Jullien's golden carp

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Jullien's golden carp

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Probarbus
Species:
P. jullieni
Binomial name
Probarbus jullieni
Sauvage, 1880

The Jullien's golden carp (Probarbus jullieni) is a species of endangered freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae found in Southeast Asian river basins. Its existence is being threatened by various economic activities, such as large-scale agriculture and the building of dams for hydropower.

Etymology and taxonomic history

The Jullien's golden carp was named by French

herpetologist Henri Émile Sauvage.[3] Other commonly used names for this fish
are the carpilla ikan temoleh and the seven-striped barb.

Named in honor of J. Jullien, who collected the type specimen, possibly physician-zoologist Jules Jullien (1842-1897), who served as ship's doctor on a number of French expeditions and (later, in 1888) as president of the Zoological Society of France.[4]

This fish is a species of freshwater

adipose fin, and thin lips.[6]

Description

Identification

This fish has many identifying characteristics. Most noticeable are its five longitudinal stripes above its

barbels—whisker like appendages that serve as tactile organs near its mouth. These whiskers allow it to better feel its surroundings. For movement, it has a dorsal fin with one spine and nine branched rays and five branched anal rays. Its maximum total length is approximately 165 cm and its maximum weight is approximately 70 kg.[7] It can live up to 50 years and gradually grows in size over time. This is responsible for its large size.[8]

Behavior

This fish eats freshwater

aquatic plants.[8] They tend to eat more during the wet season, when food is abundant, and less during the dry season, when food is scarce. Like many other river fish, its lifecycle is dependent on monsoon rains, which means that the Jullien's golden carp occupies different regions throughout the year depending on the season.[9]

Reproduction

This fish is migratory, and its migratory pattern centers around its

floodplains during the rainy season. This means that its migratory pattern centers around the shift from dry to rainy season. This migratory pattern is vital for the survival of this endangered species, but various threats to its habitat, such as aquaculture and hydropower development threaten this pattern, and thus their existence.[10]

Habitat

Historically, this fish was found in the

spawning season, they live in shallow waters.[11]

A view of the Mekong River at Luang Prabang in Lao PDR.

Threats

Aquaculture

Increasingly, these fish are being breed artificially for aquaculture. This is a common practice in Laos and Thailand. In order to capture wild fish, aquaculture sites set up large-mesh gill netting at spawning sites. Not only does this capture many wild Jullien's golden carp, but it also stops them from spawning, further diminishing their numbers.[7]

The Fisheries Department in Batu Berendam, Malacca in Malaysia are developing and applying spawning techniques through its Fresh Water Fisheries Research Centre. The economic component of this project is paramount, with the goal of the project to increase the aquaculture production target to 200,000 tons of fish by 2010.[12] As of 2012, this number has been greatly surpassed and there are now approximately 2.5 million metric tons of fish, including the Jullien's golden carp, being harvested per year. The value of this harvest is estimated at US$3.6 to 6.5 billion.[10] The goal of this project is to boost production of freshwater fish, creating more of a commodity that is valued by consumers. This means that little effort is being made to preserve the endangered species of fish they are breeding, such as the Jullien's golden carp.[12]

As food

This fish is a popular

Burmese government stated in March, 2014 that the Jullien's golden carp's special protection program makes fishing for them from February to April illegal. However, other times of the year the regulations surrounding the fishing, capturing, and selling of fish such as the Jullien's golden carp are much more relaxed. This has made the overfishing of the Jullien's golden carp both easy and common.[13]

Hydropower development

In 1994, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) identified 12 sites for dams in the major rivers of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. This has since expanded to include Myanmar.

Since the Irrawaddy River Basin is one of the last areas of refuge for the Jullien's golden carp, the recent creation of the Myitsone Dam in Myanmar is further threatening its existence. However, as of 2011, the usage of this dam is suspended due to international, regional, and national conservation efforts.[9]

The

artificial lakes created by the dams. This would create a new fish supply for the state, while decreasing the fish supply for the local people.[9]

By threatening the existence of fish such as the Jullien's golden carp, these dams are also threatening the existence of fisheries in the long-term. Thus, although in the short-term these dams will provide much

energy demand in Southeast Asia, this energy demand is destroying the regions traditionally sustainable, local industries. The fishing and agriculture industries in the Mekong River Basin stand to lose $500 million a year if the Myitsone and The Xayaburi Dams continue operating or if any new dams are built. This is according to the study being done by the Mekong River Commission (MRC).

This is a map of the Mekong River watershed.

The creation of dams and their negative effect on fish is not a new concept. Many opponents of these dams are citing the more than 3,000 dams that have been built along the

Zhujiang River during the last 40 years as relating to the Myitsone and Xayaburi Dams. In the Zhujiang River, the numbers of many migratory fish, such as many major carp species, have fallen. This shows what could happen to migratory fish such as the Jullien's golden carp. Another fact that relates the Jullien's carp to the carp species affected by dams in the Zhujiang River is the fact that they are both carps. Thus, the similarities concerning the carp species in the Zhujiang River and the Jullien's golden carp is telling of what could happen to the Jullien's carp if the Myitsoone and Xayaburi Dams continue.[9]

Pollution through deforestation

Through the

river basins. This affects the runoff patterns of these areas, hurting the lifecycles of freshwater fish, as well as local fishing industries. Since the lifecycle of the Jullien's golden carp is dependent upon seasonal shifts in river/lake water (such as shifts in currents), the pollution of rivers and lakes is Southeast Asia has diminished their numbers.[9]

Pollution through agriculture production

Although anti-pollution legislation is present both collectively in Southeast Asia and nationally in Southeast Asian countries, it is rarely enforced. This is due to the mentality to

modernization present in Southeast Asian states. Much of this expansion is not done by the locals, but by the governments of Southeast Asian countries. Industries in Southeast Asian have expanded without proper water treatment facilities, causing the rivers of be oxygen-poor for much of the year. Although the agriculture techniques in Southeast Asia are becoming more modern, this increase is cash crops is coming at the expense of the regions other large industry: fish. This means that this region will lack industry diversification.[9]

Conservation

International efforts

The Mekong River Commission (MRC), established in 1995, had now become an independent international oversight organization instead of a United Nations body. It has four member countries, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and the purpose of this organization is to create studies before any dams or other public works projects are put in place in the Mekong River Basin of any of its connecting rivers. However, since this body is merely an oversight organization, it lacks legal authority.[14]

Recently, NGOs expressed concern about the creation of the Myitsone Dam. These

activists in Myanmar fear that this is merely meant to placate them, and fear that usage of the Myitsone Dam will continue in the near future.[15]

Many Southeast Asian countries have research groups that are creating their own studies to show the negative effects that dams have on the environment, specifically water and fish. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Lao PDR is one such group. These research groups, including the one listed above may be regionally based, but they are part of the internal effort to stop

international organizations. This shows the increasing trend of regional research groups partnering with NGOs to gain more power and create more change.[14]

Regional and national efforts

In

sport fishing be practiced via the “catch and release” method. This method will attempt to curtail the effects of overfishing that contributed to the Jullien's golden carp's endangerment. Thus, national efforts such as the Vita Tenggarra project may be economically motivated, but their end goal is to create both a sustainable industry and increased environmental policies.[11]

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is attempting to establish a 10-year suspension on mainstream dams such as the

flooding would disrupt the migratory habit. However, this commission has not stopped the usage of the US$3.8 billion Xayaburi Dam. This came as a surprise due to its opposition by international environmental groups and some international donors.[14]

See also

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T18182A1728224.en
    . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ Emile Sauvage, Henri. “Amphibious Fishes.” Popular Science Monthly 9 (September 1876): ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2014.
  4. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order CYPRINIFORMES: Family CYPRINIDAE: Subfamilies PROPARBINAE and TORINAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  5. ^ Allaby, Michael. "Cypriniformes." A Dictionary of Zoology. : Oxford University Press, 2009. Oxford Reference. 2009. Date Accessed 3 May. 2014.
  6. ^ Allaby, Michael. "Cyprinidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. : Oxford University Press, 2009. Oxford Reference. 2009. Date Accessed 3 May. 2014.
  7. ^ a b Phanera, Tach, Zeb Hogan, and Ian G. Baird. “Threatened Fishes of the World: Probarbus Jullieni Sauvage, 1880 (Cyrinidae).” Environmental Biology of Fishes 84.3 (3/2009). Wed. 1 May 2014.
  8. ^ a b Cheong, Sam. "Gentle Giant Fights for Survival." New Straits Times, Dec 06, 1996. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Dudgeon, David. “The Ecology of Tropical Asian Rivers and Streams in Relation to Biodiverty Conservation.” Annual Review of Ecology & Systematics 31. (2000): 239. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 1 May 2014.
  10. ^ a b c Hogan, Zeb. “Three Megafish Species Imperiled by Lao’s Mekong River Dam.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 1 May 2014.
  11. ^ a b Nambiar, Ravi. "Endangered Fish Find Safe Sanctuary at Last." New Straits Times, Jun 15, 1999. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2014.
  12. ^ a b “Way to Boost Fresh Water Fish Production.” New Straits Times, Mar 03, 1999. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2014.
  13. ^ Hamzah Jamaludin, M. "Surging Appetite for Wild Fish." New Straits Times, Mar 06, 2014. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2014.
  14. ^ a b c Smith, Jeff. “Two Rivers: The Chance to Export Power Divides Southeast Asia.” National Geographic News. National Geographic Society, 25 Oct. 2011. Web. May 1, 2014.
  15. ^ MacKinnon, Ian. "Burma shows Rare Sign of People Power Edition 3." The Daily Telegraph, October 1, 2011. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2014.
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