Himachal: Ban on fishing lifted across the state
Himachal Pradesh: The fisheries department has lifted the ban on fishing in reservoirs across the state, bringing relief to fishermen of the Pong reservoir in the lower Kangra hills. The ban imposed due to breeding season from June 15 to August 15 has been lifted, allowing fishermen to resume their livelihood. It is worth noting that the fisheries department has detected 719 cases of illegal fishing during the ban period and recovered compensation of Rs 6.25 lakh. This is a significant increase compared to last year, when 109 more cases were detected and the compensation amount was Rs 67,000 more.
Spread over an area of over 24,000 hectares, the Pong reservoir provides livelihood to 3,395 fishermen through 15 registered fisheries societies. According to Vivek Chandel, director, fisheries department, Bilaspur, the department’s field teams deployed at Pong reservoir have caught 218 cases of illegal fishing and recovered compensation of Rs 2,28,250. The department has taken special security measures, including camps and flying squads, to protect fish during breeding season. More than 12,000 fishermen in the state derive their livelihood from the reservoirs and water bodies. After the ban is lifted, the fishermen are expected to reap the benefits of the reservoir’s potential, where 387 metric tonnes of fish production was recorded last year.
