The importance of sound effect assessment in the Iranian freshwater endemic fishes

Endemic fishes are part of the genetic resources in aquatic habitats. The Caspian Sea, as the largest lake in the world, has a unique habitat diversity and is of great importance for the countries of the region. Over the recent decades, with the increase in the level of anthropogenic sound, its effects on freshwater and marine fishes have been considered by fisheries managers and stakeholders. Although it has been shown that anthropogenic sounds have significant effects on marine mammals and fishes in marine ecosystems, yet there is limited knowledge of such effects on endemic freshwater fishes. In the present study, we classify the hearing abilities of endemic freshwater fishes and explore the potential of sound impacts on these endemic species, as well as categorize the behavioural indices that can be used in such studies. Here, we emphasize that more studies are needed to assess the possible effects of sound on endemic freshwater fishes and it is suggested that using behavioural and physiological techniques simultaneously with combination of those results would help us to better understand sound-related effects in endemic freshwater fishes.