Conserving fish biodiversity on top of the world

The Central Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot is a region of high endemism, supporting no less than 250 freshwater fish species. It is also an area subject to the rapid development of hydropower projects which, in combination with other anthropogenic stressors, fragment the migratory pathways and sustainability of already threatened fish populations.

At 7,234 m elevation, Langtang Lirung towers above BUG's survey sites on Nepal's Trishuli River

Having worked across India and Nepal since 2010 and 2018 respectively, BUG’s activity in this region has increased considerably. We currently support several major clients (e.g. World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Nepal Water and Energy Development Company (NWEDC)) spanning multiple projects and river systems of Nepal. With current projects on the Trishuli and Koshi river systems, Adrian Pinder has been providing his expertise as International Fisheries Advisor, working with lenders and developers to meet safeguarding standards with the aim of securing no nett loss of biodiversity.

Electric fishing a cascading tributary to assess recruitment of common snowtrout (Schizothorax richardsonii)

BUG’s services in this area include strategic survey design and the production of Fisheries Monitoring Plans (FMP), input to Biodiversity Monitoring Plans (BMP), Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Plans (BMEP), Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA), and Critical Habitat Assessment (CHA). In addition to the training and supervision of local field teams, data analyses and reporting, BUG is working closely with project engineers to design effective mitigation solutions (e.g. fish ladders). This includes the integration of telemetry technologies to semi automate the monitoring of fish passage to inform operational management and maximise the efficacy of these designs.

Assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, common snowtrout (Schizothorax richardsonnii) are being PIT tagged to monitor individual growth, site fidelity and movement through fish passes