When the sun gilds the Uttarakhand Himalayas, the morning rays ricochet from the silver, gold and reddish-yellow scales of the mahseer that can be spotted when the fish migrates upstream from the Ganga close to Devprayag into the Nayar river to spawn. The sight leaves little doubt about what captivated locals and anglers alike to call it the “the tiger of the river”.
But golden mahseer sightings had become rare. The fish that compelled Jim Corbett to dedicate one whole chapter to it — “The Fish of My Dreams”, an angling interlude in his “Man-eaters of Kumaon” — is an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
Prized for its melt-in-the-mouth flesh, the golden mahseer (Tor putitora) became imperilled to the point of extinction due to overfishing, illegal fishing and the use of explosives to kill and catch.
But Uttarakhand’s state fish is getting a new lease of life lately because of conservation efforts by the government and individuals like Saurabh Dewan at Baagi, a village close to the Nayar, a tributary that joins the Ganga near the holy town of Devprayag.
A decade ago, the mahseer was seen in great shoals migrating upstream to spawn in the warm waters of the Nayar during the monsoon, Dewan said. But the numbers reduced steeply because of untrammelled fishing — with lines, nets and by setting off dynamite detonators that either stun or kill fish.
It’s a stark siren for people like Dewan. His mission began in 2017, explaining to residents of the 60-household Baagi village why they should protect the ecologically important fish. His efforts are paying off.
Catch ’em young
Armed with a PhD from Garhwal University on stress biology of fish, Dewan focused on schoolchildren. And like an angler reeling in his catch, he took young students under his wing to lend a hand in his campaign. It’s easier to teach kids than hardnosed adults.
Today, the Government Intercollege Kinsur School, located 3km from Baagi, where most children of the village are enrolled, conjures images that are a sharp contrast to a time when students would drop out of school to catch fish. They were often encouraged by their parents because the mahseer fetched a good price in the market.
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Walls of this school now have drawings, slogans and messages on mahseer conservation, events are frequently held and children readily participate in spreading awareness.
High school students Shivani Saha and Sagar Negi help Dewan spread the message.
“I explain to people that fish rearing can generate more income than illegal fishing,” said Sagar.
School principal Gopal Singh is equally active. He and Dewan collaborated last year to release 8,000 mahseer fishes that were reared in captivity.
“I am working with the fisheries department, trying to spread awareness among students and focusing on recreational fishing as conservation measures in Pauri Garhwal district,” said Dewan, who works with Turtle Survival Alliance India, a global conservation group.
Recreational fishing
Resting by the confluence of two rivers, the quaint hillside village of Baagi offers little income opportunities besides farming in small terrace parcels where people grow seasonal crops like mustard and koda, a millet variety. Many residents work at construction sites to make ends meet.
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“It could have been a good fishing spot, but instead became infamous for blast fishing,” Dewan said.
The mahseer is considered a prized catch among freshwater fishes, reaching up to nine feet in length and weighing as much as 50kg.
Conserving the fish has proved to be not only environmentally rewarding but also an economic saviour to the villagers. Golden mahseer numbers have now grown and villagers, who once killed the fish, have started a business on the back of the fish — controlled angling.
“Societies were formed between 2020 and 2022 to promote angling. Many visitors come to the village. People have become aware,” said Pauri-Garhwal fisheries in-charge Abhishek Kumar Mishra, who has been helping Dewan since 2012.
The fisheries department placed restrictions and patrolling was intensified.
The golden mahseer appears in the Nayar during the rainy season. They generally breed during floods and spawn over rocky, gravel substrates. After August-September, they return to the Ganga.
With a gradual increase in tourism and people’s involvement in the project, recreational fishing has increased in the river, said Surendra Kumar, one of the villagers benefiting from conserving the golden mahseer.
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The villagers sell fishing kits and aids, and even act as guides to tourists who come to the area for angling. The guides earn Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 a day — more than they would at a construction site at the end of a day’s backbreaking labour.
The lead image at the top shows the golden mahseer (Photo by Turtle Survival Alliance India)
Deepanwita is a journalist based in New Delhi. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism, she writes about rural development, gender and climate change.
