River survey finds 67 new fish species

1/03/2011
Apinya Wipatayotin
Bangkok Post

Sixty-seven new fish species have been discovered in the lower Mekong River in an inaugural survey conducted by a team of biologists over the past five years.

Scientists from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam found over 500 species overall in the first phase of the Mekong freshwater fish survey, which started in 2006, to create an inventory of fish species found in the lower Mekong countries.

The surveyed areas were the Moon River in Thailand, the Mekong River section passing through Laos, the Tonle Sap lake and river system in Cambodia and the Mekong estuary in Vietnam.

The five-year Diversity of Fishes in the Mekong and Chao Phraya study is supported by Japan's Nagao Natural Environment Foundation.

A Thai member of the research team, Wichian Magtoon, dean of science at Srinakharinwirot University, said the fish species database would help support a better understanding of the Mekong ecological system.

The inventory would also help monitor the impact of development projects, especially dam construction, on the Mekong fish population.

The researchers found 540 fish species, including 67 that were new to them and 21 that are pending identification.

"We might find more fish species during the second-phase survey," Mr Wichian said.

Bounthob Prazaysombath, a researcher at the National University of Laos, said his team found 237 species, 56 of which are indigenous to Laos.

"The study lets us know what we have right now," Mr Bounthob said.

"Moreover, our next generation can learn about the fertility of the Mekong."Kenzo Utsugi, a research scientist at the Nagao Natural Environment Foundation, said it was estimated that there were more than 1,000 fish species in the Mekong River.

He urged governments to take more care of the Mekong. Each government has different methods of river management but they should share the same goal of protecting it from losing ecological biodiversity.

Prachya Musikasinthorn of Kasetsart University, who was in charge of the fish species survey in the Chao Phraya River, said 216 fish species were estimated to live in the river and four species of these were pending verification.