TY - Data T1 - Fish in Kazakhstan A1 - Documentation Information Center DO - 10.12389/ariddc.02191 PY - 2026 DA - 2026-09-10 PB - Arid Land Ecology and Resources Science Data Center AB - In recent years, the protection and rational utilization of natural resources, including animal resources, have acquired exceptional importance. Consequently, there is a need for more comprehensive information on the fish inhabiting various water bodies.The study of fish faunas in aquatic systems, the assessment of fish resources, and the development of measures for the conservation and rational exploitation of commercially valuable fish stocks constitute urgent tasks for the ichthyologists of Kazakhstan. The forthcoming fundamental five-volume compendium, Fishes of Kazakhstan, which contains all available information on fish morphology, distribution, biology, and behavior, is of great importance for advancing these studies. The absence of such a reference work has significantly hindered the formulation of numerous practical recommendations and scientific conclusions. For example, during the preparation of the Red Data Book of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, it became apparent that information on many rare fish species inhabiting the republic's waters was completely lacking. Owing to insufficient data, several rare species were not included in the first edition of that publication.The species composition of fish faunas in various drainage basins, particularly those of the Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash, has undergone such profound changes that information on some native fish species can now be obtained only from the literature, and even these sources provide far from adequate coverage.During the past several decades, non-commercial fish species, the so-called low-value and rough fish, have received little attention from researchers. As a result, reasonably complete information exists in the literature for only a few of these species, while the majority of native rough-fish species remain poorly studied.At present, the validity of a number of taxonomic units, including species, subspecies, and ecotypes, is being questioned. Only after careful taxonomic revision of DB - EGIDC UR - https://data.dcxjegi.cn/portal/metadata/c66eb44c-94b3-496c-ad41-fd08724e0f61 ER -