Fish Diversity of Chambal River, Rajasthan State

Abstract

The Chambal is the only perennial river which flows through Rajasthan. The Chambal River rises in the hills of Vindhya Range at Madhya Pradesh and flows downstream in south to north through Rajasthan. It enters ahead of Gandhi Sagar Dam in Chittorgarh District of Rajasthan and then forms the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh before turning southeast to join the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh. The fish fauna of the Chambal River is rich and diverse. Various types of carps, catfish, and mullet reside in the river waters. Fifty-four species of fishes were reported from the Rajasthan part of the Chambal River. To conserve the critically endangered gharials and other aquatic fauna, a stretch of more than 640 km of the Chambal River in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh has been jointly declared as the National Chambal Sanctuary. Present studies deal with fish fauna from the Rajasthan part of the Chambal River and various other factors governing their diversity and distribution.