Abstract

The intricate network of rivers, estuaries, mangroves and Indus delta creeks that make up the Sindh coastal region is notable for its significance to the rural population's way of life. Thirteen of the seventeen streams in the Indus Delta were surveyed for the Indus Delta project between June 2013 and May 2014. Out of the 583 samples collected from the study area, 241 species have been identified from the study area of the Indus Delta. There were notable variations in the monthly frequency of fish catch (kg/hr) tow, particularly prior to and during the monsoon season. Fish samples are divided into groups according to their habitat. Of these, 75% are found in estuaries, followed by marine fish species (23%) and freshwater fish species (2%). The primary families of fish were Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Mugilidae; the species with the highest availability in the stream region is Escualosa thoracata. The estuary productivity was highest at Wari Creek, while the marine productivity was highest at Richhal Creek, according to the spatial variance in estuarine, marine and freshwater capture. The correlation between the parameters of water quality and catch indicates that the average temperature fluctuations in the research region are not as significant as those in average salinity and depth. The creeks to the west of Jhang River have become more saline and have shallower depths. Due to their high migratory activity and propensity to shift habitat, estuarine stock was more negatively impacted by this condition than marine fish species. Using the swept area approach, the biomass estimates of the fish abundance stock were calculated. It was discovered that the distribution is skew and the index of abundance is not normally distributed. With an estimated biomass of 9,594 MT, which is 16.61% of the calculated biomass of 57,750 MT in 1986, it was demonstrated that creek areas of the Indus Delta are equally substantially overfished, similar to other coastal and offshore waterways in the country.