Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Oct 30: Indigenous fish species of snow trout or Schizothorax, which were previously common in the glacial and crystal-clear waters of Kashmir, have vanished from the area’s water bodies as a result of excessive pollution and the introduction of alien species that are highly desirable on the market.
Experts claim that approximately five species of snow trout have gone extinct and that three more are at risk of doing so out of the 13-15 species that were found in the pristine waters of this Himalayan region.
Along with agriculture, the fish sector accounts for 23 percent of the GDP of Jammu and Kashmir, making it a significant contributor to the region’s economy. But the loss of these fish species threatens not just the ecosystem but also the livelihoods of people involved in the sector.
Fisherman Mohammad Abbas, 45, has been fishing for a living since he was a little boy, but he says that over the years, his catch has dropped by 60%. “I used to catch around 8-10 kilograms of fish, but now I only catch one kilogram,” he says.
Abbas blamed the unrestricted pollution of water bodies for the population drop. “This river, Jhelum, will soon be reduced to nothing more than a sewer drain. My net is filled with polythene and empty plastic bags more than fish,” he says.
The ichthyologist Owaise Iqbal Dar claims that human activity is driving a decrease in fish populations in water bodies. “There used to be about thirteen species of snow trout, but currently there are just five, and eight of them are extinct. Two of the five surviving species are disappearing quickly,” he says.
According to him, a number of things are stressing out fish species, which will eventually cause them to become extinct, including deforestation, invasive species introduction, excessive water pollution, and climate change. “They lay eggs in shallow water, but excessive mining has destroyed the riverbed,” he says.
He continued that their population has been impacted because they are unable to compete with invading species like carnivorous rainbow trout. “The invasive species eat the eggs of these fish, affecting their population,” he says.
According to him, the introduction of foreign species like carp to the Valley in the 1960s with the intention of increasing fish supply has led to the extinction of local species.
Muhammad Sidiq, an official at Fisheries Department in Kashmir, said that although there are many freshwater lakes and streams in the Valley, they are all under threat from encroachment. “Residential colonies and commercial complexes are being built on the banks of these water bodies,” he says.
He says that region is well-known for its mouthwatering apples, but the use of pesticides in apple orchards has severely damaged aquatic life. “We spray these apple orchids with a lot of artificial fertilizer starting in March. Rainfall is heavy in the valley, and each orchid receives ten to fifteen sprays between March and July. They are frequently carried away by little streams into bigger bodies of water, where they affect aquatic life,” he says.
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