Local varieties of fish are vanishing fast & community support is necessary to save them
The northeastern region, including Meghalaya, has always been rich in aquatic fauna and fish lovers’ as well as anglers’ delight. However, over-exploitation has led to the number of some of the indigenous species to dwindle to an alarming extent.
Prof Bashida Massar of St Anthony’s College says there was no proper documentation of the extinct or threatened species in the State. This prompted her to go back to her roots and find the ground reality.
Massar focused her work on the Rymben river at Lapalang village where she grew up. “I grew up seeing the abundance of nature and the rich aquatic life that was a constant source of food for the villagers. But in all these years we just killed and ate fish without giving much thought about conserving the fish population. So I wanted to give back something to the place where I grew up through the project with the research grant from UGC,” says Massar.
The associate professor of Zoology says in her research paper that there are 10 species of fish in the Rymben that adapt to the torrential water and 33 species in Borhir, the broader and calmer part of the river in Bangladesh.
In the Rymben, chocolate mahseer (khasaw), loach (dar), catfishes (maiñ, briang), danio (shalynnai), suckers (Garra gotyla and khasi garra) locally known as kew and sher, Schistura (syngkai), perch (Badis) locally called khalawei and snakehead (thli) were documented. Five of these species (khasaw, maiñ, dar, kew and khalawei) belong to the threatened category of the IUCN Red List of endangered species, says Massar in her research.
The species found in the Borhir are chola barb, olive barb, reba carp, Labeo gonius, common carp, minnow, Gongota loach, scavenger loach, zipper loach, Tista batasio, Day’s mystus, catfishes, Gangetic mystus, stinging catfish, angler catfish, Asian needle fish, swamp eel, spiny eel, glassy fish, Gangetic leafish, banded gaurami, snakehead, Badis, puffer fish and freshwater shark. “Since these fish are commonly available elsewhere, except Badis, all of them do not belong to the threatened category,” she adds.
According to the research and by the villagers’ statement, khalyntang and khababia have disappeared from the Borhir due to overexploitation.
“The villagers are illiterate and are unaware of the harm to the ecosystem that overexploitation causes. The boom in population is also adversely affecting the food chain,” she says.
Massar is planning to start a conservation programme by collaborating with agencies. “Awareness is the first thing that we have to do. It is through community endeavour that we can achieve the goal,” she says and adds that while there are conservation in the Garo Hills and Ri Bhoi there is no significant measures in the Khasi Hills.
Another researcher, Prof. Rabindra Nath Bhuyan, says there is a substantial number of indigenous species in the State and not all are endangered.
Of the various species, Meghalaya has more than 200 species of ornamental fish but the population of many is decreasing due to the unorganised sector supplying them. “Channa gachua is a blue-coloured fish that has high value in the market. But its number has fallen significantly due to over-exploitation. These need to be conserved,” says Bhuyan.
There is another variety called the Pearl danio found in East Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills but they are rarely found now.
There is another group of fish called sports fish. Tor tor (mahseer) and Tor putitora are found in the Umgot and the Ranikor rivers. “These were also found in the Lukhai earlier but not anymore,” says Bhuyan.
Another variety, Progeneus, was in abundance in the Umiam water but it is not found anymore. Similarly, chocolate mahseer — which has two species, Hexagonolepis and Hexaspicus — was available in all rivers but it has become a rare sight now. In fact, in the last 10 years, the number has dwindled as much as 30-40 percent.
Besides over-exploitation, rampant coal mining before the NGT ban was also responsible for killing the aquatic life. “The mining effluents getting into the water increase carbon level in the water and reduce oxygen killing fish. Rivers flowing through the coal belt in Khasi and Jaintia Hills and in parts of Garo Hills (Nangalbibra) are highly affected,” says Roger Marak, Superintendent of fisheries in Tura.
Marak, however, adds that West and East Garo hills are less affected. Effluents from cement factories also add to the pollution level.
There are other reasons for the reduction in the population of indigenous fish. One is poisoning of water and the other is introduction of new species in the waters of Meghalaya which are not suitable for the region. “Locals use a poisonous plant in the water for fishing. This plant makes the fish unconscious making it easier for fishermen to catch them. But in the long run, it highly affects the aquatic life,” says Bhuyan.
Researchers have found that two exotic varieties – tilapia and Thailand Magur – which were not typically found in the waters here have been introduced.
“Tilapia breeds very fast and this leads to competition for food in the waters of Meghalaya. Thailand Magur is a carnivore and is officially banned. We have no clue about who introduced them but these two varieties are playing an important role in reducing the number of indigenous species,” says Bhuyan.
Fish conservation through artificial breeding is difficult in the state as there is no technology available here, he points out. “My work involves breeding biology of fish. I am working with some of my students and am hopeful that artificial breeding will be possible soon. But before everything else, spreading awareness is the main step,” he adds.
The garra species are indigenous and invaluable. “They are ornamental fish. These species do not want any interference during their breeding. But with proper legislation, even these can be protected,” says Marak.
Fish conservation with community support has already started in the Garo Hills. The Government is providing pecuniary incentives and spreading awareness.
Leyland B. Marak of the Village Development Committee, which started in 2015, says around 140 members are working to preserve local varieties like na’rong and na’katok. “Our fish sanctuaries — Gongni Wari and Mandal Wari — are located in Tura. These were started only this year and we can see a change in population of the fish,” says Leyland and added that the areas have been fenced to prevent people from fishing.
Stretches of the Simsang in Garo Hills have been prohibited for anglers and locals and this has helped in checking the vanishing trend to some extent.
“But in Khasi and Jaintia Hills, it will take time to revive the aquatic life as the rivers in these districts are polluted. However, with the NGT ban on coal mining, things will change,” says Marak.
(With inputs from Warmand Sangma)