Impact Of Water Pollution on the Reproductive Biology and Growth Patterns Of Selected Freshwater Fish Species
Keywords:
Growth patterns, Reproductive biology, Freshwater fish, Water pollutionAbstract
The presence of water pollution is a serious problem for the freshwater ecosystems as it affects the quality of the water and causes disorder in the biological activities of water organisms. The current research was done in some of the fresh water bodies classified into low, moderate, and highly-polluted sources according to the water quality features. A total of 100 specimens of Catla catla and Ctenopharyngodon idella were collected from Kosam Ghat (confluence of the Narmada and Gour Rivers), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The water quality parameters measured were pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and phosphate; growth parameters measured for fish were body length, body weight and condition factor. The reproductive ability was assessed in the laboratory by gonad weights, Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) and fecundity. The results showed that there was a gradual decline in water quality due to increasing pollution, while the performance of the growth, condition factor, gonadal growth and gonadosomatic index, and fecundity of both species showed significant decreases. The study revealed a strong negative correlation between water pollution and biological health of fish and that the water quality management and conservation programs should be implemented effectively.
References
Aich, U., Polverino, G., Yazdan Parast, F., Melo, G. C., Tan, H., Howells, J., ... & Wong, B. B. (2025). Long‐term effects of widespread pharmaceutical pollution on trade‐offs between behavioural, life‐history and reproductive traits in fish. Journal of Animal Ecology, 94(3), 340-355.
Bulbul Ali, A., & Mishra, A. (2022). Effects of dissolved oxygen concentration on freshwater fish: A review. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 10(4), 113-127.
Chen, X., Liu, B., & Lin, D. (2022). Sexual maturation, reproductive habits, and fecundity of fish. In Biology of fishery resources (pp. 113-142). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Hridoy, M. D., Paul, P. B., Rasel, M. A., & Rakib Uddin, K. (2025). Impact of water pollution on physio-chemical properties for fish habitat in the Surma River, Sylhet city, Bangladesh. Water and Environmental Sustainability, 5(1), 12-20.
Jan, A., Shah, T. H., & Nissa, N. U. (2022). Impact of aquatic pollution on fish fauna. In Bacterial Fish Diseases (pp. 103-112). Academic Press.
Kumar, P., Babita, M., Kailasam, M., Muralidhar, M., Hussain, T., Behera, A., & Jithendran, K. P. (2023). Effect of changing environmental factors on reproductive cycle and endocrinology of fishes. Outlook of Climate Change and Fish Nutrition, 377-396.
Malik, D. S., Sharma, A. K., Sharma, A. K., Thakur, R., & Sharma, M. (2020). A review on impact of water pollution on freshwater fish species and their aquatic environment. Advances in environmental pollution management: wastewater impacts and treatment technologies, 1, 10-28.
Mariu, A., Chatha, A. M. M., Naz, S., Khan, M. F., Safdar, W., & Ashraf, I. (2023). Effect of temperature, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen on fishes. Journal of Zoology and Systematics, 1(2), 1-12.
Nyirenda, M. S., Katongo, C., Mudenda, H. G., Mbewe, M., & Sinyinza, D. (2024). Aspects of Growth and Reproductive Biology among Three Tilapiines on Lake Kariba. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 5(1), 4294-4299.
Parvez, I., Ahmed, S., Tasnim, N., Pervin, R., Alam, M. A., Khan, M. N., ... & Pradit, S. (2025). Heavy metal contamination in freshwater habitats impairs the growth and reproductive health of wild spotted snakehead Channa punctata (Channidae) in Bangladesh. Heliyon, 11(4).
Shastak, Y., & Pelletier, W. (2023). Captivating colors, crucial roles: Astaxanthin’s antioxidant impact on fish oxidative stress and reproductive performance. Animals, 13(21), 3357.
Soler, P., Solé, M., Bañón, R., García-Galea, E., Durfort, M., Matamoros, V., ... & Vinyoles, D. (2020). Effects of industrial pollution on the reproductive biology of Squalius laietanus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) in a Mediterranean stream (NE Iberian Peninsula). Fish physiology and biochemistry, 46(1), 247-264.
Swain, S., Sawant, P. B., Chadha, N. K., Chhandaprajnadarsini, E. M., & Katare, M. B. (2020). Significance of water pH and hardness on fish biological processes: A review. International Journal of Chemical Studies, 8(4), 330-337.
Wagaw, S., Mengistou, S., & Getahun, A. (2022). Aspects of the growth and reproductive biology of Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) in a tropical Soda Lake, Lake Shala, Ethiopia. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 25(7), 380-389.
Zhang, K., Ye, Z., Qi, M., Cai, W., Saraiva, J. L., Wen, Y., ... & Zhao, J. (2025). Water quality impact on fish behaviour: a review from an aquaculture perspective. Reviews in Aquaculture, 17(1), e12985.
Downloads
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
