Seafood News - Industry Events - Seafood Market

Hindustan Times    1/12/2004 10:14:29

Himachal Pradesh is emerging as a major power-producing state in the country and most power projects are based in Kullu district. Unfortunately, trout fish farm projects, established near riverbeds, are paying the price of this development.

Electricity is already being produced in some of the many small and big power projects under construction over the rivers and nullahs in the valley. This certainly is development but what about the danger to trout fish, question experts.

The Indo-Norway Trout Fish Farm set up at Patlikuhl in the Sujan nullah is in danger because water-level has started decreasing in the nullah as a private power project too has come up there. This fish farm was set up with the help of Norwegian Government on the Kullu-Manali national highway and eggs were brought here from Norway. The trout here is famous and supplied to other states, generating a good source of revenue for the state government.

The officials at the farm are worried as trout worth lakhs of rupees could die. It's good news that the power project has started producing electricity but the fish farm may be breathing its last.

Senior fisheries officer at the trout farm Yogesh Gupta said the problem started this year as due to tripping, the water level decreased. He said the farm officials had informed the government about it but if the problem persisted, the existence of the farm could be in danger.

On the other hand, officials at the private power project said the water level decreased due to a lean season and in case of any more tripping, extra water would be released through big pipes to the nullah.

Another case in point is the hatchery over the Haripur nullah, which was set up in 1995 by the department of fisheries. It is being said that a private power project is proposed over this nullah and if the government sanctioned it, the existence of trout will definitely be in danger.

This is the backbone of the trout fish farming in the state. Around two lakh trout eggs were developed here and put in various rivers. Various government fish farms and around 24 other private trout fish farms of the state depend on this hatchery. Patlikuhl trout farm officials said the department was trying to increase the production capacity of the Haripur hatchery.

It is learnt that the NOC for this proposed power project has been rejected four times but if the government approved it, a lot would be at stake.

For one, the Indo-Norway fish farm project would become useless. The farmers who had adopted the fisheries business will be ruined and the government will also be deprived of a good income source, said experts.

Commercial production of trout began in the eighties and the period between 1996 and 2001 was the most profitable in trout fish farming, said experts. However, with the start of power projects over various rivers and nullahs, many varieties of fish were eliminated and now, with an imminent danger to trout, people who had made it the means of self-employment, stand to suffer.