Journal Article
Mahseer (Tor spp.) fishes of the world: status, challenges and opportunities for conservation
Pinder, A.C., Britton, J.R., Harrison, A.J., Nautiyal, P., Bower, S.D., Cooke, S.J., Lockett, S., Everard, M., Katwate, U., Ranjeet, K., Walton, S., Danylchuk, A.J., Dahanukar, N. and Raghavan, R.
Record Number:
4486
Year:
2019
Journal:
Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries
Pages:
417-452
Volume:
29
Abstract:
The mahseer fishes (Tor spp.) represent an
iconic genus of large-bodied species of the Cyprinidae
family. Across the 16 recognised species in the
genus, individual fish can attain weights over 50 kg,
resulting in some species being considered as premier
sport fishes. Tor species also generally have high
religious and cultural significance throughout South
and Southeast Asia. Despite their economic and
cultural importance, the status of Tor fishes has been
increasingly imperilled through their riverine habitats
being impacted by anthropogenic activities, such as
hydropower dam construction and exploitation.
Moreover, conservation efforts have been constrained
by knowledge on the genus being heavily skewed towards aquaculture, with considerable knowledge
gaps on their taxonomy, autecology, distribution and
population status. Whilst taxonomic ambiguity has
been a major constraint on conservation efforts, this
has been partially overcome by recent, robust taxonomic
revisions. This has enabled revision of the
IUCN Red List status of Tor fishes; three species are
now assessed as ‘Near Threatened’, one ‘Vulnerable’,
three ‘Endangered’ and one ‘Critically Endangered’.
However, eight species remain ‘Data deficient’. Here,
information on these 16 Tor fishes is synthesised for
the first time, outlining the current state of knowledge
for each species, including their known distributions
and population status. For each species, the outstanding
gaps in knowledge are also identified, and their
population threats and conservation prospects outlined.
Consequently, this review provides the basis
for researchers to challenge and enhance the knowledge
base necessary to conserve these freshwater
icons in an era of unprecedented environmental
changes.
Times Cited:
0