A vulnerable (VU) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild. It is the third highest risk category after Critically Endangered (CR) and Endangered (EN) assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. .
According to IUCN Bangladesh (2015a, b) two hundred fifty three Freshwater Fishes were assessed by IUCN Bangladesh. Threatened Categories are concerned nearly one fourth (64 species) of the species are under threat, among them 9 (3%) Critically Endangered, 30 (12%) Endangered, and 25 (10%) Vulnerable. This has been followed by 27 (11%) species as Near Threatened. Outside the purview of the Threatened and Near Threatened Categories, there are 122 (48%) species that were assessed as Least Concern and rest of the 40 (16%) as Data Deficient.
Table: Conservation status of Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh (2015a, b))
| Categories | Number | Percentage (%) | |||
| Threatened | 64 | 25 | |||
| Critically Endangered (CR) | 09 | 3 | |||
| Endangered (EN) | 30 | 12 | |||
| Vulnerable (VU) | 25 | 10 | |||
| Near Threatened (NT) | 27 | 11 | |||
| Least Concern (LC) | 122 | 48 | |||
| Data Deficient (DD) | 40 | 16 | |||
| Total | 253 | 100 | |||
List of Vulnerable (VU) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh (2015a, b))
NB: Species are classified by the IUCN Red List into nine categories, set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. The term “Threatened” is a grouping of three categories such as Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable.
| Categories | Criteria | |
| Extinct (EX) | No known individuals remaining | |
| Extinct in the wild (EW) | Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range | |
| Threatened | ||
| Critically endangered (CR) | Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild | |
| Endangered (EN) | High risk of extinction in the wild | |
| Vulnerable (VU) | High risk of endangerment in the wild | |
| Near threatened (NT) | Likely to become endangered in the near future | |
| Least concern (LC) | Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at-risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category | |
| Data deficient (DD) | Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction | |
| Not evaluated (NE) | Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria | |
Reference:
- Froese R and Pauly D (Editors) (2016) FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, (10/2016 )
- IUCN Bangladesh (2015a) Red List of Bangladesh: A Brief on Assessment Result 2015. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp. 24.
- IUCN Bangladesh (2015b) Red List of Bangladesh Volume 5: Freshwater Fishes. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp xvi+360
- Rahman AKA (1989) Freshwater fishes of Bangladesh. Zoological Society of Bangladesh, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 364 pp.
- Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater fishes of Bangladesh, second edition. Zoological Society of Bangladesh, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 394 pp.
- Talwar PK and Jhingran AG (1991) Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. vol 1 and 2. Oxford IBH Publishing Co Pvt Ltd, New Delhi-Calcutta. pp. 1-542 and 543-1158.
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