FISH SPECIES COMPOSITION IN BAC ME NATURE RESERVE, HA GIANG PROVINCE

Abstract

Bac Me Nature Reserve in Ha Giang province is known for its high potential for biodiversity, with numerous rare and precious species of flora and fauna listed in both the Viet Nam Red Data Book and IUCN Red List. However, the information regarding the diversity of composition of fish in the reserve has been poor until now. In order to provide information on the current status and distribution of fish species, two field surveys in July and December 2019 at 13 stations ranging from 92 to 325 m a.s.l. of Gam River within the reserve. The results provided a complete list of fish species composition of the reserve with 42 species from 34 genera, 20 families, and 7 orders. Cypriniformes was found to be the most diverse order, with 8 families, 22 genera, and 28 species, of which Cyprinidae was the dominant family, with 6 genera and 8 species. The study identified 4 new records for the fish fauna in the Red River basin, and recorded one species in the IUCN Red List and 3 species belonging to Group I and II according to the Government's Decree 26/2019/NĐ-CP within the nature reserve. The largest number of species is at stations of 243 m and 121 m a.s.l. These results provide essential data for the exploitation, conservation, and sustainable development of local fish resources.