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Spatial Variations in Fish Abundance in the Mekong Delta

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Abstract—

For the first time, the density of fish population has been quantitatively assessed in the Mekong River delta in the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The studies were carried out in the main courses of two main branches, Hau and Tien rivers, into which the Mekong River splits in its lower course, and in the mouth branches of the delta. When comparing the fish abundance at 28 stations of the delta, statistically significant differences in the average specific abundance were found between the main river course and a mixohaline zone of the estuarine ecotone where values of the fish abundance were much lower. The analysis of the relationship between the fish abundance dynamics and different natural and anthropogenic environmental factors has demonstrated a weak significant correlation with salinity, distance from the mouth, the type of fish community and the amount of anthropogenic debris on the bottom. Large fluctuations in the fish abundance parameters associated with aggregated distribution of such species as Polynemusmelanochir, Ariusmaculatus and some representatives of the families Akysidae, Cynoglossidae, and Ariidae are observed in the delta. The results may be used as a baseline for subsequent monitoring of the abundance dynamics of bottom-dwelling fish communities in the Mekong Delta.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to the participants of expeditions, Nguyen The Mai and Ngo Huu Thang, scientific researchers and many colleagues from the Southern Branch of the Tropical Center (Ho Chi Minh City) for assistance in organizing and conducting the studies, and fishermen Tran Thai Duong and Nguyen Thi Tri Tam for comprehensive assistance during expeditions.

Funding

The studies were conducted on the theme “Ekolan E-3.4,” the section “Effect of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Factors on Ecosystems in the Lower Mekong River,” and partially within the framework of a state assignment of the Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas “Patterns of Formation and Anthropogenic Transformation of Biodiversity and Bioresources in the Azov-Black Sea Basin and Other Regions of the World Ocean” (no. АААА-А18-118020890074-2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kovalevsky Federal Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Nakhimova 2, 299011, Sevastopol, Russia

    E. P. Karpova, A. R. Boltachev, E. R. Ablyazov & D. N. Kutsin

  2. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russia

    E. P. Karpova, A. R. Boltachev, E. R. Ablyazov & D. N. Kutsin

  3. Joint Russian‑Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

    E. P. Karpova, A. R. Boltachev, E. R. Ablyazov, D. N. Kutsin, Cu Nguyen Dinh, Truong Ba Hai, Nguyen Van Thinh & Trinh Thi Lan Tri

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  1. E. P. Karpova
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  2. A. R. Boltachev
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  3. E. R. Ablyazov
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  4. D. N. Kutsin
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  5. Cu Nguyen Dinh
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  6. Truong Ba Hai
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  7. Nguyen Van Thinh
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  8. Trinh Thi Lan Tri
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Correspondence to E. P. Karpova.

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Conflict of interest. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Statement on the welfare of animals. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Translated by N. Ruban

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Karpova, E.P., Boltachev, A.R., Ablyazov, E.R. et al. Spatial Variations in Fish Abundance in the Mekong Delta. Russ J Ecol 52, 146–154 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413620050082

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413620050082

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