SUSTAINABLE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT: INTEGRATING WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT, POLLUTION CONTROL, FISHERIES SCIENCE, AQUATIC ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE

Abstract

Water quality, pollution pressure, fisheries resources, biodiversity and local conservation practices are key factors for determining the health of aquatic ecosystems. The manual field-based assessment was carried out for six months at 12 freshwater sampling sites resulting in 72 site-month observations. Pollution-pressure scores, fish species richness, biodiversity condition, visible conservation practices and various pollutants, including pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate and biological oxygen demand, were measured. The results indicated a clear difference in water quality and ecological condition between upstream, midstream and downstream locations. With increasing pollution rating, turbidity and nutrient loads increased, dissolved oxygen decreased, fish availability decreased and fish were more scarce. There were 18 species of fish recorded and fewer than 12–15 species were recorded in less disturbed beds, while fewer than 6–8 species were recorded in highly polluted beds. Overall, good ecological condition (33.3%), moderate stress (41.7%) and high degradation (25.0%) sites were observed. The results underscore the importance of an integrated aquatic management system that focuses on pollution control, frequent water monitoring, habitat conservation, and responsible fishing and local conservation.