Recommended Free Tools
Channa barca, the Barca snakehead, is a large fish of the Brahmaputra basin that has become rare in parts of Assam. Conservation sources describe a dwindling occurrence and serious collection pressure, but no current Assam population census or measured extinction probability is available. “On the brink of extinction” therefore describes the severity of the conservation concern, not a quantified forecast.
What is the Barca snakehead?
The Barca snakehead is Channa barca (Hamilton, 1822), a large member of the snakehead family. The U.S. Geological Survey places its native range in the Ganges–Brahmaputra basin. The Assam State Wetland Authority/GIZ Fish Identification Handbook describes it as endemic to particular pockets of Assam, with reports also from Meghalaya and West Bengal.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
TetraMin Tropical Flakes Fish Food, 7.06 oz | $13.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Tetra Goldfish Flakes Fish Food, 7.06 oz | $9.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Fish Food, 1.6 oz. | $6.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
TetraMin Tropical Flakes Fish Food, 8.81 oz | $17.43 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
TetraMin Tropical Flakes Fish Food, 0.42 oz | $2.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Range description | What the cited source says |
|---|---|
| Wider native basin | Ganges–Brahmaputra basin (U.S. Geological Survey, 2004) |
| Assam | Specific pockets of the state, rather than a continuous statewide distribution (Assam State Wetland Authority/GIZ handbook, 2024) |
| Other Indian reports | Meghalaya and West Bengal (Assam State Wetland Authority/GIZ handbook, 2024) |
Where it lives and how large it gets
This is a benthopelagic fish: it uses both the water column and habitats close to the bottom. In Assam, it is associated with riverside floodplains, beels (floodplain wetlands) and inundated swamp burrows. Its diet includes crustaceans, amphibians and small fishes.
The Assam handbook records a maximum length of up to 100 cm. A U.S. Geological Survey account gives a size of about 90 cm. These are source-specific maximum figures, not the expected size of every fish.
#1 Best Overall
- TROPICAL FORMULATION: Highly digestible ingredients for use as staple food for your top- and mid-feeding tropical fish.
- COMPLETE DIET: Nutritionally balanced for optimal health.
- ACTIVE LIFE FORMULA: With added antioxidants for healthy cells, select proteins for growth and prebiotics for digestion.
- CLEAR-WATER FORMULA: Won’t cloud water when used as directed.
- LESS WASTE: Feed two to three times daily, only as much as your fish can consume within three minutes.
Why is it declining in Assam?
Illegal ornamental-fish collection
The Assam State Wetland Authority/GIZ handbook identifies “rampant illegal trade and overfishing due to its high ornamental value” as a serious threat. A 2022 review in the Journal of the Inland Fisheries Society of India reports that a Channa barca specimen can fetch “several thousand USD” in international ornamental-fish trade. That is a reported market value for traded specimens, not an estimate of population size.
Overfishing and human interference
An ICAR study published in 2006 described the species as “rare and dwindling” and linked its declining occurrence to human interference. Removing adults from small, connected wetland habitats can be especially damaging when local populations have few places to recolonize.
Rank #2
- GOLDFISH FORMULATION: Specially designed for use as a staple flake food for your goldfish or small koi.
- FOR DAILY FEEDING: Nutritionally balanced diet for optimal health, color and vitality.
- PROCARE FORMULA: Helps support fish’s immune system for optimal health and long life.
- CLEAN AND CLEAR WATER FORMULA: Designed to be easily digested, helping to keep aquarium water clean and clear.
- COLOR ENHANCING: Enhances the goldfish’s naturally brilliant colors.
Pollution and habitat destruction
Bangladesh’s national Red List cites pollution and habitat destruction among the pressures on the species and records its recent disappearance from the wild in that country. Conditions in Bangladesh cannot be treated as a direct population measurement for Assam, but they show how degradation across the species’ wider basin can compound local threats.
Is the Barca snakehead legally protected?
Protection labels differ by jurisdiction and by assessing authority. They should not be treated as interchangeable global categories.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Rank #3
- Tropical fish food that contains up to 40%, nutrient-rich Black Soldier Fly Larvae, the first ingredient
- High in multiple proteins like whole salmon – rich in Omega 3 and 6 for healthy skin, scales and fins
- Fortified with essential vitamins, amino acids and minerals for a balanced daily diet
- Slow sinking micro granule format (0.7-1mm) – all fish can feed at their preferred depth; feed as much as fish can eat in two minutes, two or three times daily
- Sustainably processed in small batches for quality control and maximum freshness
| Jurisdiction or authority | Status reported in the source | Meaning for readers |
|---|---|---|
| Assam/India handbook (2024) | Data Deficient (IUCN); Schedule II under India’s Wildlife Protection Act | The handbook reports both labels. “Data Deficient” signals inadequate assessment data; Schedule II is the Indian legal listing cited by that handbook. |
| Bangladesh national Red List, assessment dated 25 June 2014 | Critically Endangered | This is Bangladesh’s national assessment and applies to that country’s population and legal assessment context. |
Assam’s statutory threatened-species process is explained by the Assam State Biodiversity Board under section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act and the 2018 Gazette framework. A legal listing does not by itself stop collection: enforcement, habitat protection and public reporting determine how effective the protection is on the ground.
What does “on the brink of extinction” mean here?
The phrase reflects the combination of reported rarity, a documented decline in occurrence and continuing threats to wetland habitat and trade. The available Assam material does not provide a current population census, a verified percentage decline or a calculated probability of extinction. It is therefore not accurate to present the headline as a measured Assam extinction forecast.
Rank #4
- TROPICAL FLAKES: Nutritionally balanced diet supports optimal health, color and vitality
- ACTIVE LIFE FORMULA: With added antioxidants for healthy cells, select proteins for growth and prebiotics for digestion
- CLEAN AND CLEAR WATER FORMULA: Easily digestible flakes produce less waste
- BOOSTS COLOR: Enhances tropical fish’s naturally brilliant colors
- FOR DAILY FEEDING: Feed up to three times daily, only as much as your fish can consume within three minutes
Can Barca snakeheads be bred for conservation?
An ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education project ran from 2011 to 2013 on the species’ biology, rearing and breeding feasibility. That work establishes that husbandry and breeding were subjects of formal investigation. The cited material does not establish a current, self-sustaining captive-breeding programme, a release programme, or a verified success rate. Captive production should not be used to justify collecting wild adults for private aquariums.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which conservation actions matter most?
The response needs several measures at the same time. The available sources support these priorities, but do not provide comparable costs or success rates.
Best Value
- TROPICAL FORMULATION: Highly digestible ingredients for use as staple food for your top- and mid-feeding tropical fish.
- COMPLETE DIET: Nutritionally balanced for optimal health.
- ACTIVE LIFE FORMULA: With added antioxidants for healthy cells, select proteins for growth and prebiotics for digestion.
- CLEAR-WATER FORMULA: Won’t cloud water when used as directed.
- LESS WASTE: Feed two to three times daily, only as much as your fish can consume within three minutes.
| Response | What it should address | Evidence or limitation |
|---|---|---|
| In-situ wetland protection | Protect beels, floodplains, swamp-burrow habitat and river connectivity so fish can move and recolonize. | Habitat associations are documented; a quantified Assam restoration success rate is not stated. |
| Law enforcement against collection and trade | Detect illegal capture, transport and sale, including high-value ornamental-fish trafficking. | The handbook identifies illegal trade and overfishing as serious threats; enforcement outcomes are not stated. |
| Ex-situ husbandry and breeding research | Maintain carefully documented conservation stocks only where it supports, rather than replaces, wild-population protection. | ICAR studied rearing and breeding feasibility in 2011–2013; a verified conservation-production success rate is not stated. |
| Community monitoring and reporting | Record sightings, local catches and wetland changes, while discouraging purchase or keeping of wild fish. | Monitoring is a supported response category, but no Assam-wide monitoring dataset is reported in the cited material. |
What readers should do
- Do not buy, collect or keep a wild Barca snakehead, particularly a fish advertised as a rare ornamental specimen.
- Share credible sightings or suspected illegal sales with the relevant wildlife, fisheries or biodiversity authorities in Assam rather than publicizing collection locations.
- Support protection of beels, floodplains and connected wetlands, including measures that reduce pollution and habitat conversion.
- Treat captive-breeding claims cautiously unless they identify the responsible institution, lawful source of broodstock and documented conservation purpose.
Why better monitoring is urgent
“Data Deficient” is not the same as safe. It means that the information needed for a stronger assessment is inadequate. For Assam, a useful conservation baseline would need repeat surveys across known pockets, records of habitat condition and connectivity, and documentation of legal and illegal harvest. Until those data exist, the safest interpretation is that a rare, high-value fish with shrinking or disrupted habitat requires precautionary protection now.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
