Abstract

About 200 species of freshwater fishes have been documented from the freshwater systems in Kerala. The observations made during the present survey of the freshwater sytstems in Kerala indicate that there are a multitude of factors responsible for the decline in fish populations. The destructive method of fishing, pollutants from industrial and agricultural sources, and the recent outbreak of disease (Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome) could be the major factors contributing to the decline of the endemics and even the one common species. The status and distribution of 25 fishes endemic to Kerala are given and discussed