Abstract The ichthyofauna in relation to water quality was studied on monthly basis from March 2014 to
February 2015, in the Damodar River, Burdwan district, West Bengal. The result of present investigation reveals the occurrence of 35 species of fishes belonging to 6 Order, 15 families and 23 genera were recorded. Among the collected species Order Cyprinidontiforms constituting 41%, Order Perciformes constituting 37%, Order Siluriformes constituting 16%, of the total fish species. The highest richness was found in sampling site- 1– Krisak Setu. The maximum species richness (33) was recorded in site- 1 and low species richness (27) was recorded in site-2. The highest Shannon value was recorded to be (3.29) in site- 2. The low Shannon value was (2.68) in site- 3. Water parameters such as temperature, pH, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, hardness, free CO2, salinity, total inorganic nitrogen, and phosphate were recorded and found suitable for fish production. Conductivity, transparency, and high chloride level are minor limiting factor that may needs rectification for improved fisheries management.
Keywords: Fish Diversity; Water Parameters; Biodiversity Indices; Damodar River; Burdwan; West Bengal.