Three species Rutilus frisii, Alburnus chalcoides and Vimba persa are the most valuable fish that migrate to southern Caspian rivers especially Sefidroud river. In this study, the temporal and spatial distribution of was investigated based on presence and abundance of fingerling fish in 8 stations of the Sefidroud River, from the estuary to the Sangar Dam, during one year from March 2021 to December 2022. According to the environmental conditions of stations, the sampling was done with an electrofishing instrument and a throwing net with mesh size 6 mm. The results showed that the abundance of fish fingerlings is minimal in the winter and their maximum abundance coincides with the reproduction time and after their adult spawning. The maximum abundance of these fingerlings along with their spatial distribution, also shows their migration pattern towards the Caspian Sea. The abundance of Rutilus frisii in the pebble and gravel beds of the upstream stations was the highest in April and the abundance of the Alburnus chalcoides and Vimba persa in the gravel-mud beds of the middle stations up to the estuary was the highest in August-September. The presence of Rutilus frisii fingerling, with an average weight of 2 g. was high in near to estuary in August while the other two species were present in the middle stations with high abundance until November. Rutilus frisii with weigh more than 3 grams in different stations in autumn and winter indicate the adaptability and residency of a number of fish in the river. The present study can provide some guidelines to the fish stocks restoration centers of Caspian Sea for releasing Kutum fry in the upstream areas, or fish fingerling in the middle of the river at an earlier time. This plan can be tested in a pilot program.
Abbasi Ranjbar K, Mirzajani A, Moradi Chafi M, Zahmatkesh Y. Spatial and temporal distribution of anadromous fish fingerling, Caspian Kutum, Caspian Vimba and Caspian Shemaya in Sefidroud river. JAIR 2023; 11 (4) :82-93 URL: http://jair.gonbad.ac.ir/article-1-867-en.html