Diversity of Migratory Fish in Floodplain Rivers in Sumatra: A Review Article
DOI:
10.29303/jbt.v26i3.12615Published:
2026-08-10Downloads
Abstract
The floodplain areas in Sumatra play a crucial ecological and sociological role for aquatic life and surrounding communities. However, this ecosystem faces serious threats from anthropogenic activities such as land conversion into palm oil plantations, infrastructure development (dams), and industrial pollution. This article conducts a literature review regarding the diversity of migratory fish in various floodplain rivers in Sumatra. The review results indicate that the fish community in these areas is dominated by the potamodromous fish group. The Cyprinidae family was found to have the highest number of species. Conservation data show the presence of species with concerning statuses, including an Extinct (EX) status for Chitala lopis and Endangered (EN) for Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, which correlates with massive habitat degradation. This information is expected to support conservation efforts for sensitive species and maintain connectivity between river ecosystems.
Keywords:
Anthropogenic Conservation Floodplain Migratory fish SumatraReferences
Atminarso, D., Baumgartner, L. J., Watts, R. J., Rourke, M. L., Bond, J. & Wibowo, A. (2023). "Evidence of Fish Community Fragmentation in a Tropical River Upstream and Downstream of a Dam, Despite the Presence of a Fishway." Pacific Conservation Biology, 30 (1): e22035. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/PC22035.
Chea, R., Pool, T. K., Chevalier, M., Ngor, P., So, N., Winemiller, K. O., Lek, S., & Grenouillet, G. (2020). Impact of seasonal hydrological variation on tropical fish assemblages: abrupt shift following an extreme flood event. Ecosphere, 11(12). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3303
Haryani, G. S. (2022). "Migratory Freshwater Fish in Indonesia: Threats and Conservation Efforts." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1062 (1): 012001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1062/1/012001.
Herrera, R, G. A., Heilpern, S. A., Couto, T. B. A., Victoria-Lacy, L., Duponchelle, F., Correa, S. B., Farah-Pérez, A., López-Casas, S., Cañas-Alva, C. M., Doria, C. R. C. & Anderson, E. P. (2024). "A Synthesis of the Diversity of Freshwater Fish Migrations in the Amazon Basin." Fish and Fisheries, 25 (1): 114–133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12795.
Husnah, H., Prianto, E., Marini, M., Aisyah, Triharyuni, S. & Purwoko, R. M. (2020). "The Effect of Anthropogenic Changes on the Sustainability of Eastern Sumatran Floodplain Fisheries Resources." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 535 (1): 012022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/535/1/012022.
Jézéquel, C., Tedesco, P., Bigorne, R., Maldonado-Ocampo, J., Ortega, H., Hidalgo, M., Martens, K., Torrente‐Vilara, G., Zuanon, J., Acosta, A., Agudelo, E., Maure, S., Bastos, D., Gregory, J., Cabeceira, F., Canto, A., Carvajal-Vallejos, F., Carvalho, L., Cella-Ribeiro, A., Covain, R., Donascimiento, C., Doria, C., Duarte, C., Ferreira, E., Galuch, A., Giarrizzo, T., Leitão, R., Lundberg, J., Maldonado, M., Mojica, J., Montag, L., Ohara, W., Pires, T., Pouilly, M., Prada-Pedreros, S., De Queiroz, L., Py-Daniel, L., Ribeiro, F., Herrera, R., Sarmiento, J., Sousa, L., Stegmann, L., Valdiviezo-Rivera, J., Villa, F., Yunoki, T. & Oberdorff, T. (2020). "A Database of Freshwater Fish Species of the Amazon Basin. Scientific Data, 7 (1): 96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0436-4.
Junk, W. J. & Wantzen, K. M. (2004). The flood pulse concept: new aspects, approaches and applications-an update. In Symposium On The Management Of Large Rivers For Fisheries Volume 2 (p. 117). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274511459 (Accessed on June 27, 2026).
Junk, W. J., Bayley, P. B. & Sparks, R. E. (1989). "The Flood Pulse Concept in River-Floodplain Systems." In D. P. Dodge (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium (LARS) (pp: 110–127). Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Ottawa. http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/111846.pdf (Accessed on June 27, 2026).
Kang, B. & Huang, X. (2022). "Mekong Fishes: Biogeography, Migration, Resources, Threats, and Conservation." Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, 30 (2): 170–194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2021.1906843.
Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup / Badan Pengendalian Lingkungan Hidup. (2025). Menteri LH: Sungai Bersih Kunci Masa Depan. Jakarta. https://kemenlh.go.id/news/detail/menteri-lh-sungai-bersih-kunci-masa-depan (Accessed on June 27, 2026).
Khairul. (2020). "Fish Biodiversity in the Swamp Ecosystem of Barumun River Area." International Journal of Applied Biology, 4 (1): 94–99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20956/ijab.v4i1.10091.
Lucas, M.C. & Baras, E. (2001) Migration of freshwater fishes. London, UK: Blackwell Science Ltd.
Muflikhah, N., Satria, H. & Vaula, G. (2019). "Karakteristik Sosial Ekonomi Masyarakat Nelayan di Sekitar Ekosistem Rawa Banjiran." Jurnal Penelitian Perikanan Indonesia, 25 (3): 185-194. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15578/jppi.25.3.2019.185-194.
Muslim, M. & Syaifudin, M. (2022). "Biodiversity of Freshwater Fish in Kelekar Floodplain Ogan Ilir Regency in Indonesia. Journal of Tropical Biodiversity and Biotechnology, 7 (1): jtbb67494. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/jtbb.67494.
Pavlov, D., Kostin, V. & Mikheev, V. (2021). "Migrations of Young Fish in Anthropogenically Transformed Rivers: Responses of Cyprinids and Percids to Ecological Filters and Barriers." Water, 13 (9): 1291. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13091291.
Poulsen, A. F., Poeu, O., Viravong, S., Suntornratana, U., Tung, N. T., & Mekong River Commission. (2002). Fish migrations of the Lower Mekong River Basin: implications for development, planning and environmental management. https://www.mrcmekong.org/publications
Rideout, N. K., Compson, Z. G., Monk, W. A., Bruce, M. R., Hajibabaei, M., Porter, T. M., Wright, M. T. G., & Baird, D. J. (2022). Environmental filtering of macroinvertebrate traits influences ecosystem functioning in a large river floodplain. Functional Ecology, 36(11), 2791–2805. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14168
Ridho, M. R., Patriono, E. & Haryani, R. (2019). "Keanekaragaman Jenis Ikan di Perairan Lebak Jungkal Kecamatan Pampangan Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ilir pada Musim Hujan dan Kemarau." Majalah Ilmiah Biologi Biosfera: A Scientific Journal, 36 (1): 41–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20884/1.mib.2019.36.1.867.
Rita, S. H. & Elvyra, R. (2020). "Inventarisasi Jenis-Jenis Ikan Genus Pangasius Di Sungai Kampar Kiri Provinsi Riau." Biospecies, 13 (2): 10–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22437/biospecies.v13i2.10023.
Rusdianto, R., Haryono, H., Gustiano, R., Wahyudewantoro, G., Hidayatullah, I. & Rahayu, D. A. (2025). "Fish Biodiversity in the Kampar Watershed: An Overview of the Potential, Threats, and Management Strategies." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1438 (1): 012034. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1438/1/012034.
Samitra, D. & Rozi, Z. F. (2019). "The Fish Fauna in Lakitan River, Musi Rawas Regency, South Sumatra.Jurnal Biodjati, 4 (1): 11–20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15575/biodjati.v4i1.4097.
Utomo, A. D. & Asyari. (1999). "Peranan Suaka Perikanan (Reservoir) dalam Pelestarian Sumberdaya Ikan di Perairan Umum Paparan Banjir. Jurnal Penelitian Perikanan Indonesia, 5 (2): 1-11. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15578/jppi.5.2.1999.1-11.
Vu, A. v., Baumgartner, L. J., Mallen-Cooper, M., Doran, G. S., Limburg, K. E., Gillanders, B. M., Thiem, J. D., Howitt, J. A., Kewish, C. M., Reinhardt, J., & Cowx, I. G. (2022). Diverse migration tactics of fishes within the large tropical Mekong River system. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 29(5), 708–723. https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12566
Wilkinson, C. L., Yeo, D. C. J., Tan, H. H., Fikri, A. H. & Ewers, R. M. (2018). "Land-use Change is Associated with a Significant Loss of Freshwater Fish Species and Functional Richness in Sabah, Malaysia. Biological Conservation, 222: 164–171. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.04.004.
Zhang, C., García-Girón, J., Yang, Z., Liu, Z., Li, S., You, W., Ge, Y., Gao, X. & Yan, Y. (2026). "Effects of Landscape Fragmentation on Floodplain Fishes as Revealed by Species–Habitat Networks." Conservation Biology, 40 (1): e70123. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70123.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rahma Yulita, Roza Elvyra, Tetty Marta Linda

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Jurnal Biologi Tropis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the received article shall be assigned to the author as the owner of the paper. The intended copyright includes the right to publish the article in various forms (including reprints). The journal maintains the publishing rights to the published articles.
Authors are permitted to disseminate published articles by sharing the link/DOI of the article at the journal. Authors are allowed to use their articles for any legal purposes deemed necessary without written permission from the journal with an acknowledgment of initial publication to this journal.























