Page 60 - 15JAN2020E-1

World’s hardest

fighting fish

saved from

extinction

Called “Tiger of Water” for its fighting prowess,
Mahaseer, which is considered as the world’s hardest
fighting fish has been saved from brink of extinction
through a conservation plan launched in the reservoirs
and rivers of the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Efforts
to conserve this species of fish are commendable
because their future is under serious threat as rivers are
getting polluted and dams built over rivers to tap hydro
power generation, have blocked water for these fish
species to grow, writes charanjit ahuja

he mahseers are an iconic tinct. It was refound in 1977 when a Trans and poisons); sand and gravel extraction;
group of fish characterized World Fishing Team comprising three low river flows due to abstraction; and
by their large scales, attrac- Englishmen travelled to India and con- India’s continuing thirst for electricity,
tive appearance and have firmed their existence. had resulted in dozens of hydro-electric
T long been given the status of With its distribution having always projects which restrict the ability of fish
“God’s fish”. These were found through- been limited to the Cauvery River basin, to migrate to their spawning grounds.
out the fast-flowing rivers of South and this fish is now believed to be so endan- The research suggests that the in-
South-East Asia. Being the world’s hard- gered it may be extinct in the wild within troduction of non-native Mahseer has
est fighting fresh water game fish, these a generation, researchers have said. acted as the catalyst which has had a
are called “tigers of water”. Unfortunately There are 17 species of mahseer which catastrophic effect on the numbers of
their future is under serious threat as populate rivers. Four of these species endemic Mahseer remaining in the
rivers are getting polluted while tap- are already listed as ‘Endangered’ on the Cauvery river and its tributaries. India’s
ping for hydro power generation, dams IUCN (International Union for Conserva- nearly extinct “’tigers of the water” which
have been build over river, thus blocking tion of Nature) Red List. have suffered severe population declines
water for these fish species to grow. A paper published in the interna- in much of its distribution range and
Today it is most endangered specie and is tional research journal Endangered declared endangered by the Washing-
limited to just a handful of rivers. Species Research demonstrates that ton-based International Union of Con-
Mahaseer weighs as much as a small the endemic humpbacked Mahseer is servation of Natural Resources due to
adult human being weighing about 50 to now on the brink of extinction having pollution, habitat loss and over-fishing is
60 kg, the fresh water giant reminds us been replaced by non-native relatives thriving at Mahseer farm at Machhial in
of an enigma. During the British regime, (blue-finned Mahseer) which have been Mandi District through artificial breed-
several huge sized mahaseers were re- artificially bred and introduced to the ing in captivity.
corded in many rivers. Subsequently, river in the name of species conserva- The state government is setting up
it lost focus by authorities with many tion, researchers said. The paper alleeges new Mahseer hatchery-cum-carp breed-
believing that the fish had become ex- that pollution; poaching (using dynamite ing unit at Sunni in district Shimla with

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