Diversity of Freshwater Fish in the Sai Buri River: Around the Watershed Community of Ban Chulabhorn Phatthana 12, Sukhirin District, Narathiwat Province

Abstract

Study the diversity of freshwater fish in the Sai Buri River around the watershed community of Ban Chulabhorn Phatthana 12, Sukhirin District, Narathiwat Province. Survey and collect fish samples in the Kue Sa, Ai Tu ngo, and Ai Ta ko Canals, using random sampling with a 1.5-millimeter mesh size as the primary method, conducted every 2 months between December 2017 and November 2018. The study found a total of 1,129 fish specimens belonging to 17 families and 49 species. The family Cyprinidae was the most dominant with 21 species (79.19%), followed by the family Bagridae with 5 species. The diversity index (H^/) was 2.84, the evenness index (E^/) was 0.73, and the richness index (R) was 6.83. Ceratogarra cambodgiensis had the highest relative abundance at 21.43%. Regarding the frequency of occurrence, 12 species were categorized as rare, 24 as occasional, 9 as common, and 4 as very common. The months of December and March had the highest number of fish species with 27 each. Only 10 species were found to be consistent with previous studies. Watershed ecosystems hold significant economic value but face threats from exploitation and development driven by increasing human demands. These various threats to watershed ecosystem biodiversity will unavoidably result in both direct and indirect impacts on the depletion of fish resources in the watershed area.