Atul K Singh

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Former Director at ICAR

The introduced striped catfish ( Pangasianodon hypophthalmus , Sauvage, 1878) and North African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus , Burchell, 1822) are popular choices in Indian aquaculture due to their high productivity and ease of management. Among all introduced non‐native fish species, catfish production is particularly notable, with P. hypophthalmu...

In India, there are 626 non‐native invasive fish species (NIFS), with 16 becoming invasive in inland waters, adversely impacting native biodiversity, and fisheries by altering the abundance of NIFS in commercial catches. Scientific findings highlight that the movement of NIFS interacts with agricultural activities and the evolving environment, faci...

Coldwater aquaculture refers to the farming of fish and other aquatic organisms in cold-water environments, which typically have lower temperatures and higher oxygen levels than warm water environments. This chapter provides an overview of the global cold-water aquaculture scenario. The most commonly farmed cold-water species are salmon, trout, arc...

Invasion of Clarias gariepinus

Suitable habitat conditions for brown trout Salmo trutta , were modeled with MaxEnt software using sets of bioclimatic variables for current conditions and topographic variables for landscape and drainage conditions. Our model revealed that the most favorable conditions for brown trout were present in the Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakh...

Getting sufficient number of female Tor putitora in wild or in captive conditions is a bottleneck for its sustainable management. In this study, presence of 84.62% male and 15.38% female in the riverine environment was observed while 85.25% male and 14.75% female were found in the lacustrine environment. There was 78.12% male and 21.88% female popu...

Introduced alien brown trout Salmo trutta fario and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss are although abundantly available in western Himalaya, its distribution is now expanding in different Himalayan states. We present the first assessment of environmental drivers’ responsible for current distribution and potential expansion of S. trutta fario and O....

Cyprinus carpio, Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus are the most abundantly captured invasive fish species in the mid-stretch of the Ganga river. Fish yield and biomass data based on mean abundance by weight was calculated using algorithms and spatio-temporal population dynamics model for future prediction of these invasive fish species....

Abstract Background African catfish Clarias gariepinus introduced to India has gravitated into the Ganga River as an invasive species. Morphological plasticity and reproductive adaptation are considered and reported as important manifestation contributing to evolution and persistence of an invasive species in the novel environment facilitating its...

Feeding is a key factor in the growth performance of rainbow trout farming, its sustainable production and profitability. However, supplying the daily ration in trout farming in flow-through system without any control is an inconceivable practice both economically and environmentally. In this study, the effect of different feeding regimes has been...

In order to assess the distribution pattern and understand the prevailing factors for predicting further expansion of an exotic fish Oreochromis niloticus, this study was undertaken in the Ganga river flowing through the state of Uttar Pradesh using MaxEnt model. The authors report the distribution pattern of O. niloticus and prevailing causative f...

India, a megadiverse tropical country is grappling with the rising trend of aquatic invasions. Out of 532 introduced non-native fish, 16 species of freshwater aquaculture and aquarium were assessed invasive by using a risk assessment protocol, ‘Fish Invasiveness Screening Test’. Six major identified invasion pathways of the aquatic invasive species...

The present article is aimed at understanding current policies and implementation strategies for the management of aquatic invasive species in India and identifying opportunities for improvement. Existing management approaches and policies have briefly been put into place concerning fish introductions and aquatic invasive species, but looking at th...

Pangasius production has greatly expanded in India covering over 42,500 ha of ponds and tanks and also 2500 cages. It is mostly produced in small ponds (0.4 ha) by small farmers commonly producing 40-45 tons/ha but larger ponds above 4 ha having 1.5 to 2 m deep are many producing 80-85 tons/ha. West Bengal is the main hub of seed production, supply...

The changes in fishery yield owing to the exponential and logistic growth of non-native tilapia Oreochomi niloticus, was studied and its concrete and predictive invasion worked out so as to find out future level of invasion and yield from the Ganga river, India. The results showed that the abundance of O. niloticus ranged from 3.07 to 15.05% during...

An attempt was made to advance the spawning period of Labeo dyocheilus (McClelland, 1839) by pretreatment with the synthetic gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue, Ovatide. Total 12 females and 24 males (1: 2 ratio) were used for breeding operations conducted during 30th May to 30th June 2016 comprising six sets. Female fishes of set I to IV were...

Rainbow trout is one of the promising cultivable fish species in coldwater and has enormous scope for its expansion in the Himalayan region. Being a low volume high value commodity, the trout has good potential for domestic consumptions as well as foreign export. In spite of having excellent positive traits and prosperity, the development and expan...

Abstract: The fish, water and sediment samples were examined for the presence of arsenic from six lakes in Ballia (Surha, Dah, Maniyar) and in Unnao (Nawabganj, Ajgaine and Asiwan) districts of Uttar Pradesh commonly producing water chestnut Trapa bispinosa locally known "singhara". Spraying of herbicides especially monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA...

In vertebrates, myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) play an important role in muscle growth through the processes of cell determination and differentiation. Herein, we report the molecular characterisation of two MRFs, myogenin (myog) and myogenic factor 6 (myf6) in Indian snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii. The full length mRNA sequence of Srmyog...

Present study was undertaken to explore the possibilities of inducing maturity and spawning of T. putitora under captivity through manipulation of environmental cues i.e. photoperiod and temperature. In experiment I, adult T. putitora were subjected to three photoperiod (8L:16D, 12L:12D and 16L:12D) regimes for 100 days. In females, darker photoper...

In this manuscript, we report the cloning and in silico characterization of elongation factor 1A in a coldwater Trans-Himalayan cyprinid, Schizothorax richardsonii. The sequenced elongation factor 1A (SrEF1A) consisted of 1290 bp long partial ORF, which included a start codon (ATG) and 430 deduced amino acids. The SrEF1A sequence showed high homolo...

Abiotic factors in the riverine ecosystem are important in structuring fish communities along the longitudinal gradients. Quantitative data on species abundance were collected during October 2015-September 2016 in the mountain stretch of the River Western Ramganga from Kumaun Lesser Himalayas, India. Multivariate analyses were done to study the rel...

Six small indigenous fish species namely Macrognathus aral, Setipinna phasa, Clupisoma garua, Aspidoporia morar, Barillius bendelisis and Semiplotus semiplotus were collected from Brahmaputra river and its tributaries for analysing their nutritional values. Proximate composition, fatty acids profile, total cholesterol and mineral composition were a...

Northeastern India is one of the ichthyofaunal hotspots of the country and is characterised by the presence of varied endemic freshwater fishes. Extensive ichthyological field and laboratory studies conducted during 2007 to 2016 in the major river drainages, upland lakes, reservoirs and wetlands revealed the occurrence of 138 fish species which bel...

Kisspeptin 1 is a neuropeptide hormone of the RFamide family, which act as an upstream regulator of brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis in most vertebrates including teleosts. In the present study, a 16 amino acid long putative mature bioactive peptide (kiss 1) from preprokisspeptin 1 of golden mahseer, Tor putitora (Hamilton, 1822), was synthesized a...

Aim : To study the breeding performance of indigenous carp, Labeo dero in captivity under cold water condition. Methodology : Rearing of adult fish in pond condition, observation of gonadal maturity and GSI, standardization of optimum dose of hormone, recording of breeding parameters such as fecundity, fertilization rate, hatching percentage, incub...

Breeding and seed production of rainbow trout is limited to government operated hatcheries in India, which often necessitates the transport of stock size fish to geographically distant farm units. Therefore, the present field study was carried out to derive suitable conditions for prolonged transport of rainbow trout fingerlings in plastic bags. Cr...

The present study was undertaken to gain insight on the physiological basis underlying the constraints in attaining maturity of endangered golden mahseer (Tor putitora) in captivity. Selected hormone levels and stress biomarkers were analysed in wild and captive reared brooders to address the above objectives. As compared to their captive counterpa...

Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss has established itself as prime cultivable coldwater species in the Indian Himalayan regions and now farmed on commercial scale. Its production has increased markedly in last ten years (2004 - 2016) from 147.0 to 842.0 tonnes, with a growth rate of 31 percent per annum. Availability of technical know-how of trout f...

Histomorphological changes in digestive tract of golden mahseer (Tor putitora) were examined in larvae [starting from hatching to 45 days post-hatching (dph)], fry, fingerling, and adult. Digestive tract appeared during hatching, on the dorsal side of yolk sac, as a straight tube with a narrow lumen. Mouth opening and appearance of liver and pancre...

Complete cDNA sequences of kiss1 (gmkiss1) and its receptor kiss1r (gmkiss1r) were cloned and characterized from brain tissue of adult golden mahseer (Tor putitora). Thereafter, quantification of gmkiss1 and gmkiss1r mRNA expression in brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis of male and female golden mahseer was carried out using quantitative real-time (q...

Ultrastructural and histological changes in the embryonic and larval surface during ontogenesis of the endangered golden mahseer Tor putitora is studied here for the first time. Embryonic development was completed 91–92 h after fertilization at an ambient temperature of 23° ± 1° C (mean ± s.d.). The gastrula stage was characterized by presence of t...

Effects of EDCs particularly on RNA/DNA ratio are yet to be investigated to manage the effluents in natural waters. We investigated exposure effects of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) phthalic acid ester (PAE) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) on the RNA/DNA ratio in tissue of an Indian major carp Labeo rohita. Fish were exposed to pre-determin...

The snow trout (Schizothorax richardsonii) belonging to family Cyprinidae, is an endemic fish of the Himalayan region. The species is tagged as vulnerable species in the IUCN red list of threatened species. The fish thrives well in snowmelt water of several streams and rivers in the region but are occasionally exposed to more than 20 °C during the...

Online Resource 1: (a) qRT-primers: Primers for relative quantitative real time PCR. Primers (including EF1α, a house keeping gene) were designed from transcriptome library of snow trout using primer blast. (b) Blast annotation: List of annotated contigs along with their GO ontology. (c) KEGG annotation: List of KEGG pathway analysis of snow trout...

The study aimed to assess the effects of sex and season on hematological and serum biochemical indices of Barilius bendelisis. Hematological and biochemical results showed significant differences (p<0.05) among seasons as well as between sexes. In summer, hemoglobin, hematocrit, erythrocyte and WBC number were highest and significantly (p<0.05) dif...

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum 1792) is undisputedly the most widely introduced and cultured salmonid fish across the globe. It is an extremely popular food and sport fish that thrives in highly oxygenated cold freshwater, which is naturally abundant in the mountainous regions of India. It was introduced in early 20th century during...

The present experiment was conducted to analyze the compatibility in tolerance of ammonia secretion in various fishes; C. gariepinus, C. batrachus, H. fossilis, C. punctatus and C. carpio using 160-liter capacity culture tank. Two different systems; mono culture and poly culture were arranged to compare their behavioral activities including opercul...

The complete mitochondrial genome of Salmo trutta fario, commonly known as brown trout, was sequenced using NGS technology. The mitochondrial genome size was determined to be 16 677 bp and composed of 13 protein-coding gene (PCG), 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 putative control region. The overall mitogenome composition of S. trutta fario is A: 28.1...

Functional annotation of tissue specific transcriptome of golden mahseer.

Statistical data consisting of the CDS length, GO, pathway and KEGG annotation distribution as well as EST-SSR markers detected in the transcriptome of golden mahseer.

The Golden mahseer (Tor putitora) graces most of the Himalayan Rivers of India and neighbouring South Asian countries. Despite its several importances as a research model, food and sports fisheries, knowledge on transcriptome database is nil. Therefore, it was targeted to develop reference transcriptome databases of the species using next generatio...

Fecundity of exotic O.niloticus was measured by counting the ripe eggs in ovaries and relation between fecundity/weight, fecundity/length and fecundity/ovary weight was investigated. R 2 was calculated through regression analysis. There was a positive correlation (r) between fecundity/weight and fecundity/length of O.niloticus captured from the Gan...

The complete mitochondrial genome of Tor tor, a threatened “Mahseer” was sequenced for the first time. The mitochondrial genome size determined to be 16,554 bp in length and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNA genes and a control region or displacement loop (D-Loop) region, resembling the typical organizational pattern of...

Testicular development and plasma levels of sex steroid [11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), testosterone (T) and 17,20β-dihydoxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20β-P)] were studied for the first time in wild golden mahseer, Tor putitora. Testicular development was investigated by macroscopic observation and histology of the gonads, whereas steroids were measured by...

IntroductionIn India, rainbow trout was introduced by British more than 100 years ago (Agarwal 2006) for recreational purposes. The fish is being cultured in both government and private farms of different coldwater states of India, mainly in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and also in Nilgiri hills of...

Abstract: This study aimed at investigating the ecological need, morphometry and meristics, age and growth, food and feeding of recently invaded alienOreochromis niloticus in the Yamuna and the Ganga River. Observed meristic characters of the fish were similar and fixed in both the rivers while therewas a slight variation in age and growth. In gene...

Production trend, food and feeding, reproduction and distribution of clandestinely introduced African catfish Clarias gariepinus was studied in 419 grow out ponds. Hybrid African catfish was found more popular owing to its fast growth and because of recycling it with chicken and slaughterhouse wastes. The growth, survival and production of the fish...

Studies conducted for Sarda Sagar reservoir in Uttarakhand state and found 42 fish species belonging to 33 genera, 15 families and 6 orders with disappearance of some earlier reported important species. The available data of fish landing for the period 1997 to 2007 showed dominance (58.86 %) of small sized weed/trace fishes followed by minor carps...

Cyprinus carpio (var. communis) and Carassius carassius (family Cyprinidae) are morphologically well characterized fish species but the ambiguity persists in their identification at very juvenile stage. This ambiguity could be more harmful in case of initial stocking of fries or in processed fish products that lack distinct morphological characters...

The Golden mahseer (Tor putitora) is a prized species for both food and sport in several areas of upland Indian water bodies. But, due to, its reduction in population sizes in recent times, it needs attention for conservation. The present study was undertaken to assess the genetic variability of geographically isolated three populations using 6 hig...

For therapeutic agents to exert their pharmacological effects, need to cross the biological membranes and enter into the systemic circulation to reach the site of action. A 16 amino acid long testis specific THP3 peptide identified using phage display approach was synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis, purified using RP-HPLC and characterize...

The length-weight relationships of 718 fish individuals covering two families, four genera and five freshwater fish species (Labeo rohita, L. calbasu, Cirrhinus mrigala, Catla catla and Chitala chitala) captured in the River Ganga from May 2005 to March 2010. The regression coefficient (b) value ranged from 3.09 for Chitala chitala, to 3.27 for Cir...

Monitoring of heavy metals was conducted in the Yamuna River considering bioaccumulation factor, exposure concentration, and human health implications which showed contamination levels of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) and their dispersion patterns along the river. Largest concentration of Pb in river water was 392 μg L(-1);...

In this study, we aimed to determine the dispersion area and population characteristic of Oreochromis niloticus (i.e., the abundance, length-weight, food and feeding, gastro somatic index (GaSi), sex ratio, gonado somatic index (GSI) and fecundity) which has formed a feral population in the Ganga River, the largest one in the country. Water paramet...

The effect of letrozole and tamoxifen on the specific growth rate (SGR; % day–1), gonado–somatic index (GSI), total haemoglobin (g%), gonadal and serum protein as well as lipid, sex differentiation and 17β-oestradiol levels were studied in sexually undifferentiated Cyprinus carpio fingerlings 30 days post fertilisation (30 dpf) for 60 days. Results...

Columnaris disease is a bacterial disease of fin fishes caused by the gram-negative bacillus bacterium Flavobacterium columnare which infects fish under stressful conditions and causing high mortality. In this study we have attempted to identify the possible infection of F. columnare bacterium in African catfish Clarias gariepinus cultured in ponds...

Invasion, spread and predominance of alien invasive fishes were studied in 950-km-long stretch of the Yamuna River. The fish yield ranged between 32 t/km/yr to 240 t/km/yr and the catch of alien invasive fishes dominated over local fishes in the fishery, which was over 96% at Etawah. The calculated Invasion Coefficient Index (Ixi) of alien invasive...

Pangasianodon hypophthalmus commonly known as pangas or pyaasi in India, the total aquaculture production, catfish particularly Pangasius is receiving popularity. Cultured fishes may absorb dissolved trace metals from its feeding diets and/or habitat leading to the accumulation in various tissues. Irrespective of the source, the potential bioaccumu...

Pangasianodon hypophthalmus commonly known as pangas or pyaasi in India, the total aquaculture production, catfish particularly Pangasius is receiving popularity. Cultured fishes may absorb dissolved trace metals from its feeding diets and/or habitat leading to the accumulation in various tissues. Irrespective of the source, the potential bioaccumu...

In this study, we document an increasing trend of catches of alien fish species from the Ganga River system. The changing fishery during 1980 to 2011 and the fish yield rate (kg km−1) are positively correlated with an invasion coefficient index (Ixi) of alien species within the river. The reproductive propagule pressure (PPP) of alien fishes (Cypri...

Abstract The larvae of catfish, Clarias batrachus (av. wt. 15 ± 2 mg) were exposed to five concentrations of thyroxine (T4) with three feeding regimes. Five media 1.3 mcg L-1 (T-1), 2.2 mcg L-1 (T-2), 3.6 mcg L-1 (T-3), 6.0 mcg L-1 (T-4), 10.0 mcg L-1 (T-5) of T4 and control with three feeding regimes 1 day (once a day), 2 days (twice a day) and 3...

Invasive Fish Species in Uttar Pradesh

Exotic Ornamental fish species in Uttar Pradesh Presently exotic ornamental species dominate our aquarium trade, few of which however, are bred for domestic purpose or export. Unfortunately, we do not have any historical and scientific information on these exotic fishes, since most of the introductions were unplanned and unintentional. Therefore, i...

CYP19 aromatase is the key enzyme in vertebrate steroidogenesis, catalyzing the conversion of C19 androgens to 17β-estradiol (E2). The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of the CYP19 inhibitors (AIs) fadrozole and anastrozole on gonadal development and sex differentiation in Cyprinus carpio and investigate the possible involvem...

The serum protein fractions of pre-ovuluatory (PO), ovulatory (OV), post-ovulatory (PV) and resorption stage (RS) females of rohu, Labeo rohita (Ham.) were investigated. It was concluded that OV rohu, which are apparently ready for spawning showed appearance of new serum proteins having molecular weight in the range of 132.3890 kD to 146.8465 kD. T...

We record here the recent occurrence, abundance and distribution of six exotic fish species, viz. Oreochromis mossambicus, Cyprinus carpio, Hypopthalmicthys molitrix, Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Clarias gariepinus, and Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (a new exotic in India) distributed through the four important tributaries of river Ganga basin in Indi...

Water quality monitoring of Clarias gariepinus culture ponds (n = 27) revealed poor physico-chemical conditions and metal contaminants in fish tissues (n = 324). Human health risk assessment for some heavy metal contamination delineated low risk in general except for Aluminium (Al), Iron (Fe) and Lead (Pb) which accumulated significantly (p < 0.05)...