Inland Fish Diversity and Conservation Challenges in Pulang River, Central Mindanao, Philippines

This study investigated the diversity of inland fishes from three municipal sites Carmen; President Roxas; and Matalam along pulangi river in Cotabato Philippines. Fish were captured using various methods, including fish trap, gill net, cast net and man-push net. A total of 148 inland fish were captured during data collection in September and December 2024. There were nine inland fish species identified: Indian Rohucarp (Labeo rohita), Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio), Spotted Barb (Barbose binotatus), Janitor fish (Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus), Banak (Cestraeus plicatilis), Giant Gourami (Osphronemus goramy),Kasili (Anguilla marmorata),Biya (Glossogobius giuris), and Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Among the caught inland fishes, the Indian Rohucarp exhibits the highest species caught, dominance, abundance, density, and importance values. The low fish diversity observed was attributed to environmental factors such as industrial pollution, anthropogenic activities, and unsuitable farming practices.