Fish Biodiversity and Preferential Habitats of Fishes in Selected Stretch of Narmada River

The present study is aimed at assessing the existing fish fauna and their distribution pattern in River Narmada from Shahganj (Distt. Sehore) to Bandua (Distt. Hoshangabad), a stretch spread over 22 km in length, situated between 22°50'28" to 22°43'55"N and 77°36' 46 to 77°47'48" E. The investigation reveals presence of a total 47 species belonging to 29 genera, 15 families and 6 orders. The family Cyprinidae was observed as the most dominant of all, constituting 48 % of the total fish population followed by Bagridae constituting 12 % of the total collection. The study also encompasses the identification of preferential fish habitats (pools, riffles, runs and substrate differentiation) by means of analysing abundance and frequency of different species of fishes.