Fishery in Gurez has a great economic potential which must be tapped to ensure a sound commercial fish production in the whole region,
writesZAHID SAMOON (ABRAHAM)
Nature has been very kind to the people of Kashmir. State of Jammu and Kashmir, with its diverse climatic zones is bestowed with vast and rich expanse of natural water bodies in the form of snow fed streams, rivers, lakes, sars, springs, marshy areas besides high altitude cold water lakes located at an elevation of above 12000feet. These resources not only add to the splendor of unsurpassed beauty of the state but also form unrivalled rich and diverse fishery resources. The fresh water aquaculture resources in the state comprise of 0.4 lakh kms, vast diversity of climate makes the state suitable for both cold and warm water fishery. Besides the state provides ample opportunity for sport fishery of world famous trout and Mahaseer. Trout farming is one of the oldest forms of commercial fish production. Due to their popularity as a sport fish and as a food fish, trout have been widely distributed and are now cultured in waters around the world. The brown trout is a native of European waters. Like the rainbow trout, it has been widely distributed There is great scope for the development of fishery resources in Gurez valley so as to overcome the prevailing animal protein deficiency in the diet of the local people as well as to generate revenue out of it. There is already a branch of fisheries department in Gurez Valley but it has not been able to work up to the mark for various reasons. If the aquatic resources available in the Gurez valley are properly utilized for the capture and culture of fisheries, the day is not far when we will be in a position to export the fishery products to other parts of the state and country as well. Kishenganga River, 150 Kms in length is famous for having world class trout in it. Average weight of these trout being 24 pounds. There are many varieties of trout and other fishes in it. The most prominent amongst them are: Snow Trout (Shizothorax): It is found predominantly in Tilail area (above40%). They are highly esteemed for their deliciousness, standing second only to trout. Brown trout (Salmo trutta fario L.): 90%. Brown trout is a stenothermal cold water fish which needs fresh water and does not withstand high temperature variations. They like pure, running water rich in oxygen. They spawn in the autumn or at the beginning of winter, that is to say from November to January in the northern hemisphere. The size of brown trout depends on the medium and the richness of its food. Brown trout rarely pass 18 inches in size. Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri): 10%. Rainbow trout are salmonids best suited for raising industrially and for the production of trout for the table. They are less difficult to feed, less demanding with regards to temperature and the quality of the water. Consequently they are to be found in cold water fish farms throughout the world where they have become the principal salmonids for eating. Shuddgurn: It is in abundance every where in Gurez. Anyour: 1-2% mostly present in aasthan nallah. But don’t think that you can buy any of these fishes in open market of Gurez. Instead of trout you will find fishes imported from outside (usually called Punjabi Gaade) being sold here at high rates. Isn’t it shame for us that although Nature has blessed us with huge resources still we are not able to harness them up to their full potential? Instead we import products from outside state even if they are of lower quality than that are available in our own land. To know the reasons for such a paradox, I went to the branch of fisheries department in Gurez to enquire about sorry state of affairs. I was moved by the startling information I got from there. Many of the fishes thriving in Kishenganga River are affected by diseases of eye and few others are affected by fungal diseases. Mohammed Rafiq, Deputy Inspector, fisheries Department, Gurez while describing the situation says, “All around the world the stocking is done to prevent such diseases and to maintain the No. of fishes. It is done even in every part of Kashmir but it has not been done here till date” He adds that “Stocking should be done by the government after 2-3 years but Kishenganga River has not been stocked from 1943 onwards”. When enquired, why there wasn’t any fisheries farm available for commercial purposes. Mohammed Rafiq said,” “Our department wants to develop fisheries farm here in Gurez at Asthaan nallah from khandyal to fakirpora area. Money has already been granted by Government. About 3 lakhs have been sanctioned so far & out of it 1 lakh is exclusively for land acquisition but land can’t be acquired so far”. He further elaborated, “The farm will be made on 2.17 marlas of land. But Revenue department is not cooperating in the acquisition of farm land. Actually rate of land to be acquired has to be fixed by SDM Gurez and he has fixed it be 60-65 thousand but people want at least 1 lakh per kanal. If the funds are not utilized in time, they will get lapsed. Further SDM has been transferred and presently Tehsildar is discharging the duties of SDM and can’t proceed further in this regard.” When asked why the department is not encouraging the locals to make their own private fisheries farms for commercial purposes. Mohammed Rafiq said,” Government has a plan according to which it will give 1 lakh 20 thousand subsidy to any local if he owns at least 3 kanals for the construction of such a farm. But majority of people (land owners) don’t have Buynama with them which can create hurdles in the overall plan. And even if only one farm would had been made the illegal fishing would had been controlled to a greater extend” But it is unfortunate that there is no general awareness among locals about the prospects of the commercialization of the fisheries products. And when I talked to the general public, many of them didn’t even knew about the plan itself. Fisheries department issues Licenses to anyone as per the rate of 200 rupees per rod for one full day. But if water is muddy not a single fish can be caught. Growth of trout hatcheries need to be promoted and popularized by establishing farms for commercial production. Trout farming in hilly terrain (in nallahs and rivers) should be popularized. Improvement of existing stocks of brown and rainbow trout to produce disease resistant stock should be one of the priority areas. Evolving of diversified means to produce compound pellated feeds for trout especially brown trout is essential for the development of trout in the state. Farmers should be encouraged to organize themselves into cooperative associations so as to enable them to realize higher prices of the fish at competitive rates. Further, in order to cover risks, insurance companies should be involved with simplified procedures for fish insurance schemes. Processing units, cold storage facilities and adequate marketing facilities need to be developed, to reduce losses at, convenient sites. High altitude water bodies which have been untouched so far should be exploited for both capture as well as culture fishery. The introduction of Brown Trout in High mountain lakes like Kiser Sar (lies above the Khandyal village) can prove rewarding, as is indicated by the establishment of trout population in Gang bal lake. Fishing through illegal methods should be completely checked. Carp culture should also be introduced here, carps are considered to be most suitable for pond culture as they feed on plant material or zoo- and phytoplankton, weeds and debris, cement is not necessary for the construction of the fish farm. Carp can even survive in muddy waters. Carp does not need high quality feed like silk worm as is the case with trout; it can survive on cow dung also. While describing the potential of fisheries in Gurez, Deputy inspector, Fisheries Department Gurez, said, “During my service of 30 years in this department, I have never seen a place, with such a huge potential for the benefit of fishery in whole of Kashmir Valley which I have seen here”. Concerned authorities should wake up and remove the various bottlenecks in the way of fisheries department. And government should take various positive steps to make Fisheries a flourishing industry in whole Kashmir. (Zahid Samoon (Abraham) can be mailed at zahid_samoon2000@yahoo.com)