Evaluating Fish Biodiversity and Fishing Effort in the Lidder River, Kashmir

The study aimed to assess fish diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) in the Lidder River, an important tributary of the Jhelum River in Kashmir. Six fish species belonging to Cyprinidae, Sisoridae, Balitoridae, and Salmonidae were identified. Schizothorax plagiostomus, S. esocinus, and S. labiatus represent the family Cyprinidae.; Balitoridaeis is represented by Triplophysa kashmirensis; Sisoridae is represented by Glyptosternon reticulatum; and Salmonidae is represented by Salmo trutta fario. At several locations along the river course, schizothoracines were distributed in diverse ways. There were fewer of each of the three Schizothorax species upstream. Triplophysa kashmiriensis was found at all the river sites. The midstream and upstream areas had only G. reticulatum and Salmo trutta fario. Species diversity was analysed via two diversity indices: the Shannon‒Wiener diversity index and the Jaccard similarity index. Autumn experienced the highest value of the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (1.05), while winter had the lowest value (0.83). The highest value was 1.40 at Site 1 (upstream), followed by 1.04 at Site 2 and 0.76 at Site 3. The diversity indices declined as one moved downstream from upstream. The highest Jaccard similarity index (1.00) between Sites 1 and 2 and the lowest (0.33) between Sites 1 and 3 were noted. Sites 1 and 2 had the highest overall mean similarity (0.77), followed by sites 2 and 3 (0.55) and sites 1 and 3 (0.52). From a minimum of 156.25 g/manhour to a maximum of 1250 g/manhour, the total CPUE varied. The mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) was 252.08 g/man-hour at Site 1, 653.33 g/man-hour at Site 2 and 598.95 g/man-hour at Site 3.