SPECIES DIVERSITY AND DOMINANT FISH SPECIES IN DIFFERENT REACHES OF THE ILI RIVER, XINJIANG

From 2012 to 2014, fishing surveys were conducted upstream, midstream, and downstream of the Ili River to understand the characteristics of fish community structure and diversity. A total of 27 fish species were collected, belonging to 6 genera, 9 families, and 23 orders. In the upper and middle branches of the Ili River, the dominant species were T. strauchii (Kessler), T. stoliczkae (Steindachner), G. dybowskii (Kessler), and S. pseudaksaiensis Herzenstein, which are native fish of the Ili River. C. idellus (Cuvier et Valenciennes), C. carpio (Temminck et Schlegel) and C. auratus (Linnaeus) were the dominant species downstream of the Ili River. In the upper and middle branches of the Ili River, the species richness, resources of large fish, and community diversity were low. The construction of cascaded hydroelectric plants, over fishing, and exotic fish invasions have significantly affected the fish communities of the Ili River.