Fish community structure and diversity in the semi⁃nature water of Tongling River Dolphin National Nature Reserve were investigated in May 2021 with cast net and multi⁃mesh gillnet. A total of 30 fish species from 27 genera, 7 families, and 5 orders were collected during the investigation. The dominant species were Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Hemiculter bleekeri, Pseudobrama simoni, Megalobrama amblycephala, Parabramis pekinensis and Culter alburnus according to the index of relative importance. The proportion of ferocious fish competing for bait resources with the Yangtze finless porpoises reached to 2.4%, and the body length distribution showed that there were a large number of large individual fish (17.5%) that the Yangtze finless porpoises could not feed on. The values of Shannon⁃Weiner index, Simpson index, Margalef index and Pielou eveness index were 1.955-2.181, 0.794-0.820, 2.952-3.856, 0.705-0.730, respectively. Spatial niche width index, average crowding degree index and niche overlap index indicate that there may be intense interspecific competition among the dominant species of fish in the semi⁃nature water. It is recommended to clean up ferocious fish such as Elopichthys bambusa, Culter alburnus, Culter dabryi, and Channa argus, as well as other fish competing for food with the Yangtze finless porpoise, timely catch fish with a total length of more than 25 cm, and supplement fish that Yangtze finless porpoises prefer to feed on, such as Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Pseudobrama simoni, and Xenocypris argentea.
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