Migratory freshwater fish in Indonesia: Threats and conservation efforts

Abstract

The process of fish migration is one of the most important biological aspects of the life of certain fish species, including fish species that live in freshwaters. In Indonesia’s freshwaters, several types of fish migrate to fulfill parts of their life cycle, such as Anguilla spp., Tor spp., and Rasbora spp., which have economic and ecological values. Fish habitats and migration routes can be affected by many cause changes, including dam constructions, other infrastructure constructions, drainage of wetlands, and floodplain disconnection. Other threats to migratory freshwater fish are overfishing and pollution. In Indonesia, most migratory freshwater fish threats were obstructions to free-flowing rivers, such as dams, and the exploitation of adult fish that migrate for spawning. Some management approaches should conserve and sustain the use of migratory freshwater fish.