition for other families were Gobiidae 7.4 % and each or following families namely: Balistidae, Siluridae, Pocciliidae and Pereidae represented by3.7%.
 The most abundant fishes belonged Percidae family with 37.27% Cyprinidae With 23.64% and Gobiidae with 28.61%. Sander lucioperca and Neogobius kessleri with 37.3% and 27.8% of the total number of fishes were the dominant species among catch composition, and on the other hand the least frequency in number observed for Brbus mursa, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Hypophthalmyichthys molitrix, H. nobilis and Gobio persus with a total frequency of 0.5%.
 Among the total 27 identified species, 7 species were classified as exotic fishes. I should be mentioned that 8 species are reported for the first time from the studied area.