A survey of fish fauna in estuary and coastal areas of Samut Songkhram and Petchaburi Provinces, the northwestern Gulf of Thailand

Ruthairat Siriwattanarat; Sirikanya Chungthanawong; Weerawich Wongroj; Hata Harutaka; Arin Ngamniyom; Porntep Punnarak; Khanin Wongroj; Jenjit Kudamrongsawat; Veera Vilasri

Authors

Ruthairat Siriwattanarat Forensic Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Dusit, Bangkok, 10300, Thailand
Sirikanya Chungthanawong Ofice of Natural Science Research, National Science Museum Thailand, Khlong Luang, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand
Weerawich Wongroj Prasarnmit Elementary Demonstration School, Srinakharinwirot University, Vadhana, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand
Hata Harutaka Macroevolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, Japan
Arin Ngamniyom Faculty of Environmental Culture and Eco-tourism, Srinakharinwirot University, Vadhana, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand
Porntep Punnarak Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Institute Bld.3 Fl.9, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Khanin Wongroj Newton Sixth Form School, SiamScape Building, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Jenjit Kudamrongsawat Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
Veera Vilasri Ofice of Natural Science Research, National Science Museum Thailand, Khlong Luang, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand

Keywords:

species list, species composition, fish sizes, Sarotherodon melanotheron

Abstract

Asurvey of fish species was conducted in the estuarine and coastal areas of Samut Songkhram and Petchaburi Province, Thailand during January‒April 2023. Species composition comprised of 117 species (115 indigenous and 2 introduced) belonging to 46 families and 17 orders. The dominant orders were Acanthuriformes (30 species, 26 % of total species), Carangiformes (23 species, 20 %), Gobiiformes (12 species, 10 %), and Clupeiformes (11 species, 9 %). Species diversity also varied among sampling areas. Fishing villages exhibited higher diversity than areas with extensive fish farming, which showed comparatively low diversity. Fish size also varied among species with assemblages dominated by small-bodied fishes. Medium-and large-bodied sizes were observed in fishing villages while areas with extensive fish farming consisted mainly of small-bodied species. Life-cycle classification revealed a range of life-history strategies with marine-estuarine opportunists being the most common group across all survey stations.

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