Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 242533699

A population trends assessment of the endangered endemic freshwater fish in Lake Poso, Central Sulawesi

Mugilogobius sarasinorum, commonly called Bungu Masiwu by local people, is a freshwater fish endemic to Lake Poso (Larson 2001). This species is listed as 'Endangered' by the IUCN Red List (2024). Although the report by Miesen et al. (2016) and Bandjolu et al. (2021) noted that this species is abundant in Lake Poso, it is facing several serious threats. Parenti and Soeroto (2004) noted several threats, such as invasive non-native species, eutrophication, pollution, intensive fishing, and trading. This species is also used by the local community as a consumption fish. Moreover, Lake Poso, which has clear water, is currently threatened by pollution originating from domestic waste from nearby settlements and fertilizer waste from surrounding agricultural land. Unfortunately, to date, there is no assessment of Mugilogobius sarasinorum population trends in the Poso Lake system, but the population is thought to be declining with all currently identified threats (IUCN, 2024).

This project is the first survey to focus on population trends of target species aimed at conserving endangered endemic freshwater fish in Lake Poso.