Conservation - Overview

In a country where human beings are easily overlooked, wildlife doesn't really stand much of a chance. Unfortunately for fish, being under water means being out of sight and hence, out of mind. While something as large as a tusker or tiger cannot go unnoticed in current day 'Parks and Preservation' scenarios, many giant sized mahseer, rarities by themselves, are casually dynamited, netted, speared or poisoned. Statistics are available elsewhere, this page is about the loss of an adventurous way of life and the last wildlife contact sport left in the country.

Why mahseer need protection

In the State of Uttaranchal, the well-being of rivers and riverine resources is in the hands of the Forest Department. This alone is enough to explain why the fish and fishing are in such a terrible condition. The FD has no information of fish habits, natural history and conservation. It has no academic courses to verse staff in the ways of rivers and fishery management. This is not all that big a problem- the biggest problem is that since they have no projections of quantities, method of managing fisheries or even a patrolling programme, the places they govern are in a state of slow decimation by poachers of all kinds. There is no seeding programme to stock fish in rivers (because the FD itself does not have any hatcheries). There is no way to check removal of fish even after granting permits (because there's no staff to patrol rivers). We've never come across a single FD staffer while fishing at some of the best places. The permits themselves belong to the 1930's and older. The biggest tragedy is that in the year 2006, the FD has issued permits dating back to the Fish and Wildlife act of 1938. By this law, the locals are given rights to net the fish (In the '30's, it used to be cast-nets. Now the locals use gill nets. The permit does not define the difference.). No permits at any location insist on releasing fish and in Uttaranchal, there are very few places that actually grant permits.

The Fisheries Department of the state has a few stillwaters under it's belt and the sole job of the FsD is to breed and stock these stillwaters with table fish and lease it to contractors who net it three times a season to recover lease costs. Mahseer have been bred 'experimentally' since the 1920s with absolutely no thought to stocking rivers in a sustainable way. Other causes of decline in mahseer numbers are:

1. Population loss: The idea of releasing fish does not seem to exist in mahseer country. Very few anglers actually release fish and the locals never. Add poaching by dynamite, poison and unrelenting netting of breeders and the picture becomes clearer, but still unbelievable.

2. Habitat loss: The rivers are shrinking. The headwater areas are denuded of tree cover leading to excessive erosion leading to silting of breeding grounds. In a heavy silt year, this means total loss of that year's eggs. And that's a lot of eggs and future fish. Dams across rivers stop mahseer from ascending to the breeding grounds for further propagation.

3. Low fecundity: The mahseer is not a very fecund breeder compared to other endemic species. It lays approx. 3,000 -6,000 eggs per kilo of body weight. Compare this with the rohu's 2,50,000 eggs per kilo of body weight.

4. Female deaths: Large mahseer (10 kilo plus fish) are female, as has been proven by many an ichthyologist in the course of research. Locals and anglers alike seem to be unaware of this and kill large fish. This has led to erosion of good genetic stock. Big female fish means it's progeny will also be big if given a chance.

5. Lack of awareness: There has never been a mahseer awareness programme defining the uniqueness, rarity and importance of fish in any region. The locals who live along mahseer rivers are not aware of the status of mahseer and there's a lot of fishing by non-angling methods (poison, dynamite, nets) leading to loss of population.

The cream of Golden Mahseer fishing exists now only in Uttaranchal. The Himachal Golden seems to have stunted in size and numbers because of the great dams across the Beas (still a magic river in a certain part) and the Sutlej. Uttaranchal, with it's religious pilgrimages and sanctuaries in the Ganga has some monsters, but then for the angler looking for wild fish in wild places will have to travel further East, to the Kumaon border, although this area is now under threat of imminent tourist influx and road building.

To aid sportfishing and preservation of fish stocks for anglers, part of proceeds from our fishing programmes goes towards employing watchers and beat guards who patrol certain sections of rivers we have the good fortune of guiding for. Our good relations with local villagers are as much in exchange for employment as guides as for protecting certain pools for angling purposes. Our guests do much in meeting villagers and encouraging protection. At this stage, we request contributions be made to the village welfare groups looking after patches of rivers.

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	Conservation of mahseer- overview