Conservation - The Golden Mahseer Project

What sort of anglers would we be if we did not peruse what has been written by our piscatorial peers in days gone by and try to match it in hope, if not actual bags. Especially at a place made famous by the books and acknowledged to be one of the finest venues for mahseer.

Pancheshwar finds first mention in 1923 in Skene Dhu's book 'The Mighty Mahseer'. The account details a hike from Rameshwar (16kms upriver) to Pancheshwar with all the fish caught and all the fish lost, which reads like an account of the anglers paradise. In 2002, we identified Pancheshwar area as a model of mahseer ruination. Prior to our arrival at Pancheshwar, the Saryu was dynamited mercilessly, to the tune of upto thirty blasts per pool per day in certain pools. The blasting season lasted as soon as the water started clearing in the Saryu till the onset of the rains. This made sure the returning breeders evacuated the most beautiful stretches immediately. This in a river considered by elite anglers as a paradise for fishing in the wild. As anglers who wish to maintain the sport and sanctity of such a place, we embarked on a long project of reviving the Saryu for sportfishing. As anglers, naturalists and guides who exist on the benevolence of Nature, we felt we had to give before we took. For the first three years of our operations, we took no fishing parties to the place and spent effort, time, money in regenerating safety and security for the fish in the Saryu. We also recruited locals and poachers thus spreading employment for fish in the water and not the shop.

Our conservation efforts revolve around the principles of a sustainable fishery that has fish for anglers and locals alike. Since mahseer are not artificially stocked, no one has the right to remove them for sale in markets. Culling mahseer is justifiable only for personal consumption (by personal capture, not purchase) within realistic limits. Culling is not justifiable at all by sporting anglers.

Knowing it is impossible for the remote area villager to stop killing and eating fish, we embarked on a mission of distributing hooks and line for removing fish as against dynamite, poison or gillnets. We also made strong recommendations to remove only one fish between 2 and 5 kgs for personal consumption instead of dropping dynamite, taking a couple of fish and letting the rest go to waste. This provides the realistic limit on how much fish a family can eat. Larger fish are recommended for release so they can breed further quantities of fish. Larger fish also attract anglers which is where the locals benefit from mahseer in the river.

The local people supported the cause of being able to take fish without wasting anything and began anti-dynamite patrols with us. So far, we've recovered and destroyed around 180 sticks of dynamite and around 200 gillnets. After three years, we have old men coming up to us and telling us they have never seen, let alone eat so much fish from the river. That's happiness for us. The other mixed happiness is that old time anglers who had given up the idea of fishing Pancheshwar because of the poaching have started returning. Problem is, these people still kill fish as they used to and their servants sell them.

With mild administrative aid and goodwill from the Forest Department, we have managed to prevent netting and dynamiting in a 5km stretch of the Saryu just before the confluence. The locals have been made aware of the status of golden mahseer and have cooperated fully in apprehending poachers and putting a stop to dynamiting. Sanctuary pools have been established and large fish are seen, caught and released routinely. Things have improved down the Kali, too. The fish hang around the confluence area longer than they have been doing for the past many years. Just ask the habitual old time anglers who still land up and manage to remove fish- they've been called 'white collar poachers'- basically anglers who land up only when the fishing is good, catch, kill, salt or sell the fish they catch. These people have started fishing the places more frequently just because the fishing has improved. We consider it a sort of an unwanted compliment. When poachers start landing up at your beat, it can mean only one thing- the game is good. This without any government support or funding. We consider it a matter of changing from poachers to patrons.

We understand that conservation is an activity where both humans and wildlife can prosper. Geared towards that is the ecotourism end of our activities. We're encouraging 'Home Stay' in our parts. Local families set aside a room and basic facilities for guests for a nominal amount and get to live with them. A person from the family also acts as guide for the duration of the guest's stay. This is planned to improve tourist-local relations and improve cultural goodwill. This will also help the families in generating income in an area which has very little.

Our practices ensure that there are good fish in the beats and the locals gainfully employed as gillies, guides and camp staff who also freelance for other anglers. As part of our local involvement policy we have trained locals in several places the techniques of proper fish handling for release and are proud to declare absolutely no casualties yet. These people are some of the finest gillies and gainfully employed in a state which doesn't even have proper angling laws yet. As fish numbers increase, it is intended for the locals to start the licensing and maintaining fishing sanctuaries and regulations. Funds generated will go directly to the village welfare committee. Other social help and training programmes geared towards crafts are in the pipeline.

Part of our revival project is to tag fish for studying migration patterns at various times of the year so we know where the fish go and which areas need to be protected at what time of the year.

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