DNA Barcoding To The Rescue Of India's Ornamental Fish

Kolkata: Indian scientists are using a new approach to identify animal species based on genetic labels or barcodes, that can help monitor and clamp down on trafficking of ornamental fish from northeast India - a biodiversity hotspot - and aid conservation.

Just as shopkeepers scan the similar-yet-different zebra stripes (barcodes) on products to keep track of what they sell and what is in stock, examining certain ubiquitous genetic sequences can differentiate one species from the other with high accuracy.

The upshot, says biotechnologist Sankar Kumar Ghosh, is that DNA barcoding can be applied even when traditional methods fail.

"Combined with traditional methods of identification, barcoding can pinpoint threatened fish species being sold under nicknames or popular trade names by exporters in northeast India, to mislead and avoid detection," Ghosh, professor, department of biotechnology at Assam University, Silchar, told IANS.

To lure hobbyists and enthusiasts, dealers in the northeastern states also adopt other unfair practices like use of synthetic dyes to impart colours to fishes to make them attractive.

The northeastern region is home to around 267 species of fish and about 250 are known for their ornamental value - colourful, bizarre shapes with patterns that look good in an aquarium display or recreational ponds, said Ghosh.

According to a Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute report, the region is the contributor to 80 percent of Indian ornamental fish trade.

From small varieties like snakeheads (murrells) to bigger catfish and other unusual looking species, most fetch a good price in the domestic as well as international markets in neighbouring countries like Nepal and Singapore, said Ghosh.

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