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BONGAIGAON: A research paper on the fish diversity of Bongaigaon's Champabati river has opened an interesting debate among fisheries experts, after a rare species reported to be endemic to Manipur was claimed to have been found in the river.
The paper, authored by Dr Pari Devi, Assistant Professor of Zoology at Abhayapuri College, and published in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025), records 23 fish species from the Champabati river. Among them, the paper claims that seven specimens of Puntius manipurensis were found at Kheluwapara Part-IV.
The finding has raised questions because earlier studies have recorded the species only from Loktak Lake in Bishnupur district of Manipur, where it is considered an endemic and endangered species.
A Gauhati University professor and fisheries expert, who did not wish to disclose his name, questioned the identification, pointing out that the research paper contains no photograph of the fish. He also said the species was earlier known as Puntius manipurensis, but after a 2014 study its accepted name became Pethia manipurensis.
According to the expert, the Brahmaputra, Ganga-Meghna, Chindwin, Kaladan, and Irrawaddy river basins have distinct fish diversity, making the reported presence of Pethia manipurensis in the Brahmaputra basin particularly noteworthy.
The expert also referred to another paper by Dr Devi on Tamranga Beel, which reportedly mentions its area as 2,15,900 hectares, while government records put it at around 627 hectares. The reported figure is even larger than the total geographical area of Bongaigaon district, which is 1,093 sq km. Researchers said that the discrepancies should be properly verified. At the same time, they noted that if the Champawati finding is confirmed through fresh field studies, it could itself become an important discovery in the field of fish research.
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