Fisheries Department releases 15k Mahaseer seeds in Gobind Sagar

The Fisheries Department released over 15,000 Mahaseer fish seeds in the Gobind Sagar lake near the town on Thursday, according to Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq.

He said the aim of this initiative was to maintain fish diversity and promote fishing tourism in the area.

Efforts were on to boost tourism in Gobind Sagar, and the department was also engaged in tourism activities, he added.

He said apart from improving aqua-diversity in the lake, Mahaseer fish species would attract more fishing enthusiasts towards Bilaspur.

The fish was not only popular for its delicious taste, but also was highly sought after in sport fishing, he added.

The DC said this initiative, aimed at promoting tourism in the district, was viewed as a major step of the state government and the district administration towards tourism promotion in the Gobind Sagar lake.

The department would issue licences for tourism and hobby fishing to attract tourists for fishing, he added.

Sadik said department Joint Director Pawan Kumar and Assistant Director Pankaj Thakur released 15,000 fish seeds into the lake.

Thakur said the seeds were brought from the Machhyal Mahseer Farm in Joginder Nagar, Mandi district.

Mahaseer accounted for only 2 per cent of the total catch in the recent years, he added. He said to tackle this challenge, the department undertook the stocking of Mahaseer seeds to increase and preserve fish diversity.