Wild and predatory fishes

1. Wild fishes:

• Are unwanted, uneconomic, small-sized wild fish that occur naturally or accidentally introduced in ponds along with cultivated species.
• Have high fecundity and naturally breed in ponds.
• May be predators or non-predators.
• The wild fish though not predatory, they compete for food and space among the cultivated fish species.
• Attains sexual maturity in summer and breed even without rain prior to the monsoon. So, their young ones are abundant in number during monsoon.

2. Wild ( non-predatory) fishes:

• Puntius sp. (Sidre or Pothia)
• Barilius barna (Faketa)
• Esomus danricus (Dedhwa)
• Rasbora daniconius (Rasbora)
• Salmostoma acinaces (Chelha)
• Amblypharyngodon mola (Mara)
• Setipinna phasa (Gankabai)

3. Predatory fishes

• Are carnivorous in nature.
• Are numerous and prey on smaller fish than larger fish.
• Belongs to Siluriformes and Perciformes order.
• Common predatory fishes of Terai region of Nepal are:

I. Chana Sps. ( Hile or Bhoti)

ii. Carias batrachus (Mungri or Magur)

iii. Heteropneustes fossilis (Singhi or Kande)

iv. Wallago attu (Buhari or Badhari)

v. Mystus sps. (Tengra)

vi. nabas testudieneus (Kabai)

vii. Glossogobius giuris (Bullha)

viii. Notopterus notopterus (Golhi)

ix. Chanda nama (Nata or Channa)

x. Mastacembelus armatus (Dhare bam)

Problems of wild and predatory fishes in aquaculture

• Prey upon cultivated fishes
• Compete for feed and space with cultivated fishes
• Compete for oxygen consumption
• Disease transmission