Imtiaz Ahmed

• Ph.D. Fish Nutrition, Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh, India
• Professor (Associate) at University of Kashmir

Exhaustive work on bacterial fish diseases provides a significant knowledge about the influence of bacterial infections in economically noteworthy freshwater fish species farmed around the world. However, it is still difficult to exactly pinpoint the causes of bacterial infections among wide diversity of fish species, although significant strides i...

Pseudonapaeus cf. candelaris is a terrestrial snail species belonging to the Enidae family, specifically inhabiting the Pir Panjal Range of the western Himalaya. This species displays a unique shell morphology with prominent features including deep furrows, a smooth outer surface, cylindrical form, gradually tapering apex, spiral bands and axial ri...

Identification of Schizothorax curvifrons (Sattar gad) stocks in Kashmir water bodies is crucial for the conservation of species that are losing ground daily. Because of substantial overfishing and pollution in the fish's natural environment, the wild population of these fishes is drastically dropping, which is a troubling situation that justifies...

Fish is widely recognised as one of the most significant and healthy source of animal protein and other nutrients. Moisture, protein, fat and ash act as the primary components of fish. The goal of this study was to generate information about the proximate composition of the important food fish of Kashmir valley in order to maximise its use. During...

Food insecurity remains an impending pervasive global challenge that affects millions of people, often leading to malnutrition and its associated health implications. As people grapple with the complexities of ensuring access to nutritious and healthy food, the role of fishes remains as a pivotal influence in compensating for food insecurity and me...

Haemato-biochemical parameters serve as an excellent marker of the overall health condition of fish species and their reaction to biological and ecological factors. The main goal of this study was to determine the sex-specific reference values for blood and serum biochemistry parameters in Schizothorax richardsonii, an economically valuable fish sp...

Ginger, Zingiber officinale, is a medicinal herb widely used for its distinct flavor and medicinal properties. It contains various bioactive compounds, including zingerone, shogaols, gingerol saponin, polyphenols, and flavonoids, which confer anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects. Ginger and its derivatives such as powder, es...

Schizothorax esocinus, a nutrient-rich food fish offered in Asian countries, is rapidly declining due to severe fishing pressure and pollution in its wild environment, requiring active conservation strategies. Our study examined 196 specimens to elucidate critical biological parameters including sex ratio, length-weight relationships (LWRs), Fulton...

The upsurge in the usage of plastics on a global scale has led to the widespread occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments. This review starts by outlining the current global scenario of plastic production. It then delves into the various sources of plastics and their entry into aquatic systems, including their impact on fisheries a...

The Himalayan region encompasses varied aquatic ecosystems, characterized by the presence of diverse ichthyofauna, particularly represented by members of the Schizothorax genus, commonly referred to as snow trout. The primary objective of this work was to examine the molecular phylogeny of Schizothoracinae, specifically focusing on the two species,...

The current case study evaluated the dynamics of length–weight relationship (LWR) and growth pattern of the farmed Oncorhynchus mykiss throughout its various life cycle stages. Fish were artificially bred during late autumn–winter phase, and afterwards the growth course of a fresh stock of hatched alevins was monitored yielding growth equations spe...

A twelve week feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the replacement of fishmeal (FM) with poultry by-product meal (PBM) in practical diets for European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax with an average initial weight of 0.89 g. Five isocaloric (5.1 kcal lipid g⁻¹) and isonitrogenous (451 g protein kg⁻¹) diets were formulated with PBM replacing...

Background Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has become a significant tool for exploring genetic diversity and delineating evolutionary links across diverse taxa. Within the group of cold-water fish species that are native to the Indian Himalayan region, Schizothorax esocinus holds particular importance due to its ecological significance and is potentially...

The rapid deterioration of freshwater ecosystems, particularly rivers, has threatened many living organisms, including human beings. In order to comprehend and maintain the well-being of a river ecosystem, it is important to assess the spatial and temporal variations in its physico-chemical parameters. The aim of the present study was to examine sp...

Morphometric variations across fish stocks have long been acknowledged as useful for determining population structure and identifying stocks. Schizothorax progastus (McClelland) is a common, dominant fish in most cold-water rivers and is considered a good sport fish and also delicious in taste. For the people of Ladakh, this fish is a significant s...

Proteomics is a very advanced technique used for defining correlations, compositions and activities of hundreds of proteins from organisms as well as effectively used in identifying particular proteins with varying peptide lengths and amino acid counts. In the present study, an endeavour has been put forth to create muscle proteome expression of sn...

A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the nutrient utilization, growth performance, and hematological indices of Cyprinus carpio var. communis fingerlings fed diets based on aquatic macrophyte, Ceratophyllum demersum as a replacement of fish meal (FM). Six isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets containing graded levels of C. demersum 0%...

This paper presents the first comprehensive checklist of the non-marine molluscs from the western Himalaya, a region of high biodiversity and endemism. Based on faunistic surveys during 2019-2023 and published records, the paper reports 242 species belonging to 101 genera and 45 families of gastropods and bivalves, of which 168 species are endemic...

Microplastic Pollution: Causes, Effects, and Control sheds light on the causes, effects, and control of microplastic pollution, providing valuable insights into the tools and techniques for analysis, the impact on ecosystems, and the potential risks to human well-being. The editors focus on the urgency of addressing this global environmental challe...

This study was carried out to analyze the variation in water quality and to investigate the current status of the fish fauna of the Sip river. Water samples and fish specimens were collected on monthly basis from six stations in the months of August 2017- July 2018. All the water quality attributes were found in the acceptable range that supports f...

Molecular characterization of fish muscle proteins are nowadays considered as a key component to understand the role of specific proteins involved in various physiological and metabolic processes including their up and down regulation in the organisms. Coldwater fish specimens including snow trouts hold different types of proteins which help them t...

A 12-week growth experiment was conducted to evaluate the suitability of Azolla cristata as a fish meal (FM) substitute in diets for Cyprinus carpio var. communis fingerlings. Six iso-nitrogenous and isocaloric (16.17 kJ/g GE) diets were formulated to contain 42% crude protein and each treatment had three replicates. The mean initial weight of the...

Schizothorax esocinus, commonly known as snow trout, is one of the main contributors of food and livelihood in the colder zone of Himalayan region. The comprehensive information on its hematological and serum biochemical reference intervals is not reported yet. In the present study an attempt has been made to elucidate the hematological and serum b...

Traditionally, species of fish are identified based on morphological characteristics. Although these taxonomic descriptions are essential, there are cases where the morphological characters distinguishing these species show marginal differences. For instance, in the Poonch River in the Himalayas, there are 21 species, out of which some are morpholo...

Vitamin A requirement in fingerling common carp, Cyprinus carpio var. communis (1.64 ± 0.02 g; ABW ± SD), was evaluated by conducting a 10 week growth experiment. Casein-gelatin-based test diets representing six graded levels of vitamin A (0, 0.03, 0.07, 0.11, 0.15, and 0.19 g/kg, dry diet) were designed and fed to the triplicate group of fish at 0...

Environmental pollution caused due to the presence of heavy metals has become a great concern as it has an adverse effect on almost all types of ecosystem. In this sense, these pollutants have a tendency to pollute the aquatic ecosystem, thus badly affecting the health of aquatic organisms. As a result, toxicological studies believe them to be the...

The current investigation was carried out with an aim to evaluate disparity in haematological and serum biochemical parameters of healthy male and female Schizothorax labiatus with respect to its four reproductive phases, i.e. preparatory (autumn), pre-spawning (winter), spawning (spring) and spent (summer). The study indicated that signifcant (p<...

The purpose of this research is to see how sex affects several haematological, biochemical and blood cell morphology in cultured brown trout, Salmo trutta fario. Different haematological parameters, for instance haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, haematocrit (Hct), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell counts (WBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mea...

Blood analysis is a critical and potent diagnostic tool used in the field of fisheries to determine the well-being status of the fish. However, internal and external influences, such as anticoagulants and storage time, can have a significant impact on fish hematological values resulting in species-specific reactions. Because of the short clotting p...

Indian fisheries sector provides jobs to millions of people and also contribute significantly to the country’s food supply and overall GDP. From the pristine Himalayan streams to the huge Indian Ocean, the country fisheries sector is surrounded by a unique and diverse combination of resources. The country's fisheries encompass a wide variety of phy...

A 12-week growth experiment was conducted to evaluate the suitability of Azolla cristata as fish meal substitute for fingerling Cyprinus carpio var Communis . Six iso-nitrogenous and isocaloric (16.17 kJ g − 1 GE) diets were formulated to contain 42% crude protein and each treatment had three replicates with a mean initial weight of 3.4 ± 0.2 g. A....

We evaluated the effect of arginine on growth, hemato-biochemical variables, intestinal enzymes, antioxidant ability, and expression of target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway related genes in fingerling Oncorhynchus mykiss. A series of six uniform diets consisting of 450 g kg⁻¹ of protein and 20.9 g⁻¹ of energy with graduated levels (10.0, 12....

Today, there is a growing awareness about the importance of eating nutritious foods and fish is gaining momentum as a result of its unique nutritional benefits. Fish are considered as nutritionally valuable part of the human diet because of the presence of both macronutrients (proteins, lipids and ash) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Th...

Today, there is a growing awareness about the importance of eating nutritious foods and fish is gaining momentum as a result of its unique nutritional benefits. Fish are considered as nutritionally valuable part of the human diet because of the presence of both macronutrients (proteins, lipids and ash) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Th...

Hematological and serum biochemical analytes are the main aspects of studying fish health. The primary objective of the present study was to establish hematological and serum biochemical reference intervals of a commercially important food fish, Schizothorax esocinus inhabiting Dal Lake. Data from a total of 432 adult fish specimens (length = 33.76...

Fish epidermis is rich in different pharmacologically active substances, most of which play a crucial role in immunity. In the current study, β-defensin-like protein 1 with high in vitro antimicrobial activity was isolated and characterized from crude epidermal mucus extract of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. The crude mucus was screened for antimi...

Fish represent an important economic resource of a nation. Hematological and serum biochemical analytes are the main aspects of studying fish health. However, these parameters are not static but susceptible to variations owing to both endogenous and exogenous factors. The present study encompasses seasonal variations in select analytes of a commerc...

Two 10-week feeding experiments were conducted to determine the total aromatic amino acid requirement and tyrosine (Tyr) replacement value for phenylalanine (Phe) for fingerling Heteropneustes fossilis by feeding casein + gelatin based amino acid test diets [400 g/kg crude protein (CP); 17.90 MJ/ kg gross energy (GE)]. In experiment 1, Phe was dete...

Length-weight relationship (LWRs) is a propondral index used to understand the general health of the fish through various growth-related indices, besides being helpful to compare different fish populations. In the present study, LWRs, morphometric and meristic elements of three food fish species, including Tor putitora (Chirak), Labeo dero (Karah)a...

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to determine dietary isoleucine (Ile) requirement of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss fingerlings. Six isonitrogenous (450 g kg−1) and isocaloric (20.90 kJ g−1, gross energy) diets were designed with varied Ile levels (6.0–18.5 g kg−1, dry diet). Twenty fish (1.66 ± 0.02 g/fish; 5.25 ± 0.34 cm/fish) were dist...

De novo reference intervals (RIs) for a total of thirty two hematological and serum biochemical attributes were established for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cultured in Himalayan aquaculture system. For this purpose, long term assessment of hemato-biochemical parameters was carried over a period of one year from March 2019 to February 2020 a...

Outbreaks of diseases are one of the most important concerns in the fisheries sector. There are numerous fish diseases in existence, among which ulcerations in fish are considered to be very serious, affecting several species worldwide. Per the existing literature, it has been observed that the development of ulcerations has mainly been associated...

The experimental trial was conducted to assess the appropriate utilization of dietary lysine (Lys) required for Oncorhynchus mykiss fingerlings. Six isonitrogenous (450 g/kg CP) and isoenergetic (20.9 kj 100 g⁻¹ GE) casein–gelatine based diets supplemented with varying concentrations of dietary Lys (14.0, 16.5, 19.0, 21.5, 24.0. and 26.5 g/kg, dry...

This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary valine (Val) on growth, hemato-biochemical parameters, immunity, enzymatic activities, antioxidant status and expression of target of rapamycin (TOR) and 4E-BP genes in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (1.57 ± 0.03 g; 5.10 ± 0.34 cm) . Six isonitrogenous (450 g kg ⁻¹ ) and isoenergetic...

The length-weight relationship (LWR) plays an important role in fishery management as it can be used to estimate the average weight of a specific length group. The results of the current study revealed that the mean values of regression coefficient b for both sexes of Schizothorax labiatus (McClelland) in the Jhelum River indicated positive allomet...

A study was designed to investigate the influence of leucine (Leu) levels on growth performance, enzyme activities and relative expression of TOR and 4E-BP genes in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (average initial body weight: 1.60 ± 0.25 g/fish; average initial length 5.20 ± 0.30 cm/fish). Six isonitrogenous (450 g/kg) and energetic (20.90 kJ 1...

During the present study, we describe a novel myxozoan that forms plasmodia in the gill filament of Schizothorax esocinus collected from River Jhelum of Kashmir Himalayan region (n = 26). Description of the new species is based on morphology of the myxospore and on partial 18S rDNA gene. The results showed that the plasmodia were large, visible wit...

Fisheries conservation and management studies require a comprehensive description of the general well-being of fish which can initially be obtained through the study of different biological parameters of snow trout, Schizothorax labiatus collected from river Sindh. To evaluate the condition of S. labiatus, the present work was carried out by st...

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), leucine, isoleucine and valine have an enormous functional significance because of their involvement in fish physiology. Branchedchain amino acids are not limited to act as substrates of protein synthesis but are also part of the protein synthesis regulation. BCAAs regulate various key signalling pathways. Leucin...

Morphometric and meristic characters are very important for the identification of any fish specimen. The present study aims to describe the morphometric and meristic characters of the indigenous fish Crossocheilus diplochilus (Heckel) from Dal Lake. This fish is commonly known as Kashmir latia and is called tether locally. In the present study, the...

Schizothorax labiatus (McClelland) is considered to be one of the most economically important fish species among Schizothorax spp. A total of twenty-four morphometric and five meristic characters were examined; 18 of the morphometric characters as percentages of total length and four characters as percentages of head length were studied. It was fou...

Haematological and serum biochemical parameters are a valuable tool in determining the wellbeing status of different fish species and response in close association to various biological and environmental factors, therefore the aim of the present study was to establish sex‐wise reference values of haemato‐biochemical parameters of S. labiatus. The h...

The present study encompasses studies on the seasonal variation in various biological parameters of snow trout, Schizothorax esocinus collected from River Jhelum. The exponent ‘b' of the length-weight relationship depicted positive allometric growth type. Condition factor (K) was significantly (P<0.05) highest in autumn while lowest values were obs...

Abstract Background Dietary protein requirements are dependent on a variety of factors and water temperature is one of the most important abiotic factors affecting protein requirement of fish. This study was, therefore, conducted to investigate effects of water temperature on dietary protein requirement of fry Heteropneustes fossilis which has high...

Snow trout Schizothorax labiatus constitute a significant part of the diet of large human population of colder regions of the Indian Himalayan subcontinent, and are also important for local livelihoods there. In the present study, the hematological and serum biochemical parameters of S. labiatus were examined with respect to sex and season. Hemoglo...

The forage fish species are considered as a vital source of food for other predators and are also being used as dry human food in the Kashmir valley during the winter season. However, due to disturbance in their habitat, the population of the fishes under study, Triplophysa kashmirensis, Pethia conchonius and Crossocheilus diplochilus has also decl...

Study of hematological parameters, blood cell morphology and its characteristics are considered as essential tools to evaluate the health status of fish species. Among snow trout species, Schizothorax niger contribute a significant proportion to the overall fish production in the region, thus considered as an important food fish species. However, t...

Coronavirus (CoV) belongs to the genus beta coronavirus with its high mutation rate within the family Coronoviridae. The virus is extremely transmittable and its pathogenicity caused infection like SARS-CoV-2. An epidemic of this novel coronavirus was first documented in Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December 2019 and is thus called as COVID-19...

Hematological studies of fishes are useful in the diagnosis of many diseases as well as investigation of the extent of damage to the blood. These parameters act as efficient and insightful index to examine health status, physiological and pathological changes occurring in various fishes, i.e., metabolic perturbations in fish body thereby acting as...

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of lithium heparin and K2EDTA on haematology, biochemical parameters and blood cell morphology of snow trout Schizopyge plagiostomus inhabiting in Kashmir Himalayan region. The haematological parameters such as haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cellcount (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), haematocrit (Hc...

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the e¡ects of dietary tryptophan concentration on weight gain and feed e⁄ciencies of ¢ngerling Indian major carp, Cirrhinus mrigala. Six isonitrogenous (40% crude protein) and isocaloric (17.90 kJ g À1) ami-no acid test diets containing casein, gelatin and L-crystalline amino acids with graded level...

A 10-week feeding trial was undertaken to determine the optimum dietary protein requirement of fingerling rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Six casein-gelatin based isocaloric (20.90 kJ 100 g −1 , gross energy) diets containing graded levels of dietary protein (300-550 g kg −1 crude protein) were formulated. Twenty fingerlings (1.56 ± 0.22 g; 5.8...

The aim of the present study is to compare the hematological parameters of two snow trout fish species, Schizopyge plagiostomus and Schizopyge niger, inhabiting two different habitats, to establish and compare baseline information about the hematological profile of the two species using standard methodology and light microscopy. Results showed sign...

Hematological parameters are essential for the evaluation of both physiological and pathological changes developed in fishes due to the involvement of endogenous and exogenous factors. Among the endogenous factors, sex plays a significant role in determining the hematological and serum biochemical parameters of fish. The aim of the present study wa...

In the present study length-weight relationships (LWR) were studied for seven important fish species total 280 samples of seven fish species were collected from various water bodies (Sindh, Jhelum and Vishu rivers). Prior to this study, LWR of two species T. kashmirensis and T. marmorata were unknown to fish database. The findings of the present st...

A Length Weight Relationship (LWR) and condition factor of cultured rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was studied. A total of 144 specimens were used obtained from National fish farm Laribal, Dachigam during January 2017 to December 2018. The coefficient 'b' value of LWR showed negative allometric (b<3) growth throughout the year except in the mont...

Fish blood is a pathophysiological indicator of the whole body function and is thus considered as an important tool in diagnosing the structural and functional status of fish. However, the blood parameters vary between species to species and it mainly depends upon the favorable environmental conditions where the species live. The purpose of the cur...

The hematological and plasma biochemical parameter study is recognized as a valuable tool for evaluating health status, physiological and pathological conditions of fish. In the present study, blood sampling was carried out with the aim to evaluate plasma biochemistry and hematological parameters of Himalayan snow trout, Schizothorax plagiostomus,...

The aim of the present study was to know the cyclic changes in gonadal maturation and to investigate the various developmental stages of oocytes and testicular germ cells of snow trout, Schizopyge niger. A total of 316 fish specimens were procured from three sites of river Jhelum during November 2016 to October 2017 and the histological analysis of...

This study provides morphological and molecular data of a new myxozoan species belonging to genus Myxobolus from the gill filaments of an endemic cyprinid fish from River Poonch in North West Himalaya, India. Parasitological observations under stereozoom binocular microscope revealed single large type of plasmodia 2-10 mm in diameter residing on th...

The present study investigated the reproductive biology and histological study of gonads of Schizothorax plagiostomus female and its relationship with gonadosomatic index. The study period was from July, 2013 to June, 2014. Fish samples within the range of 25.5 cm to 40.33 cm in total length and weight ranging from 250 g to 580 g were used during t...

Length-weight relationships and condition factor of Salmo trutta fario (Brown trout) at Kokernag trout fish farm, Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir was estimated for a period of one year. During the present study the fish samples was within the range of 30cm to 45.8cm in length and 250g to 750g in weight were originally used to provide information on the...

Length weight relationship is important in describing several biological aspects of fish species found under cultured and natural condition. Length weight relationship provides information about whether somatic growth was isometric or allometric. While condition factor provide information about the well being fish. In the present study the individu...

Abstract. Dinocampus coccinellae is a parasitoid wasp usually parasitizing ladybird beetles of the tribe Coccinellini. A fi eld survey conducted between March and November 2016 revealed three hosts of this parasitoid in the Srinagar district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir: two members of the Coccinellini (Oenopia conglobata and Coccinella...

A Length Weight Relationship (LWR) and condition factor of cultured rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was studied. A total of 144 specimens were used obtained from National fish farm Laribal, Dachigam during January 2017 to December 2018. The coefficient ‘b' value of LWR showed negative allometric (b<3) growth throughout the year except in the mont...

A 10-week feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding level, energy and protein maintenance requirement of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, fingerling (5.65±0.45cm; 1.42±0.25g) by feeding casein-gelatin based purified diet (45% CP; 3.67 kcal g⁻¹ GE) at six feeding levels from 2 to 7% of BW/day in two equal meals, at 0800...

Objective: The aim of the present study is to work out the seasonal variations in the hepato-gonadosomatic indices and hemato-biochemical composition of snow trout, Schizothorax niger in order to provide season wise nutritional status of the fish. Methodology: Live fish, S. niger were collected from fish market in early morning and brought in plast...

Fish fauna form an integral part of aquatic ecosystems and any drastic changes taking place in the medium in which they live can affect the productivity, diversity, ecology and distribution. In order to assess the current status of fish fauna of the river Jhelum and Dal lake of Kashmir valley. Study was carried out for the period of two years from...

Amino acid requirement of fishes

An 8-week feeding experiment was conducted to estimate the dietary lysine requirement of fingerling Indian catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (total length = 6.35 ± 1.10 cm; weight = 4.70 ± 0.65 g) by feeding six isonitrogenous (400 g/kg CP) and isocaloric diets (17.90 kJ/g) containing six supplemental lysine levels ranging from 11.0 to 23.5 g/kg (di...