‘Queen of Beas’ mahaseer likely to dominate Pong waters again

Raghav Guleria

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Dharamsala, August 6

In view of the two-month fish breeding season, fishing has been halted at Pong Lake in Kangra district till August 15.

Director (Fisheries) Vivek Chandel, while talking to The Tribune, said, “This year, for the first time, 60,000 seeds of mahaseer species produced at department’s own farm at Machhial have been added to Pong and Gobind Sagar waters.”

Seeds to fulfil the remaining demand come from Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, he noted.

“The 18 department-run farms have been contributing to our drive to increase the quantity of fish in all water bodies,” he added.

The Department of Fisheries has ramped up efforts to protect fish and add new seeds for a better future yield. Officials have been keeping a strict vigil in the lake area, alongside ensuring that seeds are stocked in the water body to increase the fish count.

The department, it is learnt, has been taking extra precautions this year to ensure the survivability of seeds in the reservoir.

Hundreds of fishermen of the area depend on the lake for their livelihoods. They operate through societies near the lake that market their catch.

Popular as the fisherman’s paradise, the lake’s crystal-clear waters have historically been home to a variety of fish species, including carp, catla and "Queen of Beas" mahaseer.

Though the excessive silt due to the monsoon floods is a big challenge, the department is making concerted efforts to replenish the reservoir with a record number of seedlings.

The Beas, which merges with Pong Lake, is renowned across the world for its mahaseer fishes.

The species is found only in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In a first, the department added a record 20,000 seedlings of mahaseer in Guj khud, a tributary of Pong, this year.

Seeds of other fish species stocked this year include 20 lakh rohu, 5 lakh mrigula, 30 lakh pure catla, 10 lakh grass carp and 3.2 lakh common carp, amounting to a total of about 68 lakh seeds.

The surge in fish population at the lake, despite many a challenges, can be attributed to the routine addition of these seeds to the lake water, experts opine.