From kachhapa@GMAIL.COM Sun Jul 10 14:26:32 2005
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2005 02:08:00 -0400
From: Biswajit Mohanty 
To: nathistory-india@Princeton.EDU
Subject: Fish species threatened in Orissa

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The following news appeared in The Statesman Dt. 7.7.2005

Extinction spectre haunts fish

Statesman News Service
CUTTACK, July 6. ^× Natural fish stocks in the rivers and lakes of Orissa
are threatened with extinction due to unrestricted fishing during the
breeding season in the state.

While unregulated fishing is driving some fish population in the state to
extinction, the fish catch from Mahanadi river had reportedly gone down by
76 per cent. Lack of a ban on fishing during the breeding season has been
increasingly posing the threat. The threat to natural fish stocks in
Orissa assumes significance as the state is already largely dependent on
Andhra Pradesh. The southern state supplies nearly 45,000 tons of
freshwater fish every year to meet the high local demand in the state.
Wildlife activists blame the state government for its indifference to the
threat of extinction of natural fish stocks of the state. They feel the
situation warrants a two-month fishing ban in rivers and natural lakes to
ensure spawning of fish.

^ÓWe have been demanding such a ban and construction of fish ladders for
the past seven years. But nothing tangible has followed (except being
under active consideration) due to sheer administrative apathy of the
fisheries department^Ô, says Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) secretary, Mr
Biswajit Mohanty.

According to experts fishing ban and construction of fish ladders ensure
that natural fish stocks are replenished. Since fish is a natural resource
which should be harvested in a scientific and sustainable manner, many
countries of the world have banned fishing during breeding season after
fishery experts warned of the danger of extinction of some fish species.
In fact fishing during breeding season hadalready been banned in rivers,
lakes and sea by the Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala
governments.

Migratory fish like hilsa, which travel long distances inland through
rivers like the Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Subarnarekha, etc. are
highly affected. Similarly, mullets (khainga) which migrate to the sea for
spawning are also becoming rare. For the last two years, hilsa migration
has failed in Mahanadi River.Hilsas caught from the sea are only available
in the markets of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar at exorbitant prices of Rs 200
per kg.

The WSO secretary said a recent survey in the Mahanadi river had revealed
a steep fall in fishermen incomes due to a decline as high as 75 per cent
in fish catch during the last five to seven years. Fishermen ofMundali,
Padmavati, Kantilo, Kandarpur, Banki villages have seen a drastic decline
in fish catch.

They also say that big breeder fish are becoming increasingly rare and the
average size of common river carp species like rohu, catla, mrigal had
declined to 1- 2 kgs.

Earlier they used to net large specimens weighing fish 4- 6 kgs regularly.
Fish migration in rivers of Orissa is also affected due to lack of ^Ófish
friendly^Ô barrages and dams which they are unable to cross. During the
monsoon floods, fish tend to move upstream for spawning purposes.
In many countries, ^Ófish^Ô ladders are provided in all barrages, dams,
canal locks, anicuts, etc to enable fish to move freely and fishing
near ^Ófish ladders^Ô is strictly prohibited. In Orissa such egg-bearing
fish are caught unchecked at the barrage and dam gates. Gravid or egg-
bearing fish are prevented from crossing the river mouths by gill nets
which act as ^Ówalls of death.

The abundance of gravid fish and prawns in the markets presently is a
testimony to it. Almost all fresh water fish like rohu, mrigal, cat fish
etc., and marine species like hilsa, sea perch (bhekti) and mullets
(khainga) are full of lakhs of eggs which in normal course would have
hatched and replenished wild fish populations


END OF NEWS

Biswajit Mohanty,

Dated : 7th July,2005