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Biologist discovers 173 fish species in National Park

HCM CITY— A 68-year-old biology researcher has discovered in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park 10 species of fish never before seen in Viet Nam.

Prof. Nguyen Thai Tu, a former biology teacher, also identified 162 varieties of freshwater fish in the park, following eight years of research.

The park, famous for its rich bio-diversity, is a World Heritage site in Quang Binh central province covering 85,000 ha. It includes Asia’s oldest limestone mountain range.

"The list of fish varieties found will be even longer," said Tu, who is working with World Heritage officials to preserve the park’s bio-diversity.

Tu, also director of the Truong Son Mountain Range’s Bio-diversity Centre, said the fish were found in a 4,000 sq.m area.

"The number is very high when compared to the total 544 species of fish around the country," Tu said.

"When I toured the park with scientists from the World Wildlife Fund, I saw the area is really a paradise for ichthyologists," he said.

His research is partly funded by the European Council (EC).

Scientists at a recent international bio-diversity seminar in Bangkok praised Tu’s research findings, particularly his discovery of the ton fish (Cyprinus quidatensis) .

"Leading ichthyologists think that most freshwater fish in the world originated in Southeast Asia. I’ve proven that the Cyprinus fish was bred in Phong Nha-Ke Bang," Tu said.

"Proximity is needed for carp to evolve into ton fish, which were found in an underground river in the Sac Cave, while carp live in ponds in Rao Nam village only 5km from the cave."

Tu found seven kinds of fish of the family Cyprinini, including ton, black carp and red carp.

He said his research confirmed that the park has the highest natural bio-diversity of the country’s national parks and reserves.

Long underground rivers running beneath limestone mountain ranges in Phong Nha-Ke Bang separate various biological systems, contributing to the rich bio-diversity, he said.

Tu, who taught biology at Vinh College in the central Nghe An Province, has worked on 70 national and international scientific research projects on fish.

With help from the EC and the Southeast Asia Bio-Diversity Centre, Tu now has a mini-library on the 162 fresh-water fish.

Tu said he was optimistic the park’s bio-diversity could be preserved. —VNS