Himachal Sees Over 110 Tonne Fish Production From 5 Reservoirs Within A Week After Ban Lifted

Fish production from five major reservoirs in Himachal Pradesh has reached about 110 tonne within a week after the ban was lifted, a 47% rise from the year-ago level, a senior state government official said on Tuesday.

Last year, about 75 metric tonnes of fish were caught during the same period, said Om Kant Thakur, Director of the Fisheries Department, on Tuesday.

Approximately 46 tonnes of fish were caught on the very first day the ban was lifted. Catch levels remained encouraging throughout the initial week, reflecting the abundant fish stocks in the state's reservoirs, Thakur added.

According to reservoir-wise data up to August 23, approximately 51 tonnes of fish were caught at Pong Dam, while over 50 tonnes were caught at Govind Sagar Lake. Catches of approximately 7.5 tonnes were recorded at Ranjit Sagar, and a combined total of about one metric tonne was recorded at Chamera and Kol Dam.

In terms of species-wise data, Singhara (approximately 35 tonnes) and Silver Carp (about 34 tonnes) were the most frequently caught species.

Additionally, the recorded catch included 12 metric tonnes of Rohu, approximately 10 metric tonnes of Common Carp, a combined total of about 5 metric tonnes of Mirror Carp and Mahseer, over 4 metric tonnes of Catla, 3 metric tonnes of other species, over 2 metric tonnes of Mrigal, and around 1.5 metric tonnes of Kalbasu.

Approximately 1 crore fish seeds have been stocked in the state's reservoirs this year to boost fishery resources. Concurrently, enhanced monitoring of fishery resources has been implemented, ensuring better oversight of fish availability and fishing activities, the official said.

He said that a significant rise in water levels was observed in the reservoirs this year.

"Favourable water levels created better conditions for the fish, helping to increase the density and availability of fishery resources within the reservoirs.

"Furthermore, the department has updated and improved the effectiveness of its reporting system. Data received from landing centres is now integrated into an online, Excel-based monitoring system, allowing for daily updates on fish catch records categorised by reservoir and species," he said.